引言
Introduction
在翻译软件几乎能解决一切的时代，我们为什么还要学一门语言？
In an age when translation apps can solve almost everything, why do we still choose to learn a language?
Emma 的答案并不宏大。她只是希望，当在上海有人和她说话的时候，她不必立刻低头找手机。
Emma's answer is not grand. She simply wants to be able to answer, without immediately reaching for her phone, when someone starts talking to her in Shanghai.
她来自荷兰哈勒姆，在制造业与供应链领域工作，2025 年的时候搬到上海，从 HSK1 一直学到 HSK3。
She comes from Haarlem in the Netherlands, has a background in manufacturing and supply chain, moved to Shanghai in 2025, and has studied from HSK1 to HSK3 at Mandarin Inn.
她的故事里没有 “改变人生” 的宣言，只有成年人缓慢、真实、偶尔中断又继续的学习节奏。
There is no "life-changing" declaration in her story - only the slow, real, sometimes interrupted rhythm of an adult learning a language.
也许，这正是语言最动人的部分：它不是表演，而是连接。
Perhaps that is what makes language moving: it is not a performance, but a connection.
自我介绍
Self-Introduction
我叫 Emma，来自荷兰哈勒姆，2025 年 8 月搬到上海，到现在才一年多。
My name is Emma. I'm from Haarlem, the Netherlands, and I moved to Shanghai in August 2025 - just over a year ago now.
我的背景是制造业工程，曾在几家快消公司做生产和供应链管理。
I have an engineering background in manufacturing and have worked in production and supply chain management for several FMCG companies.
我一直喜欢看原材料如何通过技术变成成品，这份兴趣从小就有，虽然我也说不清它是从哪里来的。
I've always liked seeing how raw materials can be turned into finished products through different techniques. I've been interested in it since I was young, though I don't really know where that interest came from.
来中国以前，我只在荷兰生活过，但荷兰本身已经相当国际化了。
Before coming to China, I had only ever lived in the Netherlands, but the Netherlands is already quite international.
大学时我们上课用英语，工作后也基本都说英语，因为身边有很多国际学生和外籍人士。
At university we studied in English, and at work we mostly spoke English too, because there are many international students and expats there.
但是我一直想亲自体验在另一个国家的生活，看看那里的日常究竟是什么样子的。
But I always had a desire to experience living abroad myself, and to see what everyday life in another country can be like.
为什么来到中国
Why China?
我丈夫在一家法国公司工作，公司给了他一个内部机会，负责区域业务管理，工作地点可以是
阿姆斯特丹、纽约或上海。
My husband works for a French company and was offered an internal opportunity to manage the regional business. He could be based in Amsterdam, New York or Shanghai.
我们都想在国外生活一段时间，而中国是我们最好奇的地方。
We both wanted to live abroad for a while, and China was the place we were most curious about.
所以，我们选择了上海。
So we chose Shanghai.
我第一次来上海是在 2025 年 1 月，当时为了看房子，那也是我第一次来中国。
I first came to Shanghai in January 2025 to look for an apartment. That was my first time in China.
后来搬来时，我把猫从荷兰带了过来，家里立刻更像家了。
When I moved later, I brought my cat from the Netherlands, which immediately made it feel more like home.
刚到上海的时候，最先让我惊讶的事情之一，就是这里什么都很大。那些建筑、商场、道路和基础设施都让人觉得特别庞大。
One of the first things that surprised me in Shanghai was how big everything is. The buildings, malls, roads and infrastructure can feel enormous.
于此同时，这座城市的配套又非常完善，需要帮助的时候，身边总有人能搭把手。
At the same time, the city is very well set up, with plenty of services and people around to help when you need something.
我也很快注意到，热的餐食和热饮在这里是日常的一部分，连白水也是热的。
I also quickly noticed how much hot food and drinks are part of daily life here - even plain water.
在荷兰，早餐和午餐常常是冷的；热水也不太常见，除非你点茶。
In the Netherlands, breakfast and lunch are often cold. Hot water is not really a thing unless you ask for tea.
以前我以为自己不喜欢喝茶。后来才发现，我只是没喝过真正好喝的茶。
I used to think I did not like tea. It turns out I had just never had very good tea before.
学中文有必要吗？
Is It Useful to Learn Chinese?
如果你在中国长期生活，学一点中文是日常生活所必需的。
If you live in China for a longer period, learning at least some Mandarin is necessary to participate in daily life.
不过，就算完全不会中文，也能把日子过得不错。
That said, you can actually manage daily life surprisingly well without much Chinese.
人们通常会借助翻译软件来想办法沟通，很多事情也能通过支付宝解决。
People usually find a way to communicate with translation apps, and you can arrange an enormous amount through Alipay.
但我不想完全依赖这些。
But I wouldn't want to rely on that completely.
