Chinese charater forum. Good idea or not?
0 voters
I need practice writing Chinese. Would it be possible to get a forum section in Chinese so we could write to each other in Chinese and have people answer in Chinese, or maybe correct us in English?
Just a thought. 
In part because this board already has a lot of forums, Forumosa.com no longer works so much under the “if you build it, they will come” approach. Instead, new forums usually come about in response to a gathering mass of posts related to a particular subject area. Right now there aren’t many posts – much less entire threads – in Mandarin. So the best way for such a forum to come into being is if you simply began posting in Mandarin, probably in the “Learning Chinese” forum.
If people respond in kind and continue to do so, the creation of such a forum would be a strong possibility.
I think one of the 'why not?'s is that this is supposed to be an English language board, and also, as Cranky said, because there’s also 50 something forumss already.
Try taiwanho.com
They have recently started such a board.
Also, if I remember correctly, the moderators have considered this, and it could be possible if there was demand.
Brian
Maybe you could start a thread in Chinese and see how it goes. I know there are quite a few Taiwanese members of Forumosa who might be more willing to give some opinions if they’re embarrassed to use English. If that goes well, then maybe the moderators would consider it. I think a Chinese forum is better than the GLBT forum that we discussed a while ago. I’d like to hear more from our Taiwanese hosts, but I’m afraid many of them are a bit shy to put in their two cents.
This maybe true but why would they want to give an opinion when the majority of their audience can’t understand what they post???
IF I could read/write Chinese, I would be visiting a native Chinese forum and expressing my ideas with native speakers unless it was a problem particular to foreigners living in Taiwan. Why would I want to learn ‘bad’ chinese from other foreigners posting ‘bad’ chinese? 
Would it go in the “Learning Chinese” forum?
Ah crap, now I’ll have to think of something interesting to say that I’m actually capable of writing in Chinese.
Only if it’s in pinyin. I still haven’t gotten the hang of typing in Chinese yet and am far, far, FAR from being able to read more than a few hundred characters. Perhaps as a compromise, a forum for newbies to practice their Mandarin in pinyin would be better than one in Chinese characters.
'cause with my ㄅㄆㄇㄈtyping skills it would take me all week to have a conversation OK嗎?
I unfortunately can only type pinyin which is then translated into simplified characters, not traditional. This is a standard feature of Windows XP as far as I know (you may have to down load something). You don’t even have to put the tone in.
Where can I get a program where I input pinyin and get traditional characters?
Wo bu zhidao.
If you’re using Windows XP, you’ve already got it, and you just need to turn it on.
It’s called New Phonetic IME 2002a or something. Go into your laguage settings. Under the Language Chiense Traditional (Taiwan) you need to add a new keyboard setting for it. Then right click on it and get the properties. Under ‘keyboard mapping’ choose pinyin. Then you can just type pinyin and get characters. You have to recognise which characters to choose though.
Brian
[Edit: I didn’t notice someone already posted about pinyin and traditional characters.]
What about a forum section that puts Chinese and English machine translations together? Like this:
外籍傳教夫婦 愛在台灣 Foreign missionaries fall in love in Kaohsiung!
記者黃秀枝╱專訪 from the Liberty Times
(see English below from Babelfish)
高市苓雅信義教會裡，每到週三晚上，一對頭髮花白的外國老夫婦白斯理和藍恬梅，分別用英文和流利的中文，深入淺出講解聖經裡的故事和生命意義，生動的內容使得小教室裡不時傳出學員們的笑聲和熱烈的討論聲。
六十六歲的白斯理（Les Barnard）來自英國，三十年前飛過半個地球到台灣傳教，和當時來自澳洲的藍恬梅（Thelma Barnard）相遇，姻緣千里一線牽，七年前，兩人從相識到相愛，共譜黃昏之戀，結為連理，老夫老妻攜手在台灣這塊土地傳福音，豐富台灣民眾的心靈。
藍恬梅深深相信，這段緣分是上帝的安排。
三十多年前，兩人因緣際會飛來台灣，因為教會工作而相識，不過當時，白斯理已婚，和另一半羅絲一同前來，夫妻倆和藍恬梅是摯友，藍恬梅對白斯理其實並沒有特殊的感覺。
三十多年來，藍恬梅一直留在台灣宣教，服務的地點從台中到新竹，再到高雄，深愛台灣這塊土地，對於台灣民眾的淳樸友善，印象格外深刻，她也從二十幾歲的妙齡女子，轉眼成了六十一歲的「阿嬤」，將一生最精華的歲月貢獻給台灣的民眾，透過聖經導讀及英語教學，傳播福音，撫慰民眾的心靈。
