Possibly. Audiobooks also only became popular about 30 years ago in the 80s and the popularity skyrocketed when the big publishers took interest in the new medium.
Now, with the vast majority of Taiwanese owning MP3 players and probably preferring listening over reading, maybe publishers will start playing with audio recordings? ((I hope…))
I did see a few bilingual children’s books (crap stories, if you ask me) at the stationary store at Shi-Da night market (second floor, with the coloring books) that have CD’s with English and Chinese recordings.
Maybe it’s just me, but I actually don’t find using English subtitles while watching something in Chinese helps a lot. If there’s a string of words I don’t know and I see their English translation, I still don’t know what the original words they said.
For me, I find watching English language movies/shows with Chinese subtitles to be more helpful. I’ll scan the line of subtitles and if there’s a word I don’t know, someone will say it half a second later. I also find that scanning the subtitles and trying to predict what people are going to say can make dull action movies and romantic comedies somewhat more stimulating.
And there’s a lot more freely available English audio/Chinese subtitle here (several cable TV channels worth) than Chinese audio/English subtitle stuff.
Well, with a good 20% of those HK B-movies, the subtitles are in Cantonese and completely incomprehensible to non-Hongkers. And the rest usually have such mangled English or the dubbed Mandarin doesn’t match the written Chinese, that it’s worthless.
Maybe it’s just me, but I actually don’t find using English subtitles while watching something in Chinese helps a lot. If there’s a string of words I don’t know and I see their English translation, I still don’t know what the original words they said.
For me, I find watching English language movies/shows with Chinese subtitles to be more helpful. I’ll scan the line of subtitles and if there’s a word I don’t know, someone will say it half a second later. I also find that scanning the subtitles and trying to predict what people are going to say can make dull action movies and romantic comedies somewhat more stimulating.
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Valid point. I should clarify that I started out with English movies with Chinese subtitles first, then as my Chinese got better, I was able to make use of more Chinese movies with English subtitles. so, YMMV.
Now, with the vast majority of Taiwanese owning MP3 players and probably preferring listening over reading, maybe publishers will start playing with audio recordings? ((I hope…))[/quote]
Doubtful, as many publications in Chinese isn’t actually fully written in the vernacular, but contain some portions written in classical Chinese or use classical elements. This would make audio recordings hard to understand.
Now, with the vast majority of Taiwanese owning MP3 players and probably preferring listening over reading, maybe publishers will start playing with audio recordings? ((I hope…))[/quote]
Doubtful, as many publications in Chinese isn’t actually fully written in the vernacular, but contain some portions written in classical Chinese or use classical elements. This would make audio recordings hard to understand.[/quote]
I don’t necessarily mean publications, but moreso books, both fiction and nonfiction. The the more I think about it, I kind of doubt it. A lot of the stories that were published initially by other countries only have rights for the Chinese language print versions – it might cost the publisher another licensing fee to do an audio version. ::sigh::
That said, how about underground recordings? I’ve gotten a friend of mine to read some short articles for me to record, but I doubt she’s be interested in reading the whole of a novel.
By the way: Are there any reading groups in Taipei?
Now, with the vast majority of Taiwanese owning MP3 players and probably preferring listening over reading, maybe publishers will start playing with audio recordings? ((I hope…))[/quote]
Doubtful, as many publications in Chinese isn’t actually fully written in the vernacular, but contain some portions written in classical Chinese or use classical elements. This would make audio recordings hard to understand.[/quote]
I don’t necessarily mean publications, but moreso books, both fiction and nonfiction.[/quote]
“Books, both fiction and nonfiction”, are also publications, no? My comment also applies to novels, esp. “high” literature.
Now, with the vast majority of Taiwanese owning MP3 players and probably preferring listening over reading, maybe publishers will start playing with audio recordings? ((I hope…))[/quote]
Doubtful, as many publications in Chinese isn’t actually fully written in the vernacular, but contain some portions written in classical Chinese or use classical elements. This would make audio recordings hard to understand.[/quote]
I don’t necessarily mean publications, but moreso books, both fiction and nonfiction.[/quote]
“Books, both fiction and nonfiction”, are also publications, no? My comment also applies to novels, esp. “high” literature.[/quote]
That they are. But I’m thinking of more low-brow literature…like the stuff that people at my low level can understand. “High” literature at this point is WAY out of sight for me. I’m still in the 小丸子 stage of reading…you know, like what 2nd graders in elementary school are reading. :+)
That they are. But I’m thinking of more low-brow literature…like the stuff that people at my low level can understand. “High” literature at this point is WAY out of sight for me. I’m still in the 小丸子 stage of reading…you know, like what 2nd graders in elementary school are reading. :+)[/quote]
oic…well, the market for grade school level Chinese audio books is probably next to non-existent. One alternative is to find recordings of plays on radio, although I’d imagine it’d be a pretty difficult thing to track down.