一旦你懂了一些中文之后，就会注意到身边更多正在发生的事情。
Once you understand some Chinese, you notice much more of what is happening around you.
我也很喜欢这里的人，他们很容易和你聊起来。
I also love how easily people start talking to you here.
大家通常很开放、很健谈，而我也希望能做出回应，能好好表达自己，而不是立刻去拿手机。
People are often very open and chatty, and I just want to be able to answer back and express myself well without immediately reaching for my phone.
中文也被认为是最难学的语言之一，尤其对说欧洲语言的人来说。
Chinese is also considered one of the more difficult languages to learn, especially for European language speakers.
而这也是它让我觉得如此有趣的原因之一。
And that is part of what makes it so interesting to me.
我还不知道中文会把我带到哪里，但我很确定，学会它会很有用。
I don't know yet where Chinese will take me, but I'm quite sure it will be useful to have.
学习技巧
Learning Hacks
其实我并不擅长学语言，所以花了一些时间才找到适合自己的方法。
I'm actually not very good at studying languages, so it took me some time to figure out what works for me.
我很喜欢中文的一点是，很多语法都简单明了。比如，动词没有太多跟随人称或时态变化的复杂后缀，名词通常也不分单复数。
One thing I appreciate about Chinese is that a lot of the grammar is quite straightforward. For example, there aren't many complicated verb endings depending on the person or tense, and nouns usually don't change between singular and plural either.
我个人喜欢通过书本学习。我需要看到这些字词，大声读出来，并写下来，再做短文练习。我需要在脑子里把它们视觉化。之后，我会在日常场景里认出同样的词和句型。这样把学到的东西放进语境里，也帮我记住它们。
Personally, I like learning from books. I need to see the words, read them out loud, write them down and work with short texts. I need to visualize it in my head. Afterwards, I start recognising the same words and patterns in everyday situations. That puts what I've learned into context and helps me remember it.
我爱人是相反的类型。他能说流利的意大利语、英语、西班牙语、法语和荷兰语，现在也懂一些中文。他的听力很好，能很快模仿声音和声调，也不怕在不确定的时候说出口。
My partner is almost the opposite. He speaks Italian, English, Spanish, French and Dutch fluently, and now understands some Chinese as well. He has a very good ear for pronunciation, can imitate sounds and tones quickly, and will speak even when he isn't completely sure he has it right.
我几乎正好相反，这在语言学习上就没什么优势。我倾向于分块学习，而不是每天学一点点。
I'm almost the opposite, which is not always an advantage when learning a language. Outside of classes, I tend to study in chunks rather than a little every day.
有时候我学的很密集，然后一段时间又学的很少。有时候我会很忙、会失去焦点、会忘记。但是现在我不太纠结了，忘了就回去再重复。
Sometimes I study quite intensively and then much less for a while. I get busy, lose focus and forget things. I don't make too much of that anymore; I just go back and repeat them.
很多时候，一个东西学第二遍或第三遍反而更容易记住。
Quite often, something is actually easier to remember the second or third time around.
带着新鲜注意力回来，有时比强迫自己继续更有效。
Coming back with fresh attention sometimes works better than forcing yourself to continue.
我的建议是，先弄清楚自己怎么学最好，然后再找让重复变得容易的工具。
My advice is to first figure out how you learn best and find tools that make repetition easy.
当词汇和语法开始熟悉以后，再加入不同的练习方式。
Once the vocabulary and grammar start to feel familiar, add different ways of practising them.
尽量在日常生活中主动使用你学到的东西，或者找能纠正你的人练习口语。
Try to actively use what you learn in daily life, or practise speaking with someone who can correct you.
建立一个持续反馈的循环，知道自己哪里取得了进步，哪里还需要练习。
Build a continuous feedback loop so you can keep track of what is going well and what still needs more practice.
关于老师
About the Teacher
我很欣赏 Mandarin Inn 的老师，他们准备得很充分，也真的会让你参与到课堂里。
What I appreciate about the teachers at Mandarin Inn is that they are well prepared and really make you participate in class.
我也喜欢在课堂上可以问很多问题，比如：这个词是什么意思，怎么用，在什么语境里用。如果还是不懂，我会再问一遍。这对理解语言如何运用很有用，而不仅仅只是使用它。
I also like that I can ask a lot of questions: what something means, how it is used, or in what context. And if I still don't understand it, I can just ask again. That's useful if you want to understand how the language works, not just use it.
和 Emily 老师上课时，一个小问题就很容易引出全新的语言知识点。你只要提到一个词，她就会立刻写出来，包括汉字，速度非常快。她也会分享很多汉字的历史和来源，随堂边讲边解释，所以每堂课常常远不止一个 HSK 单元的内容。
With Teacher Emily, one small question could easily lead to learning something completely new about the language. You only had to mention a word and she would write it out immediately, Chinese characters included, incredibly fast. She also shared a lot about the history and origins of Chinese characters and explained things as they came up, so the class often became much more than just the HSK unit.
