Eric Olander on Mandarin, Weibo, and a Lifetime of Studying Chinese: S2E2

Send us Fan MailForeigners who plan to live or work in China can’t afford to postpone learning Mandarin. After more than 30 years of Chinese language study, Eric Olander explains why English-only professionals are increasingly being excluded from meetings, emails, and workplace decisions, and what serious Mandarin learners need to do now.What Eric Olander Shares About Learning Mandarin and Working in ChinaHow studying Mandarin in Taipei connected textbooks with real lifeWhy traditional Chinese characters can help beginnersHow Bopomofo improves Mandarin pronunciationWhy long breaks can erase years of progressHow private tutors and online lessons support advanced learnersWhy Chinese textbooks often fail Western adultsHow Weibo became a practical Mandarin learning toolWhy apps can’t replace memorising Chinese charactersHow Mandarin affects jobs, meetings, and visas in ChinaWhy internet slang and chengyu still challenge advanced learnersHow Studying Mandarin in Taiwan Made the Language ClickEric began studying Chinese in 1985 after his boarding school encouraged students to choose Russian, Japanese, or Chinese as a “strategic language.” He originally wanted Spanish and didn’t immediately enjoy Mandarin.The language finally became real when he moved to Taipei for a gap year in 1989. At the Mandarin Training Center at Taiwan Normal University, he used Chinese while taking buses, shopping, renting housing, and managing daily life.Eric preferred Taiwan’s practical lessons to the political textbook dialogues available elsewhere. Learning how to mail a letter or rent an apartment helped him connect classroom language with the world around him.Why Traditional Characters and Bopomofo Help BeginnersEric started with traditional Chinese characters because their additional visual components helped him understand how characters developed. He later switched to simplified characters for work and typing, but his foundation allowed him to read writing used in Taiwan and Hong Kong.He also learned Zhuyin Fuhao, commonly called Bopomofo. Because Pinyin uses Roman letters, Western learners may pronounce Mandarin through familiar English sounds.Bopomofo forced Eric to learn each sound without relying on English spelling habits. He no longer uses it regularly, but credits it with strengthening his early pronunciation.Why Learning Mandarin Requires Lifelong ConsistencyAcross roughly 32 years, Eric’s longest break from Chinese was about three months. He continued studying while living in cities including Chicago, Paris, Kinshasa, Saigon, and Shanghai.Wherever he moved, he found a tutor and studied two or three times a week. He warns that a learner can fall from around HSK 3 to HSK 1 after only six or seven weeks without practice.Eric’s advice is direct: Mandarin isn’t a course that becomes permanently complete. Learners must decide whether they’re prepared to keep going for years.How Private Tutors and Weibo Supported Long-Term ProgressEric left formal Chinese classes after his first year at UC Berkeley because he disliked the dated Practical Chinese Reader textbook. He hired a teaching assistant privately and began studying news, newspapers, and practical vocabulary.He later moved his lessons online and scheduled Skype sessions at 6 a.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays. This made consistent study easier to maintain before work.For approximately eight years, Eric also used Weibo as a learning tool. He worked with his tutor on posts about family, travel, and everyday life, then replied to comments from Chinese followers.His account reached around 1,200 followers. The value wasn’t influence. It gave him real readers, practical feedback, and a reason to communicate beyond classroom exercises.Why Mandarin Apps Can’t Replace Character PracticeEric rejects the idea that one app or online course can create professional fluency. Digital tools can support repetition, but they can’t remove the need to memorise characters.Survival Chinese may be enough to order jianbing or handle simple transactions. Business meetings, internal emails, and complex conversations require years of reading, writing, listening, and speaking.Why Mandarin Is Becoming Essential for Working in ChinaEric’s view changed when meetings at his international company increasingly shifted from English into Chinese. Colleagues who couldn’t follow Mandarin began missing emails, information, meetings, and decisions.His human resources director warned that foreigners without Chinese would find it increasingly difficult to work in China. Mandarin ability could also influence visa assessments alongside education, experience, and specialised skills.Even after more than 30 years, Eric still studies internet slang, coded expressions, and chengyu. For anyone serious about living or working in China, his message is clear: start now, expect the process to take years, and don’t stop.The China Project:https://thechinaproject.com/Da Shan's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Dashan/videosMamaHuhu: https://www.youtube.com/watchOriginal publication date: September 18, 2018📬 Traveling abroad long-term? Traveling Mailbox gives you a permanent US mailing address you can access from anywhere: https://travelingmailbox.com/geopats/?ref=3422💰Need a global bank account: I use Wise for multiple currencies https://wise.com/invite/dic/debrad107📸 Instagram reels from my past and present life abroad: https://www.instagram.com/geopatsabroad/🎥 Daily video clips from my life abroad: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnfWdoMjmqpcbULZw-hVgew🎙️Start your own podcast. The podcast host I recommend most often is Buzzsprout. 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