A Czech Perspective on Learning Chinese: Renata Mirkova’s Story
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
-
Sinology
16 min read
The article mentions Czech-Sinology programs steeped in history. Sinology as an academic discipline has a rich European tradition dating back centuries, with distinct schools of thought in different countries that shaped how Chinese language and culture were studied in non-English speaking contexts.
-
Sichuanese dialects
11 min read
Renata specifically mentions surviving the linguistic chaos of Sichuan dialects. These dialects are significantly different from Standard Mandarin, and understanding their complexity illuminates why immersion in different Chinese regions presents unique challenges even for advanced learners.
-
China–Czech Republic relations
15 min read
The article mentions Renata interpreting for Czech officials on business trips to China. The diplomatic and economic relationship between these two countries has a distinctive history spanning Communist-era ties to modern trade dynamics, providing context for why Czech-Chinese language professionals are needed.
In this episode, Jared sits down with Renata Mirkova, a Chinese language educator from the Czech Republic whose journey into Mandarin began not with a grand plan, but almost by accident. What started as a university entrance decision led her to master Chinese, live in China, and now teach both Czech and Chinese across cultural boundaries.
Renata shares the unique challenges of learning Chinese in a non-English-speaking environment, including outdated textbooks from the 60s, Czech-Sinology programs steeped in history, and a lack of direct Chinese-to-Czech resources. But through her perseverance and multiple immersive experiences in China, Renata carved out her own path to fluency.
From surviving the linguistic chaos of Sichuan dialects to interpreting for Czech officials on business trips in China, she offers candid reflections on what works for her, what didn’t, and how learning Chinese changed her life. She also gives insight into her current work creating Chinese learning materials specifically for Czech speakers and what it’s like teaching Czech to Chinese speakers in return.
Links from the episode:
This excerpt is provided for preview purposes. Full article content is available on the original publication.