New Members wavestation Posted August 20, 2011 at 06:45 PM New Members Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 at 06:45 PM I'm travelling to China in September and have learned low intermediate Mandarin, but only pinyin/conversational. I have purchased the Tuttle 448 character flashcards and the 800 or so character book. However, it seems that most signs will require more advanced knowledge. I tried a google search and found nothing specific. I need to read signs and restaurant menus. I took Japanese about 10 years ago and although i have mostly forgotten how to read, i still recognize maybe about 100-200 characters. I looked through a book with about 500 characters, it doesn't look horribly bad, but i'm pretty terrified that i won't be able to read anything in China. Stuff like: Admission is 60 yuan Sichuan noodle restaurant train and bus station taxi entrance/ exit men's bathroom entry prohibited supermarket closed open sale sold out Line Please do (whatever) before entering this line reservations free (as in does not cost money) temple shopping center all kinds of items in a restaurant menu Any other useful signs that you have come across that you think would be useful. Thank you very much for your help!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roddy Posted August 20, 2011 at 08:04 PM Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 at 08:04 PM I'd imagine a decent phrase book will cover a lot of that vocab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giraffe Posted August 20, 2011 at 10:53 PM Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 at 10:53 PM Some people might consider it cheating, but since you don't have enough time to learn many characters, one option (assuming you have a iPhone or Android smartphone) is to just buy the Pleco Chinese English dictionary software since it has character recognition (and presents you with the meaning). It probably wouldn't help with handwritten signs or highly stylized writing, but it seems pretty good for standard printed stuff. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkhsu Posted August 20, 2011 at 11:11 PM Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 at 11:11 PM Trying to read restaurant menus in China even if you were fluent in Chinese is hard because the name of a dish may not tell you much except maybe what kind of meat, etc. For vegetables and seafood, it is even harder because they may not be the same items available in your native country. If you really want to get the "local" experience, you should find a guide to help you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xiaocai Posted August 21, 2011 at 12:57 AM Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 at 12:57 AM Do you use an android phone? If you do, may be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lu Posted August 21, 2011 at 06:33 AM Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 at 06:33 AM A phrasebook (or even just the glossary at the end of a Lonely Planet) will help, but mostly I think you need to stop worrying. The two things on your list that seem actually important to be able to read are: men's bathroom -- 男 entrance/exit -- 入口 / 出口 And as luck would have it, those are pretty easy and you might even already know them. The rest can be divided in: - Things you will recognize even if you can't read them: taxi Sichuan noodle restaurant bus stop shopping mall temple supermarket - Things you will find out as you go sale/discount sold out free - Things that people will (try to) explain to you if you get them wrong: entry prohibited please do x before entering admission is 60 yuan - And even a few things that will likely have English signage: train station taxi Many restaurants have pictures or translations into something resembling English. You can also resort to pointing at what someone else is having, or learn how to say the names of a few dishes you like. It won't hurt to try and brush up on spoken Chinese and characters a bit, but if you just stay friendly and open to communication, you'll be fine. With a few hundred characters under your belt already, you know vastly more than most tourists and travellers who come here. Enjoy your trip! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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