Of children, language and relaxation Von Kindern, Sprache und Entspannung Sobre crianças, linguagem e relaxamento 儿童、语言和放松

Hi everyone, this is Owen and this is my podcast for Friday 4th December 2015. How are you all doing? Como é que estão todos? It has been a rather uneventful [1] month here in Kunming. Tem sido um mês bastante agitado [1] aqui em Kunming. The highlight [2] was probably Singles' Day. O ponto alto [2] foi provavelmente o Dia dos Solteiros. If you listened to my podcast a year ago, you will remember that the day has been hijacked [3] by an online shopping website called Taobao. Se ouviram o meu podcast há um ano, lembrar-se-ão de que o dia foi tomado de assalto [3] por um sítio de compras em linha chamado Taobao. It has become the largest day of online shopping in the world. Tornou-se o maior dia de compras em linha do mundo. Every year the Chinese spend billions in just 24 hours. There are supposed to be big discounts [4] on the day, but I have my doubts. I still joined in though. Mesmo assim, juntei-me a eles. I bought some pots and pans, a hoover [5], a jar of tahini, a food processor [6] and a kilo of beetroots [7], which are impossible to find in Kunming. Comprei alguns tachos e panelas, um aspirador [5], um frasco de tahini, um processador de alimentos [6] e um quilo de beterrabas [7], que são impossíveis de encontrar em Kunming. Today, I'll be talking about a big announcement [8] made by the Chinese government, what it's like to learn Chinese and my day at the spa.

****

I think you all know about the one-child policy [9] in China. Penso que todos conhecem a política do filho único [9] na China. Well, on October 29th this year the Chinese government announced a change in their one-child policy. From March next year all married couples in China can have two children. A partir de março do próximo ano, todos os casais na China podem ter dois filhos. Under Mao Zedong families were encouraged [10] to have as many children as possible and the Chinese population grew enormously [11]. In response, the one-child policy was introduced. However, it's important to remember that the policy only affected about 40% of the Chinese. For example, ethnic minorities could have more children and the Han Chinese could have two children if they lived in the countryside. Couples in cities could have two children if they paid a large fine [12]. Os casais das cidades podiam ter dois filhos se pagassem uma coima elevada [12]. And if you were rich, you could always travel abroad to have a second child. There were always a lot of families with more than one child. So why has the government decided to change the policy? Well, China has too many old people and not enough young people to work and look after their parents and grandparents. Bem, a China tem demasiados idosos e poucos jovens para trabalhar e cuidar dos seus pais e avós. Will the change in policy lead to more babies? Será que a mudança de política conduzirá a mais bebés? Probably not. Two years ago the government already started making it easier for people to have a second child but not many people wanted to have a second child. Há dois anos, o governo já tinha começado a facilitar a possibilidade de ter um segundo filho, mas não eram muitas as pessoas que queriam ter um segundo filho. I've asked some of my friends who are young parents or who could soon be parents whether they would like to have more than one child. Remember, my friends are all only children themselves, they have no brothers or sisters. Lembrem-se, os meus amigos são todos filhos únicos, não têm irmãos ou irmãs. Almost all of them only want to have one child. The main reason is that they want to give their child the best possible education and this is very expensive in China. The government doesn't help parents much with money for education and so on. Also, young Chinese couples usually have four parents and sometimes grandparents to look after. Além disso, os jovens casais chineses têm normalmente quatro pais e, por vezes, avós para cuidar. If they have more children they have less time and money to help them to look after the old people. Se tiverem mais filhos, têm menos tempo e dinheiro para os ajudar a cuidar dos idosos. If the Chinese government wants more babies it will probably have to do more to help parents.

****

After my last podcast Guy asked about learning Chinese. So I thought I'd tell you a little bit about my experience of learning Chinese. Por isso, pensei em contar-vos um pouco da minha experiência de aprendizagem de chinês. First of all, it is difficult but not impossible. When I first arrived in China, I was a little lazy. Learning the language seemed like an impossible task and I didn't come primarily to learn the language. Aprender a língua parecia uma tarefa impossível e eu não vim principalmente para aprender a língua. However, I have taken some lessons. And the longer I'm here, the more I pick up along the way. E quanto mais tempo estou aqui, mais apanho pelo caminho. As with all languages some elements are easier to learn than others. For example, Chinese grammar is rather simple. A Chinese friend of mine once told me that he never studied Chinese grammar in school. The hardest part is probably the writing. Because there is no alphabet, you have to learn thousands of characters in order to be able to read and write. I have studied some characters and I can read and write a few but I have a long way to go. At the moment I have a teacher who knows a lot about Chinese characters and loves to tell us stories about individual characters to help us remember them. The individual characters are made up of some of the same components, so it does get easier. As personagens individuais são constituídas por alguns dos mesmos componentes, pelo que se torna mais fácil. Another very hard part of learning Chinese is the speaking. As you might know, Chinese is a tonal language. Como deve saber, o chinês é uma língua tonal. Every syllable in Chinese has at least four tones. You have to know whether to keep your voice flat, have your voice rise or drop. Use the wrong tone and you might be calling your mother a horse! It's hard enough to hear the difference sometimes and almost impossible to speak quickly using the right tones. A lot of Chinese aren't used to hearing non-native speakers speaking Chinese, so it can be very frustrating when you think you are using all the right tones but they just don't understand what you are saying. I know quite a few Chinese learners who have given up on the tones just because it's so hard. Lastly, if everyone spoke standard Chinese, it would make things a lot easier. Por último, se toda a gente falasse chinês normalizado, as coisas seriam muito mais fáceis. But China is huge and there are countless [13] dialects and accents. So there you go, it's very difficult! Portanto, é muito difícil!

