Mandarin Translation: "Just another day in paradise" Recently, I ended a notebook entry with the phrase: "Just another day in paradise." 5 different people suggested edits for the piece but none of them were able to help translate that phrase. Could you help me? This phrase originally would mean something like "living the dream" - or that you are very happy doing what you are doing. However, it can also be used ironically (which was how I used it); if you are discussing difficulties and then say "Just another day in paradise," it's understood that a) the problems occur often, maybe daily and b) you aren't really happy but you're still able to joke about the situation so people know you aren't extremely frustrated. Maybe this phrase is very specific to English speaking cultures and translating it doesn't really capture its intent. Thoughts?

Chinglish Diaries- Speaking is Learning 我只会说中文一点点，和我的中文看非常不好. 我的listening comprehension只是一般般，但是中国人老我明白more than I really do. So, 我 smile 和 nod, 和告诉 something like, “可能” 或 “想.” 但是多的中文学的stays in my head. Language 是 communicating; 如果你没有communicating, 你没有learning. Irony: 只说 easy 东西太难了. Said another way: 我要告诉很多东西, 但是我需要 focus on the beginning 单词 (不很有趣). 学习 走, 然后学习泡. 我还在企图站起来 :) 加油！ 只是 another day 在 paradise, 孔狄德 --- English -- I only speak Chinese a bit, and my reading is atrocious. My listening is just okay, but many Chinese always think I understand more than I really do. So I just smile and nod, and say something like, "Maybe" or "I think so." But then all of my Chinese learning stays in my head. Language is communicating; if you aren't communicating, you aren't learning. Irony: only saying easy things is very difficult. Said another way: I want to say so many things, but I must focus on the beginning words (which aren't as interesting). Learn to walk, THEN learn to run. I'm still trying to stand up :) Let's do this! Just another day in paradise, Dedrick

Speaking Exams: Learning to Speak Longer Many people are worried about exams, especially speaking exams. Many say: "I get nervous. I don't know what to say. I can only think of short answers." So how can you talk longer? Here are three suggestions #1 TELL A STORY ABOUT YOURSELF OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW ABOUT SO-SO: "You should always listen to your parents, because this is good. It will make everyone happy." BETTER: "You should always listen to your parents. When I was young, I was not a good child. I would complain about cleaning or doing homework. I would go very slow and never do a good job because I wanted to play outside. My parents would be angry, yell at me, and make me try again and again until I did it right. Then one day I had an idea- if I stopped complaining, worked hard and worked quickly, the job would not take long. Then I would have more time to play outside. That was the day I learned that listening to my parents makes them happy but also makes me happy." #2 TALK ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SO-SO: Being healthy and fit will make you happy. Eating good food and exercising will help you stay strong and live longer. You also will be sick less because of this and have more energy to enjoy life. BETTER: Being healthy and fit will make you happy. Eating good food and exercising will help you stay strong and live longer. You also will be sick less because of this and have more energy to enjoy life. It is very easy to not be healthy, though. Some people don't think about what they eat or about playing sports or going to the gym. They only stay inside, sit on the couch and become worse and worse. They don't go outside often and they don't see many other people, so it is easy to become unhappy. This is sad and a waste. Why live a sad life with lots of illness when you can live a long, healthy life instead? #3 TALK ABOUT THE QUESTION IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE SOLUTION SO-SO: "How do we stop students from cheating in school? I don't know. This is a big problem." BETTER: "How do we stop students from cheating in school? This is hard to answer. Students cheat because they think it will help them. They like to look smart even if they are not so they can get in a good college. But this will be bad - what if they can't graduate from the college and must quit? They think cheating will help them but it only hurts them in the end. Teachers know cheating is bad, but they can't always see cheating students. Until students see cheating is not useful, this very big problem will continue. Good luck on your exams!

How's your English? I need more casual questions when asking people (in Chinese) if they speak English and then common follow-up phrases. Can you help me find basic equivalents for things like: * How's your English?/How's your English going?/How's your English doing? * responses for "bad": Don't worry/Don't sweat it; I guarantee your English level is higher than my Chinese; between your low English and my low Chinese, we'll work it out Other suggestions?

很高兴认识你 If someone says 很高兴认识你 in a friendly, relaxed setting (not formal)，我不知道什么说… In English, I would reply "likewise" (推而广之? ) or "the same to you"/"right back at ya" (我是一样?) or "yeah, me too" (我也?). 我可以说“我也很高兴认识你”是不是？ 你又帮忙我吗？怎么说第一句

我的中国名字 你能帮助我吗？ 我需要你帮忙翻译，但我也想你的意见。我希望有一个中国名字。我的英文姓<> (克莱恩)但这是太长了中国姓氏。我想，也许这些姓氏听起来很相似： 1. <<孔>> 有K个声，并且是像孔子。我喜欢这个，但它听起来是不是很像我的实际姓。另外，有些朋友认为声音太刺耳。 2. <<赖>> 听起来最接近我的名字，但有几个朋友说这个名字不熟悉他们。我担心的是选择一个不寻常或令人分心的名字。 3. <<艾>> 听起来也像我的英文名字，这是写的很简单。这有相同的声音爱。这有相同的声音矮。我的姓是指很少或矮。有些朋友认为这听起来像一个女孩的名字（艾米莉） ，但其他的不以为然。 我的名字是Dedrick ，但Deder是一个共同的绰号。我的朋友们都建议这些名字： * 第一个声音 - <<迪>>或<<狄>>。有的朋友首选，因为迪是比较常见的，具有良好的意义。另一些人倾向于认为狄，因为它是比较独特的，是像狄仁杰。 * 第二个声音 - <<德>>或<<喆>>。我的朋友建议<<迪德>>/<<狄德>>是一个非常积极的名称的意义，但听起来像一个外国人的名字。一些喜欢这一点，其他人没有。有些人建议<<迪喆>>/<<狄喆>>吹响更多的中国和仍然相似Dedrick 。 你喜欢哪个名字？ 孔 ... 迪德? 狄德? 迪喆? 狄喆? 赖 ... 迪德? 狄德? 迪喆? 狄喆? 艾 ... 迪德? 狄德? 迪喆? 狄喆? 谢谢你的耐心。我的中国写作水平很差，我不知道有多少语法规则。有用的建议，将不胜感激。 ----- My Chinese level is actually very very low, This took me forever to try and write. I should have started with an easier entry, but this is what caught my interest. Can you help me edit this (as well as comment your opinion about the topic)? I'm worried it will be very hard to read the suggestions so all the Chinglish/Pinyin/etc. support you can give would be appreciated. Thanks for reading regardless - excited to be on a language-learning journey! Dedrick