Summer 老师很擅长带你把一个单元跟下来。一旦你开始跟不上，她很快就能发现，并确认大家是否都明白。她的课很有条理，我能很好地跟上，她也确保该讲的内容都讲到。课堂进度可以很快，但有足够的重复来熟悉 HSK 教材，而主动开口练习又让它像真正的语言训练。
Teacher Summer is very good at keeping you on track through a whole unit. If you start to get lost, she notices it quickly and checks whether everything is still clear. Her classes are very structured, so I can follow the process well, and she makes sure we cover what we need to cover. The class can move quite fast, but there is enough repetition to get familiar with the HSK material, while the active practice makes it feel like real language training.
学习环境与挑战
Learning in China
一开始我很担心发音。但听了大量的中文之后，我反而觉得这些声音挺清楚的。
At first, I was quite worried about pronunciation. But after listening to a lot of Chinese, I actually started to find the sounds quite clear.
我早知道汉字会很难，在实际学习中，它确实是最难的部分。同时学汉字和拼音，对我来说就像同时学两门语言。
I already knew Hanzi would be difficult, but in practice that has been the hardest part for me. Learning the characters alongside Pinyin almost feels like learning two languages at once.
我觉得汉字很迷人。阅读它们有点像解码。你看到一些很像的字，然后某一刻开始，会自动注意到它们之间细微的差别。
I do find the characters fascinating. Reading them can feel a bit like decoding. You look at characters that seem very similar, and then at some point you start noticing the little differences automatically.
写是另一回事。我还没到那一步，所以先把这项挑战留到以后。
Writing them is another story. I'm not quite there yet, so I'm saving that challenge for later.
造句有时还是挺难的。我脑子里常有一个荷兰语或英语的长句，然后必须把它变成更短、更简单的中文。
Building sentences can still feel quite hard for me sometimes. I often notice that I have a longer or more complex sentence in my head in Dutch or English, and then I have to turn it into something shorter and simpler in Chinese.
荷兰语和英语常把观点之间的关系说得更明确，用更多连接词或补充说明。而在中文里，更多意思可以靠语境来理解，这很有意思。
Dutch and English often make the connection between ideas more explicit, using more linking words or extra wording to make something precise. In Chinese, more can often be understood from the context, which I find quite interesting.
比如在电影院看电影的时候，我注意到中文字幕通常比英文原句短得多。很多词好像消失了，但主要意思还在。
When I watch a movie in the cinema, for example, I notice that the Chinese subtitles are much shorter than the original English sentence. A lot of the words seem to disappear, but the main meaning is still there.
语序也是我仍觉得有挑战的部分。我想自然地说一句话时，大脑先翻译，然后几乎要重新排列句子，才能得到正确的中文结构。我还要特意去想，记得把时间和地点放在句子更前面。
Sentence order is another part I still find challenging. When I want to say something naturally, my brain first translates it and then almost has to rearrange the sentence to get the Chinese structure right. I still have to consciously think about putting things like time and location earlier in the sentence.
但有人教过我一件更重要的事：说话时，语法不必总是完美。
But I was taught something important: when speaking, your grammar does not always have to be perfect.
就算你犯了个小错，别人通常也还是能明白你的意思。最让人感到温暖的是，当你努力开口说中文时，人们的回应总是很积极的。
If you make a small mistake, people will often still understand you. One of the nicest things is how positively people react when you make an effort to speak Chinese.
哪怕只是几个词，也能很快变成一次小对话。
Even a few words can quickly turn into a small conversation.
而每次发现它变得更容易一点，都让人很有成就感。所以我很坦然：先开口说，语法在过程中再慢慢改进。
And it is rewarding to notice that each time it gets a little easier. So I'm quite comfortable just speaking and improving the grammar along the way.
关于工作坊
Workshops
在上海，日常生活可以方便到不可思议。几乎什么都能线上下单，而且很快就能送到。
Daily life in Shanghai can be incredibly convenient. You can order almost anything and have it delivered almost instantly.
最初几个月，我简直不敢相信这么容易。我还是会去超市和家居用品店，自己把东西拎回家。
For the first few months, I just couldn't believe how easy it was. I still went to supermarkets and homeware stores and carried everything home myself.
后来我开始想，为什么别人好像不这样做。再后来，超市里有人帮我在手机上装了一个 app，还教我怎么用。
At some point, I started wondering why no one else seemed to do that. Then someone at the supermarket set up an app on my phone and showed me how it worked.
那真是改变了我的生活。
That was a life changer.
我还不知道将来要怎么从这种便利里 “回去”。
I am not sure yet how I am going to go back from that one day.
