I am a Vietnamese-English bilingual writer with 3 years of experience working as a journalist in both Vietnam and America.

Find out more about Jasmine

• 1) Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

  I am Vietnamese myself, but I also have quite a background in Vietnamese Literature. During middle school and high school, I attended a gifted school system where we got to choose a subject to focus on mastering, with the goal of competing nationally. My “specialization” was Vietnamese Literature for 4 years. There, I learned Vietnamese—not just the language, but also the culture, the Vietnamese history, and even how to use it to better express my point of view.
  
  I really don’t know why I chose Vietnamese Literature back then, but I think it was a good choice!

• 2) Can you name a living, historical, or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

  I think when it comes to the Vietnamese language, the most epic piece of literature is The Tale of Kieu by Nguyen Du. Although it was originally written in Nom characters, a now-obsolete writing system of Vietnam based loosely on Chinese characters, it actually reflected the creativity, perception, and empathy of the Vietnamese people - my ancestors- that took root in the early days.
  
  When I was specializing in Vietnamese Literature, we actually got to spend so much time analyzing different parts of The Tale of Kieu, and I must say that such an experience enabled me to analyze and read many historical texts, including the Holy Bible.

• 3) Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition, or behavior in the language that you particularly like?

  I like how some Vietnamese people address older people with polite words like “dạ” and “ạ” when they speak. I think it is such a way to show respect to others, but at the same time, it makes others respect you so much more when they can see that you are thoughtful in your speech.

• 4) Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  I think language comes hand-in-hand with cognition. If I did not speak Vietnamese, I would not be able to fully understand the way that other people who speak Vietnamese think, which includes my family members and loved ones.

• 5) What is the main difficulty in learning this language, and what can help the process of learning?

  I think pronunciation and listening are particularly challenging aspects of learning Vietnamese. The many subtle tones can make it difficult to distinguish between words that sound similar but have completely different meanings depending on their tones.
  
  That being said, when I teach students, I try to provide them with a document that includes everything we discussed during the lesson, along with video recordings showing my mouth and facial movements as I pronounce each word. I’ve found that this has been particularly helpful for students!

• 6) Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.

  When I was in middle school, I was very bad at chemistry.
  
  I was soooo bad, to the point that I cried to my mom one time after the first week of 9th grade.
  
  She then hired a private tutor for me, who seriously changed my life.
  
  The way that tutor taught me was very simple. She gave me a lot of homework/practice problems throughout our classes, and I just did it—a lot of it.
  
  After two weeks, I received a perfect chemistry score on a quiz and actually became the best at chemistry in my high school class. I later even studied pre-medicine in the U.S. with a perfect GPA, given that I had to take inorganic and organic chemistry in English—my second language. I would say that I became pretty decent at chemistry, just by doing a lot of homework that I gave myself.
  
  I learned that, actually, a good teacher may just be the one who pushes you to practice a lot. And a good student is the one who actually complies and practices.

• 7) How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

  I grew up in Vietnam, attended public school, and learned in Vietnamese my entire life until I came to the U.S. for college. I was quite shocked and stressed when I first had to attend fully English-speaking classes, take quizzes, and learn and memorize everything in my second language. Although my English was decent even from the time I was in Vietnam, the experience was still very challenging for me. But after a year, I learned so much more because I had absolutely no choice but to push myself.
  
  I think sometimes you have to be pushed outside of your comfort zone in that way to truly learn a language, or anything.

• 8) What makes you a Superprof in language?

  I’m actually not a very skilled teacher, but I think I am a passionate one. I am not passionate about teaching, but I am passionate about seeing other people grow. That may mean I will have to put in a few extra hours after our class to record pronunciation videos for my students or check in on them between our lectures to make sure they have done their homework before the next session.
  
  I just like to see people grow, and I have confidence that they will grow through my help.