****

One of the great joys of living in the east is the spa and massage culture. Uma das grandes alegrias de viver no Leste é a cultura das termas e das massagens. In China, Korea, Japan and Thailand variations of spas are super popular and affordable [14]. In China it's very common to spend an afternoon, day or night in a spa with friends to relax and recover. When I first moved to Beijing I was amazed at how common and cheap they were. Quando me mudei para Pequim, fiquei espantado com o facto de serem tão comuns e baratos. I always associated spas with luxury and mountains. Sempre associei os spas ao luxo e às montanhas. Of course not all of them in Beijing were very nice but it's a great way to unwind [15]. É claro que nem todos em Pequim eram muito simpáticos, mas é uma óptima maneira de descontrair [15]. In Kunming I went for the first time last week with a friend. It's a fairly small spa down by a lake. É uma estância termal bastante pequena junto a um lago. The lobby was very luxurious with lots of marble and a big chandelier [16]. O átrio era muito luxuoso, com muito mármore e um grande lustre [16]. First impressions are very important, I guess. Once we were inside though it wasn't as luxurious anymore. No entanto, quando entrámos, já não era tão luxuoso. There were separate areas for the men and the women. In the changing room we were given a nice towel, a pair of slippers and a bathrobe [17]. No vestiário, foi-nos dada uma toalha bonita, um par de chinelos e um roupão de banho [17]. From there we walked to the pool area. This particular spa has a large heated swimming pool, a few Jacuzzis, showers, a sauna and a steam room. Este spa em particular tem uma grande piscina aquecida, alguns jacuzzis, duches, uma sauna e uma sala de vapor. There were also chairs and tables where you could sit and chat. Havia também cadeiras e mesas onde se podia sentar e conversar. As for refreshments [18], there were lots of fruit and drinks on offer. Quanto às refeições ligeiras [18], havia muita fruta e bebidas à disposição. The Chinese have a very different sense of privacy. Os chineses têm um sentido de privacidade muito diferente. I'm not used to being naked with lots of people around me, especially when those people have never seen a naked foreigner before and are quite curious [19]. Não estou habituado a estar nu com muitas pessoas à minha volta, especialmente quando essas pessoas nunca viram um estrangeiro nu antes e estão bastante curiosas [19]. After spending some time in the sauna and the Jacuzzi, we put on our robes and headed upstairs where there was a huge Chinese buffet and a lounge with rows of comfortable armchairs. Depois de passarmos algum tempo na sauna e no jacuzzi, vestimos os nossos roupões e subimos as escadas, onde havia um enorme buffet chinês e um salão com filas de poltronas confortáveis. Each seat had a personal screen for entertainment, a blanket to keep warm and a button to press for drinks and massages. Cada lugar tinha um ecrã pessoal para entretenimento, um cobertor para se manter quente e um botão para pressionar para bebidas e massagens. We got comfortable with a cup of tea and a foot massage for half an hour before going to the buffet for a nice dinner. There was a real mix of people there, three generations of families, kids, friends, couples, workmates and business associates. Havia uma verdadeira mistura de pessoas, três gerações de famílias, crianças, amigos, casais, colegas de trabalho e de profissão. Everyone goes to spas here and I've heard that it's quite common to do business there as well. Toda a gente vai às termas aqui e ouvi dizer que também é bastante comum fazer negócios lá. Instead of inviting a client out for a nice dinner, you take them to a fancy spa for an evening. Em vez de convidar um cliente para um jantar agradável, leva-o a um spa de luxo para uma noite. And the best thing about these establishments [20] is that they're open 24 hours a day. If you have a hangover, some people might tell you to drink lots of water or take some aspirin. Se tiveres uma ressaca, algumas pessoas podem dizer-te para beberes muita água ou tomares uma aspirina. Here the advice is always: ‘Go to the spa!' Aqui o conselho é sempre: "Vai para o spa!

****

Thank you, Edith, for your comment. I hope you enjoyed your holiday in Thailand and Laos. This is my last podcast before Christmas, so I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I'm going to go to Beijing for Christmas to visit some friends. It's been a year and a half since I left, so I'm really looking forward to it. You'll hear from Gerry in two weeks and I'll be back in January. Terão notícias do Gerry dentro de duas semanas e eu voltarei em janeiro. You can listen to all our podcasts by visiting our website www.podclub.ch or by downloading our app. You can also download our vocabulary trainer to help you learn new words. Until next year, goodbye! Glossaire: Owen in China [1] uneventful: when nothing interesting or exciting happens

[2] highlight: here: the most memorable part

[3] to hijack: here: to use and take advantage of [3] to hijack: aqui: utilizar e tirar partido de

[4] discount: when the original price of something is reduced

[5] hoover: British English for a vacuum cleaner, an electrical device used to clean floors

[6] food processor: an electrical kitchen device used to chop, mix or puree things

[7] beetroot: a round purple vegetable [7] Beterraba: um legume roxo e redondo

[8] announcement: here: a formal public statement by the government

[9] policy: a government plan

[10] to encourage: here: to give support

[11] enormously: here: by a very large number

[12] fine: money that you have to pay if you break the law

[13] countless: too many to count

[14] affordable: not expensive

[15] to unwind: here: to relax after work or a stressful day

[16] chandelier: a large, decorated light that hangs from a ceiling

[17] bathrobe: a long and soft piece of clothing worn after getting out of a bath

[18] refreshment: here: a light snack or drink

[19] curious: here: interested in knowing more

[20] establishment: here: a business