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Learn HOW to learn Chinese with hosts Jared Turner and John Pasden. You will learn tips, strategies, and insights so you can supercharge your language learning. You will also be inspired by guest interviews with people from all over the world who have learned Chinese.
Both Jared and John both learned Chinese, lived in China for many years, and have worked with learners all over the world and understand the unique challenges that Chinese learners face. They stay at the forefront of language learning research and methods and bring that to listeners everywhere.
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 learning Chinese out of necessity, from struggling through everyday conversations with almost no shared language to using Chinese while building and running a business across China.
Turner shares stories from his years in Suzhou and Shanghai, including launching Mr. Softee ice cream trucks in China, navigating local government and business culture, whitewater rafting with Chinese officials, and stumbling into stand-up comedy when a local bar owner built him a stage and told him he had a month to prepare.
That hobby eventually became a career. After performing around Asia, Turner moved to New York City to pursue comedy full time, where his years in China, his Chinese-speaking wife and family, and the Chinese language itself continue to shape his comedy.
Turner’s path from English teacher to ice cream entrepreneur to full-time comedian is not exactly the standard Chinese-learning story. Join us for a funny and unpredictable conversation about China, Chinese, business, comedy, and the strange places learning a language can take you.
Links from the episode:
Turner Sparks | Website & Tour Dates