更广泛地说，我认为这里开发出的许多产品和服务，正在让中国以外的人们也拥有更好的生活品质。
More broadly, I think many products and services developed here are helping to improve quality of life far beyond China.
我也一直在了解中国文化的新事物，而这也是让整个经历更有趣的原因。
I'm still learning new things about Chinese culture all the time, and that's what makes the whole experience so enjoyable.
我喜欢那些能让我沉下心关注细节的爱好，所以一直很喜欢动手做东西。有一阵子我迷上了做衣服，总的来说，我很喜欢视觉艺术和设计。
I enjoy hobbies where I can focus on the details, so I've always liked creating things. I've been into making clothes for a while, and in general, I love visual art and design.
有一天，我还想亲手做自己的家具。不过，画画和素描大概还是交给别人比较好。
One day I'd love to make my own furniture. Painting and drawing, however, are probably best left to other people.
旅行也是我生活中很重要的一部分，我特别喜欢坐长途火车。最难忘的经历之一，是在跨年夜坐了 36 个小时的火车穿越西伯利亚。我到现在还记得莫斯科的车站，那些来来往往、各不相同的旅客，当时心里还想着：他们都要去哪里呢？
Travelling is also a big part of my life, and I especially love long train journeys. One of my favourite experiences was spending 36 hours on a train through Siberia over New Year's Eve. I still remember the station in Moscow, all the different travellers there, and wondering where they were all going.
我还试过全程只坐火车，从荷兰一路到格鲁吉亚和亚美尼亚，大概花了四天时间。
I've also travelled all the way from the Netherlands to Georgia and Armenia using only trains, which took about four days.
我喜欢看不同的风景，也喜欢每到一处就尝尝当地的美食。在中国，这一点尤其有趣，因为还有好多地方菜我都想尝试。到现在为止，川菜应该是我最喜欢的。
I love seeing different landscapes and trying the local cuisine wherever I travel. In China, that's especially interesting because there are still so many regional cuisines I'd like to try. Sichuan food is probably my favourite so far.
我也喜欢有点速度感的运动，只要不带马达就行。在中国，我主要是跑步，但最喜欢的应该是游泳和滑冰。我很喜欢这里对游泳比较认真，也容易找到能好好锻炼的泳池。说来好笑，我其实并不喜欢大海。
I also like fast sports, as long as there's no motor involved. In China I mostly run, but swimming and ice skating are probably my favourites. I like that swimming is taken quite seriously here, and it's easy to find good pools where you can really get some exercise. Funnily enough, I'm not a fan of the ocean.
不做这些的时候，我会读很多非虚构类书籍，尤其是历史。我也是那种能在博物馆待几个小时、把展板上所有文字都读完的人。
And when I'm not doing any of that, I read a lot of non-fiction, especially history. I'm also the kind of person who can spend hours in a museum and read all the wall text.
最喜欢的一句话
Favourite Chinese Sentence
我最喜欢的中文句子是 “物极必反”。
My favourite Chinese sentence is "wù jí bì fǎn": things reverse when they reach an extreme.
我喜欢这句话，因为我觉得它说出了几件很重要的事。
I like this phrase because I think it gets at several important things.
不要追求完美。
Don't chase perfection.
工作不要太拼，否则会把自己累垮。
Don't work too hard or you'll burn out.
我喜欢道家思想里平衡的概念。有人曾告诉我，也许这就是为什么中文里常听到 “好”，而不是 “完美”。我觉得这非常有意思。
I like the idea of balance in Taoist thought. Someone once told me that maybe this is also why you hear "hǎo" so often in Chinese, rather than something like "perfect." I find that really interesting.
我的学习节奏也是这样。不追求每天完美，而是允许自己暂停一下，再回来。
My learning rhythm is a bit like that too. Not chasing a perfect daily streak, but allowing myself to pause, and then return.
结语
Closing
语言学习，也许并不只是掌握一门语言，而是一种重新理解世界的方式。
Learning a language is perhaps not only about mastering a language, but about re-understanding the world.
如果你也想在上海，用中文和这座城市建立更深的连接，Mandarin Inn 愿意为你留一张安静的课桌。
If you would also like to build a deeper connection with Shanghai through Chinese, Mandarin Inn would be glad to keep a quiet desk for you.
在百年老洋房里，和来自世界各地的人一起，慢慢学，慢慢说。（完）
In a century-old Shanghai villa, with people from around the world, learn slowly, speak slowly. (End)
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Mandarin Inn, More Than Just a Language School
Located in the scenic heart of Shanghai's former French Concession, Mandarin Inn is housed in a historic villa, offering not only an ideal place for studying Mandarin but also a chance to experience Shanghai's rich history and culture. As the home of the APM Public Library and recognized by Ecovadis for corporate social responsibility, Mandarin Inn carries a dual mission of education and cultural heritage.