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	<title>Comments on: Mandarin For &#8220;Dummies&#8221; &#8211; A Proposal</title>
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	<link>http://www.aimeebarnes.com/2010/01/30/mandarin-for-dummies-a-proposal/</link>
	<description>Asia Business with a Human Face</description>
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		<title>By: China Blogs by Western Women who Love Chinese Men &#124; Speaking of China</title>
		<link>http://www.aimeebarnes.com/2010/01/30/mandarin-for-dummies-a-proposal/comment-page-1/#comment-11365</link>
		<dc:creator>China Blogs by Western Women who Love Chinese Men &#124; Speaking of China</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Sep 2011 04:19:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.aimeebarnes.com/?p=1110#comment-11365</guid>
		<description>[...] given up writing about it). I&#8217;ve come to appreciate her voice even more after reading this post about how she went against expectations (she had a learning disability) to master Mandarin and [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] given up writing about it). I&#8217;ve come to appreciate her voice even more after reading this post about how she went against expectations (she had a learning disability) to master Mandarin and [...]</p>
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		<title>By: Learn Chinese China</title>
		<link>http://www.aimeebarnes.com/2010/01/30/mandarin-for-dummies-a-proposal/comment-page-1/#comment-9300</link>
		<dc:creator>Learn Chinese China</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Dec 2010 09:37:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.aimeebarnes.com/?p=1110#comment-9300</guid>
		<description>Great story, Chinese is really charming... and it may take longer to learn but it is worthwhile.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Great story, Chinese is really charming&#8230; and it may take longer to learn but it is worthwhile.</p>
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		<title>By: Robert Bagwell</title>
		<link>http://www.aimeebarnes.com/2010/01/30/mandarin-for-dummies-a-proposal/comment-page-1/#comment-8181</link>
		<dc:creator>Robert Bagwell</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:26:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.aimeebarnes.com/?p=1110#comment-8181</guid>
		<description>A great story.  I need to share with my 17 year old daughter. Thanks.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A great story.  I need to share with my 17 year old daughter. Thanks.</p>
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		<title>By: neatnest</title>
		<link>http://www.aimeebarnes.com/2010/01/30/mandarin-for-dummies-a-proposal/comment-page-1/#comment-7649</link>
		<dc:creator>neatnest</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Mar 2010 08:14:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.aimeebarnes.com/?p=1110#comment-7649</guid>
		<description>It&#039;s hard to learn Chinese, especially learning reading and writing. But as a Chinese native speaker, I also found it&#039;s difficult to learn English. I have been learning English for 10 years, but I can never be as good as an English native speaker. 

I built an English website for my company Neatnest Co., Ltd and please review whether the English is good enough.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s hard to learn Chinese, especially learning reading and writing. But as a Chinese native speaker, I also found it&#8217;s difficult to learn English. I have been learning English for 10 years, but I can never be as good as an English native speaker. </p>
<p>I built an English website for my company Neatnest Co., Ltd and please review whether the English is good enough.</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: The Virtues of Vanity, Caprice, and Sloth &#187; Blog Archive &#187; 3 Great Articles From NYT</title>
		<link>http://www.aimeebarnes.com/2010/01/30/mandarin-for-dummies-a-proposal/comment-page-1/#comment-7577</link>
		<dc:creator>The Virtues of Vanity, Caprice, and Sloth &#187; Blog Archive &#187; 3 Great Articles From NYT</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:52:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.aimeebarnes.com/?p=1110#comment-7577</guid>
		<description>[...] because it&#8217;s one of how a criminal&#8217;s life was turned around. This and the story of Aimee Barnes&#8217;s life makes me wonder how much better off (and happier) people would be if they sought to maximize their [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] because it&#8217;s one of how a criminal&#8217;s life was turned around. This and the story of Aimee Barnes&#8217;s life makes me wonder how much better off (and happier) people would be if they sought to maximize their [...]</p>
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		<title>By: Chinese Language Institute</title>
		<link>http://www.aimeebarnes.com/2010/01/30/mandarin-for-dummies-a-proposal/comment-page-1/#comment-7561</link>
		<dc:creator>Chinese Language Institute</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 14 Mar 2010 09:50:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.aimeebarnes.com/?p=1110#comment-7561</guid>
		<description>Great article. New York Times ran an interesting story a few weeks back about many elementary schools around the US dropping most foreign languages, but adding Mandarin. Maybe Chinese is a language for the average Joe (or Aimee) after all.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Great article. New York Times ran an interesting story a few weeks back about many elementary schools around the US dropping most foreign languages, but adding Mandarin. Maybe Chinese is a language for the average Joe (or Aimee) after all.</p>
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		<title>By: Lao Ke</title>
		<link>http://www.aimeebarnes.com/2010/01/30/mandarin-for-dummies-a-proposal/comment-page-1/#comment-7391</link>
		<dc:creator>Lao Ke</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:05:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.aimeebarnes.com/?p=1110#comment-7391</guid>
		<description>Aimee;
I happened upon your article in Linkedin and had to comment.  This is a great piece of writing and a wonderful and touching story sharing your journey out of the world of the learning challenged to excel where few have truly succeeded-learning to speak, read and WRITE Mandarin!  

