Meet Ashley: Embracing Mandarin Through Passion and Perseverance
Ashley, a civil engineer from Honduras, discovered her passion for Mandarin during the COVID-19 lockdown. Introduced to languages by her brother, she quickly fell in love with Chinese despite its challenges.
Through consistent effort and creative learning methods, Ashley progressed from beginner to fluent speaker, enjoying reading native novels and conversing with locals.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your background?
My name is Ashley. I'm a civil engineer from Honduras and a language enthusiast. I've been learning languages thanks to my older brother, who introduced us to the world of language learning. As for Chinese, I had always been curious about its writing system but never had the chance to study it until my last year of college.
My Mandarin journey began in 2020 during the COVID lockdown. During my summer vacation, I had nothing to do, and my university offered free summer courses in various skills and languages. So, I decided to learn Mandarin Chinese just to keep myself busy—and I quickly fell in love with the language.
However, I had to pause my studies because I was busy with my final college projects. It wasn’t until September 2021 that I decided to take a course on Coursera in collaboration with Peking University, and ever since, I haven't stopped learning.
Can you walk us through your Chinese learning journey from the beginning to where you are now?
In 2020, I began taking Mandarin courses that covered basic vocabulary and grammar for HSK 1 and 2. I quickly progressed to HSK 4 within two years, then slowed down my pace to truly embrace the language and focus on improving my speaking and listening skills.
It has now been almost five years since I started learning, and I can read Chinese youth novels and hold conversations with native speakers on a variety of topics without difficulty.
A key moment in my learning journey was discovering the shadowing technique, which helped me improve my speaking and overcome my fear of speaking Chinese. No matter how much HSK material I studied, I never felt truly confident until I started practicing shadowing.
Shadowing is a language learning technique where a learner listens to spoken language (such as a recording or a native speaker) and simultaneously repeats or “shadows” the words almost immediately after hearing them. The goal is to mimic the pronunciation, intonation, rhythm, and flow of the language to improve speaking fluency, listening skills, and overall oral comprehension. This technique helps learners develop muscle memory for correct pronunciation and gain confidence in speaking.
What were the biggest challenges you faced as you progressed, especially when transitioning from intermediate to advanced?
Letting go of the training wheels marked a new beginning in my language journey. Transitioning from graded readers to books written for native speakers was challenging, but I genuinely enjoyed the process.
I began listening to native content early on, around the HSK 4 level, and I never looked back. I knew I had to face those challenges in order to grow in the language. I love listening to Chinese radio and experiencing the language from a different perspective. Tuning into Clubhouse conversations where native speakers discuss real and trending topics was a game changer for me.
What specific methods, tools, or resources helped you the most in achieving fluency?
Combining formal study with informal methods has been my main approach.
Although I occasionally use HSK materials, I treat them as a supplement to strengthen my grammar and expand my vocabulary. To improve my speaking and overall comprehension, I rely on tools like Chinese radio, novels, and shadowing. My favorite resources, however, are those not originally designed for language learning, such as:
World Wide Radio (listening specifically to Beijing radio stations)
Clubhouse (listening to live conversations of native speakers)
Shadowing Peppa Pig videos in Chinese
Reading news articles on Baidu
How do you create opportunities to practice Mandarin in your daily life?
Talk to yourself — although it might sound a little crazy, speaking to myself in Chinese has helped me recall vocabulary and learn to think in the language without translating everything in my head.
I also record myself speaking on specific topics and do a lot of shadowing. Additionally, I make a habit of repeating new phrases out loud and regularly look for language exchange partners.
What are your favorite aspects of the Chinese language or culture?
The Chinese writing system fascinates me because of the deep meanings embedded in many words and phrases. One word I particularly love is 坚持 (jiān chí), which means “to persevere” or “to persist.” It perfectly captures the mindset needed when learning Mandarin—no matter what, keep going and trust the process.
What advice would you give to learners who are at the intermediate level and want to reach advanced fluency?
Don’t be afraid of native content, and don’t be afraid of making mistakes—we all make them. If I could start my journey over, I wouldn’t delay speaking like I did; I would begin much earlier.
I might sound like a broken record, but trusting the process and enjoying it are truly key to progressing in the language and noticing real improvement.
What surprised you the most during your Mandarin learning journey, both about the language itself and Chinese culture?
The power of consistency truly surprised me. When I first started reading in Chinese, it took me almost three months to finish my first book. I felt ashamed and embarrassed, but I trusted the process and stayed consistent—studying and reading as much as I could. Over time, reading became natural and effortless.
When it comes to Chinese culture, what impressed me most was the resilience of the Chinese people—their ability to start from zero and work tirelessly. I also fell in love with their culture because of the high value placed on education.
As for the language itself, the tones and rhythm of Mandarin are so beautiful and melodic that they amaze me every day. Chinese can sound incredibly poetic. What really shocked and pleasantly surprised me, though, was how simple the grammar is. In my native language, Spanish, I had to learn complex verb conjugations and numerous grammar rules. Realizing that Chinese verbs don’t conjugate and that the grammar is relatively straightforward helped me see that this so-called “most difficult language in the world” actually has a unique and elegant simplicity.
Are there some common misconceptions about the language that you believe are not true?
People are often intimidated by Mandarin because of its characters. They see them as unintelligible and overly difficult—a misconception that, unfortunately, closes the door to a world of knowledge, culture, and the rich history of a remarkable people. Chinese characters hold beauty, depth, and immense cultural value.
Do you have your favorite Chinese idiom or saying you would like to share with us?
“学如登山” (xué rú dēng shān) can be translated as “studying is like climbing a mountain.” I like to associate this saying with the challenges we face throughout the learning journey. But once you reach the top, the view is breathtaking—it’s all worth it.
Connect with Ashley!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lingo.anne
