You Can Learn Chinese

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All Episodes

A Language, a Leap, a New Life: Cassandre Egolf’s Journey into Chinese

Sharing a heater with the family dog during Chinese New Year. Sitting in the front seat of taxis to practice Chinese with the drivers. Rehearsing a speech in Chinese to thank her team at a store opening in Shenzhen. For Cassandre Egolf, learning Chinese has become inseparable fro ... Show more

. 47min 20sec

Great Teachers Don’t Fill Your Head; They Light a Fire

In celebration of Teachers’ Day in China, Jared and John reflect on the teachers who have shaped their language-learning journeys and what actually makes a great teacher. They share stories of teachers who were hilarious, inspiring, technically brilliant, and sometimes simply the ... Show more

. 24min 12sec

From Soft Serve to Stand-Up Comedy: Turner Sparks’ Excellent Chinese Misadventure

In a mildly confusing bit of podcast naming, Jared Turner sits down with comedian Turner Sparks. Turner moved to China in 2004 to teach English, planning to stay for just one year. He ended up staying for twelve.In this episode of You Can Learn Chinese, Turner talks about learnin ... Show more

. 50min 40sec

The Frustrated Learner and the Sound of Progress (Replay)

Jared and John discuss the frustrations faced by a learner who came to John for help—particularly with pinyin and distinguishing similar sounds in Chinese. They explore why learners often misapply English pronunciation rules to pinyin and how comprehensible input can help ease th ... Show more

. 24min 54sec

Following a Century-Old Path to China: Ben Lee and the Legacy That Led Him Back

What does it mean to walk in the footsteps of an ancestor whose life connected China and America more than a century ago?In this episode, Ben Lee shares how moving to Wuhan in 1992 pushed him to learn Chinese for survival—and eventually led him back to a remarkable family legacy. ... Show more

. 54min 14sec