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The Learner Journals: Real Language Learning Stories, Tips and Strategies

The Learner Journals: Real Language Learning Stories, Tips and Strategies

By: Mandarin Monkey
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About this listen

The Learner Journals is a podcast for anyone learning a language and wondering why it sometimes feels impossible.


In each episode, Tom speaks to real language learners about how they study, practise, stay motivated, make mistakes, build confidence, and slowly turn confusing sounds into actual human communication.


These are honest conversations about what works, what doesn’t, and what people wish they knew earlier.


Expect practical language learning tips, personal stories, study routines, motivation, speaking advice, and plenty of reminders that struggling is not a sign you’re bad at languages. It’s basically the entry fee.


Perfect for learners of Mandarin, Spanish, French, Japanese, English, and anyone trying to learn a second language without losing the will to live.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mandarin Monkey
Episodes
  • How Jemima Learned Mandarin: Taiwanese Dramas, Reading and Chinglish Confidence

    How Jemima Learned Mandarin: Taiwanese Dramas, Reading and Chinglish Confidence
    Apr 27 2026

    In episode three of The Learner Journals, Tom speaks with Jemima, a British Mandarin learner, historian, PhD researcher and future Dr. History, about how a Taiwanese Netflix drama unexpectedly started her Mandarin journey.


    Jemima began learning Mandarin during lockdown after watching the Taiwanese drama Bromance and falling in love with the sound of the language. Since then, Mandarin has become part of her daily life through classes, graded readers, Taiwanese music, language exchange apps, Mandarin dramas, self-study, and the Mandarin Monkey community.


    This episode covers reading as a learning method, why graded readers can be so useful, how routines help language learning stick, the value of Chinesey for characters, why beginners should not skip pinyin and tones, and how using Chinglish can remove the fear of speaking.


    A useful listen for Mandarin learners, Taiwanese Mandarin fans, self-study learners, introverted language learners, and anyone who has ever watched one drama on Netflix and accidentally changed the entire direction of their life. As one does.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    41 mins
  • How Darian Learned Mandarin: Apps, Bopomofo and Breaking Through Plateaus

    How Darian Learned Mandarin: Apps, Bopomofo and Breaking Through Plateaus
    Apr 27 2026
    In episode two of The Learner Journals, Tom speaks with Darian, a Mandarin learner from Texas, about why Mandarin felt more interesting than Spanish, how apps became a major part of her learning routine, and what happens when learners hit the dreaded plateau.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    44 mins
  • How Ashley Learned Mandarin: Confidence, Speaking Practice and Making Mistakes

    How Ashley Learned Mandarin: Confidence, Speaking Practice and Making Mistakes
    Apr 27 2026

    In the first episode of The Learner Journals, Tom speaks with Ashley, a Mandarin learner from California, about why she started learning Mandarin and how her approach has changed over time.


    Ashley began learning Mandarin in 2015 before visiting her husband’s family in Taiwan. What started as a way to communicate with relatives grew into a long-term language-learning journey built around daily practice, real conversations, online classes, community hangouts, flashcards, self-talk, and making a lot of mistakes along the way.

    This episode covers the reality of learning Mandarin as an adult, why confidence matters, how speaking to yourself can actually help, the problem with chasing “fluency”, why tones matter early on, and how joining a learning community helped Ashley push through the intermediate plateau.


    A useful listen for Mandarin learners, language learners, self-study learners, and anyone who has ever frozen in a shop despite absolutely promising themselves they were going to speak the language this time.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    51 mins
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