Having taken Chinese as a simplified module in secondary school and given up on his mother tongue since, documentary storyteller Ong Kah Jing (OKJ) has overcome the notion that learning languages as a working adult is too difficult.
Screengrab of documentary storyteller OKJ speaking with his former Chinese teacher, Mr Wen. SINGAPORE: It is commonly believed that once we reach adulthood, the cards are stacked against us if we want to learn a new language. Even trying to improve the proficiency of our mother tongue languages seems more challenging as compared to when we were children.I know well the challenge of being effectively bilingual.
These pointers helped me overcome the notion that learning our mother tongue as working adults is discouragingly difficult.The most immediate discomfort to re-learning my mother tongue came from the absurdly high frequency of basic mistakes I made. Such wisdom was bestowed to me by one of my many mentors, who include family, friends and strangers I met online. While coming from all walks of life, a common trait among these “teachers” was their patience in allowing me to make mistakes as I tried my best to communicate with them in Mandarin.
My former CLB teacher, Mr Wen, said it best: “The key to sustaining your learning is that you are neither afraid of mistakes nor in a rush to see results.” Arranging these interviews and researching the topics beforehand had to be done bilingually or in Mandarin, which motivated me to keep studying the language.The stories from Mr Tan and many other multilinguals whom I have spoken to all echo a simple truth. There is so much more to life when we can experience it in more than one language.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Commentary: Can Thailand effectively balance its relations with China and the US?For property mogul turned Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, the success of his diplomacy with China holds significant weight for his personal political fortunes, says Thai scholar Prem Singh Gill.
Read more »
Commentary: Wrinkles, and why they terrify my generationFear of ageing is nothing new. But it’s happening younger and younger, says the Financial Times' Lilah Raptopoulos.
Read more »
Commentary: Will Israel-Hamas war become a wider conflict in the Middle East?Regional players could be dragged into the Israel-Hamas war – or help with resolving the crisis, says this Flinders University international relations lecturer.
Read more »
Commentary: Parents, don’t mistake dyslexia for a vision problemOctober is Dyslexia Awareness Month and debunking myths about the learning disability can be crucial to help children avoid a traumatic experience during their formal education years, says Kuala Lumpur-based health journalist Loh Foon Fong.
Read more »
Commentary: Britney Spears' new memoir reminds us how destructive child stardom can beThe star details in her memoir how the constant public scrutiny of her body and physical appearance, being valued for her sexuality and treated as a commodity have characterised her entire life.
Read more »
Some Chinese institutions borrow at 50% rate as liquidity squeezedSHANGHAI : Overnight borrowing costs for some Chinese financial institutions jumped to as high as 50 per cent on Tuesday, as a month-end scramble for cash squeezed liquidity and stressed money markets.
Read more »