白斯理的境遇和藍恬梅截然不同，白斯理第一次來台在高雄前鎮加工出口區宣教七年，不時和妻子羅絲到菜市場擺攤宣教，以家庭聚會的方式傳福音，充實基層民眾空虛的心靈世界，後來返回英國取得工學博士，以學者身分進入中國，先後在清大、西北工業大學、北京科技大學任教，天安門事件前夕，離開中國返回英國，妻子因癌病逝。
白斯理繞了地球大半圈後，八年前受邀重回台灣，再度遇見二十多年前的摯友藍恬梅，藍恬梅一直未婚，再次相遇，兩人深深認定對方，遲暮之年，決定步上紅氈的另一端。
白斯理與藍恬梅夫妻兩人都很愛高雄，七年來定居高雄，除了傳福音、導讀聖經、教英語以外，夫妻倆最大的樂趣就是到愛河邊散步喝咖啡，享受南台灣閒適午后黃昏。
Foreign does missionary work husbands and wives to love in Taiwan
by Reporter Huang Xiuchih
interview Gao Shihling in elegant good faith church, whenever Wednesday evening, an enemy sends gray foreign old Mr. and Mrs. Bai Si Li and the blue plum, separately uses English and the fluent Chinese, explains the profound in simple language in the explanation Holy Bible story and the life significance, the vivid content causes in the small classroom often to spread the students laughter and the warm discussion sound. 66 year-old Bai the Si principle (Les Barnard) comes from England, does missionary work 30 years forward flight more than half Earth to Taiwan, with came from Australia’s blue plum (Thelma Barnard) to meet one another at that time, marriage affinity great distance pulled, seven years ago, two people to fell in love from the acquaintance, altogether scored loving of the dusk, tied for , the elderly married couples hand in hand passed on the gospel in Taiwan this land, enriched the Taiwan populace’s mind. Blue Mei Shenshen believed that, this section of fate is God’s arrangement. More than 30 years ago, two person of causes opportune moments fly Taiwan, are acquainted with one another because of the church work, but at that time, Bai Si principle married, come together with another half Luo silk, the husbands and wives and the blue plum is a good friend, blue plum dialogue Si principle actually certainly not special feeling. 30 for many years, the blue plum continuously has kept the Taiwan propaganda, the service place from Taichung to Hsinchu, again arrives Gaoxiong, deep love Taiwan this land, regarding Taiwan populace simple and honorable friendly, the impression is especially profound, she also from more than 20 year-old female, in an instant has become 61 year-old "Arab League the life most essence year contribution for Taiwan’s populace, the penetration Holy Bible leads reads and English teaching, disseminates the gospel, comforts the populace the mind. Bai Si Li circumstances and blue plum entirely different, Bai the Si principle first time comes in front of Gaoxiong the town processing outlet area propaganda seven years, often the grocer sets up a stall the propaganda with wife Luo Ssute, passes on the gospel by the peaceful reunification way, strengthens the basic organization the populace void mind world, afterwards returned to England to obtain technology doctor, entered China by the scholar identity, successively in Qinghua University, northwest industrial university, the Beijing scientific and technical university taught, the Tiananmen Incident eve, left China to return to England, the wife because the cancer dies of illness. After Bai Si Lijao the Earth big half-turn, eight years ago has been invited re-entry Taiwan, meet more than 20 year ago once again the good friend blue plum, blue plum continuously unmarried, meet one another once more, two people deep deeply recognize opposite party, late in life year, decision step of on red felt another end. Bai Si Li and the blue plum husbands and wives two people both very much love Gaoxiong, for seven years settle down Gaoxiong, except pass on the gospel, lead read the Holy Bible, teach outside English, the husbands and wives biggest pleasure is to likes the riverside taking a walk drinks the coffee south, enjoys the Taiwan comfortable afternoon dusk. – THE END
[quote=“lane119”]What about a forum section that puts Chinese and English machine translations together? Like this:
[/quote]
上面那個POST, 真好笑. 因該要這樣做吧, 會讓我們的chinglish進步很多對不對. 可是我會怕我寫中文不太好,別人會笑我.
taiwanho 真的有中文forum嗎 - 我去看看好了.
[quote=“lane119”]What about a forum section that puts Chinese and English machine translations together? Like this:
外籍傳教夫婦 愛在台灣 Foreign missionaries fall in love in Kaohsiung (Gaoxiong)!
記者黃秀枝╱專訪 from the Liberty Times
[/quote]
Ssshhh! The Taiwanese government will hear you! They paid me to translate that very article the other day, and if they see your version is faster and so much more elegant, I’m out of a job!!! 