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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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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.

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Episodes
  • How Shanley learns Mandarin: Taiwan, grammar, dramas, and finding her way back

    How Shanley learns Mandarin: Taiwan, grammar, dramas, and finding her way back
    Jun 3 2026

    Shanley’s Mandarin journey began at 14, when her family moved from Pennsylvania to Taiwan for four months. The experience stayed with her, even after a long break from studying.


    Now she is back in Mandarin with a much clearer purpose: preparing for Taiwan, improving her grammar, studying traditional characters, watching Taiwanese dramas, and working towards the possibility of a Mandarin-speaking master’s programme.


    In this episode, Shanley talks about why Taiwan remains her biggest motivation, how she studies grammar, why dramas help with listening and tone, and why sometimes the best reason to learn a language is simply wanting to go back.


    www.mandarinmonkey.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • How Brandon learns Mandarin: Clubhouse, DuChinese, music, and building immersion from Georgia

    How Brandon learns Mandarin: Clubhouse, DuChinese, music, and building immersion from Georgia
    Jun 3 2026
    Brandon's Mandarin journey started with a desire to better connect with Chinese colleagues at work. Since then, he has built a consistent daily learning routine centred around immersion, using tools like DuChinese, Pleco, podcasts, Clubhouse study groups, Chinese music, cartoons, and Netflix shows. Drawing on his experience learning piano as an adult, Brandon explains why structure, repetition, and showing up every day matter more than talent. From Georgia to Mandarin, this is a conversation about steady progress, self-discipline, and finding practical ways to make language part of everyday life.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    51 mins
  • How Ija learns Mandarin: Passive listening, Anki, aphantasia, and the art of acquiring Chinese

    How Ija learns Mandarin: Passive listening, Anki, aphantasia, and the art of acquiring Chinese
    Jun 1 2026
    Tom speaks with Ija, a doctor in Australia whose first language is Malay and who came to Mandarin after trying to learn Cantonese for her husband’s family. She now focuses less on “studying” Mandarin and more on acquiring it through constant input, especially passive listening. Ija talks about using podcasts, Anki, Pleco, example sentences, repeated listening, and choosing content she actually cares about. She also explains how her aphantasia affects the way she learns, making audio, emotion, rhythm, and repetition far more useful than visual memory.

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