Although far removed from academia and definitely unqualified to make any definitive statements on how the brain works, even my own, I think you are on to something here.  Learning in general is so contextual and mysterious and even more the case when the subject matter is language.  I have met people who could speak all seven major Chinese dialects but unable to read a basic menu in Chinese.  I myself, a seriously challenged Mandarin speaker never able to predict what will exactly emerge from my mouth, have learned to read and write at a competency level far greater, thanks in part to an ability to rapidly memorize characters and the associated Pin Yin, a skill I should not have based on those batteries of standardized tests used to define my boundaries in the past.  Even more paradoxical for me is this is all happening at the stage in life where my brain has already exhausted its language learning capacity.  There are of course thousands of other persons with similar examples as well.

The only conclusion I have every been able to accept is that the experts still have hardly a clue of the possibilities and capacity for learning that exists, and because of this, I don&#039;t pay too much attention these days to those so-called limitations I, or anyone else for that matter was cursed or gifted with at birth.  What matters most is my interest and my passion to learn, and having someone to guide me along the path to fulfilling that passion. Your fascinating story is yet another affirmation.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Aimee;<br />
I happened upon your article in Linkedin and had to comment.  This is a great piece of writing and a wonderful and touching story sharing your journey out of the world of the learning challenged to excel where few have truly succeeded-learning to speak, read and WRITE Mandarin!  </p>
<p>Although far removed from academia and definitely unqualified to make any definitive statements on how the brain works, even my own, I think you are on to something here.  Learning in general is so contextual and mysterious and even more the case when the subject matter is language.  I have met people who could speak all seven major Chinese dialects but unable to read a basic menu in Chinese.  I myself, a seriously challenged Mandarin speaker never able to predict what will exactly emerge from my mouth, have learned to read and write at a competency level far greater, thanks in part to an ability to rapidly memorize characters and the associated Pin Yin, a skill I should not have based on those batteries of standardized tests used to define my boundaries in the past.  Even more paradoxical for me is this is all happening at the stage in life where my brain has already exhausted its language learning capacity.  There are of course thousands of other persons with similar examples as well.</p>
<p>The only conclusion I have every been able to accept is that the experts still have hardly a clue of the possibilities and capacity for learning that exists, and because of this, I don&#8217;t pay too much attention these days to those so-called limitations I, or anyone else for that matter was cursed or gifted with at birth.  What matters most is my interest and my passion to learn, and having someone to guide me along the path to fulfilling that passion. Your fascinating story is yet another affirmation.</p>
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		<title>By: David Russo</title>
		<link>http://www.aimeebarnes.com/2010/01/30/mandarin-for-dummies-a-proposal/comment-page-1/#comment-7326</link>
		<dc:creator>David Russo</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:34:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.aimeebarnes.com/?p=1110#comment-7326</guid>
		<description>Thank you for sharing your experiences with the world. It&#039;s really moving and inspiring. I wish all students, regardless of what &quot;talents&quot; or challenges they may have, could hear your story. I&#039;m an American who speaks Mandarin after years of study (and having married a Chinese spouse) and I&#039;m so glad the language is &quot;doing it&quot; for you :) Jia you! (Incidentally, I was sent here from Haomama.com--a great blog too)</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you for sharing your experiences with the world. It&#8217;s really moving and inspiring. I wish all students, regardless of what &#8220;talents&#8221; or challenges they may have, could hear your story. I&#8217;m an American who speaks Mandarin after years of study (and having married a Chinese spouse) and I&#8217;m so glad the language is &#8220;doing it&#8221; for you <img src='http://www.aimeebarnes.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' />  Jia you! (Incidentally, I was sent here from Haomama.com&#8211;a great blog too)</p>
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		<title>By: Wenjonggal</title>
		<link>http://www.aimeebarnes.com/2010/01/30/mandarin-for-dummies-a-proposal/comment-page-1/#comment-7319</link>
		<dc:creator>Wenjonggal</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:10:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.aimeebarnes.com/?p=1110#comment-7319</guid>
		<description>I&#039;m here via Haomama.com Thankyou for this wonderful post. Isn&#039;t it amazing how just one person with a more open vision can help one onto a completely different track in life. I don&#039;t have the problems you dealt with, but did have such a person as a young adult. Thankyou for your take on mandarin and chinese characters. I indeed am learning it as I enjoy learning it (though I am both good at math and art), but am hoping my son, who has some learning disabilities, will continue learning with me. He already knows some characters and it is true it is a very different process from sounding out letters. You give me optimism and encouragement.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;m here via Haomama.com Thankyou for this wonderful post. Isn&#8217;t it amazing how just one person with a more open vision can help one onto a completely different track in life. I don&#8217;t have the problems you dealt with, but did have such a person as a young adult. Thankyou for your take on mandarin and chinese characters. I indeed am learning it as I enjoy learning it (though I am both good at math and art), but am hoping my son, who has some learning disabilities, will continue learning with me. He already knows some characters and it is true it is a very different process from sounding out letters. You give me optimism and encouragement.</p>
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		<title>By: @Transition</title>
		<link>http://www.aimeebarnes.com/2010/01/30/mandarin-for-dummies-a-proposal/comment-page-1/#comment-7295</link>
		<dc:creator>@Transition</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:43:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.aimeebarnes.com/?p=1110#comment-7295</guid>
		<description>Very nice. Glad you turned out to be the &quot;you&quot; we know and love. :-)</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Very nice. Glad you turned out to be the &#8220;you&#8221; we know and love. <img src='http://www.aimeebarnes.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':-)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
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