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Simplified vs Traditional Characters


Rufus

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Wanted to share this with you guys because it's a topic that I frequently hear discussed and at times can be the source of some strong opinions. We thought we would devote a podcast episode about the topic and talk about how the division of simplified vs traditional characters came about and even how they approached simplification. It was a really fun episode to record and I thought it would be a good topic for discussion here since there is much more to it than can be covered in one podcast. There are a lot of other people here with a lot of insights and information into the whole topic! Here is a link to the podcast episode:

The Controversy Between Simplified and Traditional Characters Explained | You Can Learn Chinese Podcast

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Good convo. I personally have studied traditional characters for far longer than simplified. I prefer them, but I'm at the level now where I think that they are mutually comprehensible. The thing is, due to sheer size, China put out way more learning materials than Taiwan. If I were to recommend a new learner to go one way or the other, I would maybe say simplified, even though I prefer traditional, just because there is so much more available to you if you go simplified. Then again, if you learn traditional, you can usually figure out the simplified too. There are just so many more materials available for people who use simplified. 

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another great podcast by the gruesome twosome 

 

How about a separate mandarin companion podcast thread covering all podcast contents?  Some great discussion points on those podcasts, but alas no comments section. Also allows you two to advertise your podcasts in one thread.

 

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On 9/11/2019 at 2:20 PM, PerpetualChange said:

There are just so many more materials available for people who use simplified. 

True, but the quantity of dross also outweighs the quality of books from Taiwan publishers (IMO anyway). A few long books from Taiwan and you can go a long time without ever feeling frustrated for lack of materials.

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