暑假/shǔ jià/Summer Vacation (and NCIKU) June 9, 2008
Posted by mandarinchinese in Uncategorized.trackback
My theory was right. Taking Chinese class at the local community college would keep my mind on Chinese. Now that summer’s practically here and I’m “on break,” I’ve slacked quite a bit on my studying. I still talk to friends regularly in Chinese, but I find myself struggling more to put things together. So the moral of the story is, keep in in you mind and on your heart (kinda like what you learn in Sunday school!).
On another note, I’m a member of the “Chinese-Dictionaries” Google group where there’s lots of techie discussion on XML, API, databases, dictionaries, etc. A current topic string is on integrating handwriting recognition into different programs. Through this, I discovered a new (to me) site: NCIKU (which is apparently looking to change it’s name. The site is “more than a dictionary.” There is a neat little java applet that lets you use your cursor to write characters and then get feedback. Also, apparently you can post your own vocab lists and let the world know your progress on how much you’ve memorized.
If you know of other resources that have helped you, drop a comment. Thanks!
再见！
I’m glad you like our handwriting tool. It’s still my favorite feature of all, even after we added some new stuff this year. Yes, you can create your own vocab lists, and you can also take tests from your lists or export them to mp3 format for listening on the go.
There are also some other useful dictionaries out there for learning Chinese. Some favorites within the office are Yellowbridge and Stardict for English language sites, and dict.cn for Chinese language. There are a lot of online language exchange sites that could help you stay on top of your Chinese when you’re not in country or class.
Thanks for turning me on to the Chinese-Dictionaries group. Good luck keeping up with your Chinese.