Hello, everyone!
Hello!
I'm Jeanette Sakel, a professor of linguistics working at a British university.
And I'm Gigi, Zheng Xingzhi.
I'm also working for the same university in the UK as a lecturer in digital media.
Thanks for listening to our Mandarin Chinese and English bilingual podcast talk show. Chicken to Duck Talk!
Welcome to Chicken and Duck.
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Okay, so, Gigi, how long were you out in England?
I've been studying and working in the UK on and off for three or four years, I guess.
So yeah, I've been studying in London for two years, and then go back to China to continue my practice as a lecturer for two years.
And then now I've come back to the UK to continue my practice as a lecturer.
Now I've been working in Bristol for one year now.
How long have you been working in the UK as well?
It's been about twenty years.
Wow, that's crazy.
It's been a long time.
So have you been studying in other countries before you moved to the UK?
I'm originally a German.
I see.
Then I grew up in Germany and also started studying, at the university.
But then I went to Denmark to study abroad.
I studied my Bachelor's degree and my Master's degree in Denmark.
Then back to Germany, Holland.
Then move to...
You mean in German and also in Neverland to study?
Right.
Then in Germany, when I came back to Germany, I was a PhD student.
Then I worked in the Netherlands, the post-doctoral work.
What you were studying when you were doing your PhD?
Then I work at Amazon.
Amazon where?
Amazon company?
No?
So where is Amazon then?
It's South America.
The Amazon in Bolivia.
You mean the Amazon forest?
Yeah, Amazon.
There, I spoke a minority language.
Learn their grammar, then write a grammar book.
Yes, I'm still not very certain of if I'm going to pursue my PhD.
I'm also not very certain of what I might be expecting to,
what I might be learning during my PhD.
So, yeah, so, did you, so one important question.
Do you lose a lot of hair when you're doing your PhD?
That's about it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, extra stressful.
Right. But if all you're doing is your hobby, or a topic you're particularly interested in
It's okay.
So what, if you're interested in the subject of Dr.
It's okay.
But the pressure was particularly intense, so I had a particularly hard time writing the last part of my thesis.
Yes, it would be, yeah, I also like having trouble to decide what kind of theme or what kind of topic I would like to focus on.
When I'm having some casual chat with one of our colleague,
we have been talking about confirming a PhD topic is more serious than having a marriage.
Because you need to keep study about the topic for six years.
So, it's maybe three years or maybe six years.
So, yeah, if I need to continue to focus on one specific topic for six years,
it would be, yeah, this is a huge decision for myself.
So, I'm still not very certain what kind of subject I would like to continue to focus on.
So, yeah, do you prefer teaching as a lecturer or still doing the PhD?
If you have the decision now, what do you prefer?
I love teaching classes.
I also enjoyed my research.
My current research is particularly interesting because I'm looking at what it's like to learn Chinese.
You can learn a language.
What do you do?
So, my current research is a particular favorite of mine.
But I like teaching, too. What about you? Do you like teaching?
Yeah, if I need to choose between PhD and lecturing,
at the moment I would prefer lecturing at the moment.
But it doesn't mean that lecturing is just like a relaxing job.
It has its challenge.
Especially when I'm working as a lecturer in UK, because I need to teach using English.
So, which is kind of challenging for me.
Why?
Because of the language, because I'm not using my own languages,
because I'm originally, I'm a Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese speaker.
So, for me teaching in English, it doesn't mean that I can't speak English.
It just means that it's much more difficult for me to improvise.
I also remember, when I first moved to England, it wasn't easy for me to teach here, to teach in English.
Yeah, exactly, it's very challenging.
For the first few weeks, because I'm so anxious about if I make mistake during the lectures.
So, I actually like write all the script within my presentation slide, in order to avoid to make a mistake.
But, yeah, I didn't make any mistake, but also make the lecture very boring.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, extraordinarily boring.
And what's one of the most embarrassing situations you've had to teach in the UK?
Yeah, one time when I was doing the presentation, because of the internet failed it.
So, because the entire topic, the entire subject is actually rely on this kind of internet videos.
So, even when I fully prepare all the teaching materials,
so when something didn't actually work out, the entire presentation just collapsed.
So, I just feel directly just go into panic attack.
And then, yeah, the students are quite actually understanding.
So you show them the video?
No, I actually didn't just.
This is the embarrassing part.
This is, yeah, I just, just everyone just skip that part, just avoid that actually happen.
So, this is, yeah.
So, but, however, because all the teaching materials is already online on our online system.
So, if the student actually would like to learn about this kind of subject, they can also go to online as well.
So, yeah, most of the time when you are learning, you actually doesn't need to rely on the lecture anymore,
because you can already learn online.
So, yeah.
Throughout my experience of teaching in UK, I would understand that, yeah, I actually make a lot of mistake.
I've been like fooling myself, not fooling around.
Fooling around is about what is the fooling around mean?
I think fooling around mean that I'm trying to do some stupid thing.
Joking or... Right.
I'm making fun of myself.
What I trying to mean is that, yeah, I'm trying to not be very serious.
So, yeah, actually, most of the students are actually quite understanding of where my background come from.
So, yeah, they are actually quite understanding that even when I'm making mistake, they are very tolerant about me.
So, yeah, I'm quite grateful.
Yeah, I assume that throughout your experience of teaching throughout your career for 20 years now, you also make a lot of mistake.
Of course.
But it's usually just textbooks in a language that's not your native language.
You have to know you're making a mistake or.
Yes, especially when we are talking about the podcast.
We are just speaking not in our own language.
As a Chinese, I'm speaking Chinglish.
And you as a German, you are speaking not your mother tongue as well.
So, yeah, we are just like, even for the show itself, Chicken to the Duck Talk, the title of our show is already making mistake.
Our entire podcast is already talking about making mistake.
That's is why we're recording this podcast.
It's because it makes sense. I'm speaking Chinese. My Chinese is not that good.
You're speaking English, so your English is better than my Chinese.
But then we make mistakes, and we're here to show you or to listen to you.
Some professors or college teachers can make mistakes too.
And when you talk, you make mistakes in talking. It's okay.
Yeah, I guess we are expecting in the following episodes, we are going to keep fooling, make a fool of ourselves in the future.
And then you will be listening to us to make a mistake in the future.
So this is all, this is actually about, the podcast is about them.
Yeah, but that's what happens when you move to another country.
Yes.
There are other languages. You need to speak other languages every day.
Yes.
So, first you need to know that you're bound to make mistakes.
Yes.
Just a certainty.
I'm totally expecting that when you are coming to UK to study, your lecturers, you, me and Jeanette are also making a fool and making mistake together throughout this podcast.
So yeah, this is the purpose of the podcast.
But that's okay.
Yes. But on our podcast, we also talk about the experience of studying in the UK or another country.
Yes. Yeah, I assume in the following episodes, we will be talking about going to, where to go to UK to play, where to have fun, how to cook food, what kind of language mistake we made.
In the following episodes, we might be talking about how we keep using the 他/她/它 the situation, the "he, she and they" situation.
Yes, yes, yes, extraordinarily interesting.
So yeah, this will be our plan for our podcast.
I hope we can looking forward to meet you in the following episode then.
Yes, we will also be interviewing some of our guests, international students from China, as well as other guests who can share with you their experiences or what they are doing here.
So, this is the podcast that we recorded for you.
Yes, we are looking forward to keep recording the episodes. Cool!
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