Jia & Li Wei
From: 🇨🇳 China
Ages: 38 & 39
Languages Spoken: Mandarin, English
Current Location: Melbourne, Australia
Child: Kai, age 5
Story: Mandarin at home with grandparents’ help. English is picked up at preschool. Kai is fluent in both, with Mandarin reinforced by cartoons and songs.
¿Puedes describir los antecedentes lingüísticos de tu familia?
We were both born and raised in China and speak Mandarin as our native language. We moved to Melbourne about ten years ago and speak fluent English, especially at work and socially. At home, Mandarin is still our default.
¿Qué idiomas utilizáis, cómo y dónde y cómo decidisteis esa mezcla?
Mandarin at home, English outside. Kai speaks Mandarin with us and his grandparents, and English with his teachers and friends. We decided on this mix to make sure he keeps his Chinese roots alive while adapting fully to Australian life.
¿Por qué es importante para usted enseñar esos idiomas?
Mandarin connects Kai to his heritage, his grandparents, and our family values. English is essential for school, friends, and living here in Australia. We want him to feel confident and at home in both worlds.
¿Cuándo decidió por primera vez criar a su hijo de forma bilingüe?
Even before he was born. We always knew that Mandarin would be spoken at home, no matter what. It wasn’t even a question — just a commitment we shared.
¿Seguiste una estrategia específica (por ejemplo, OPOL, ML@H) o evolucionó naturalmente?
We follow a version of ML@H (Minority Language at Home). Everyone in the household, including the grandparents, speaks Mandarin at home. English comes in naturally through preschool, media, and everyday life in Melbourne.
¿Cuáles fueron sus mayores preocupaciones al principio y cómo se desarrollaron con el tiempo?
Our biggest worry was that Kai might fall behind in English. But preschool immersion worked beautifully. He was quiet at first but started speaking confidently after a few months.
¿Qué te ayudó a mantener la constancia en el uso de ambos idiomas? ¿Cuál es tu rutina?
Routine and reinforcement. Mandarin cartoons, storytime every night in Mandarin, and regular phone calls with family in China. Grandparents live with us and speak only Mandarin to Kai — that makes a huge difference.
¿Ha cambiado su enfoque a medida que su hijo crece?
Yes, we’ve started adding more structured reading and writing in Mandarin now that he’s five. He’s already learning letters in English at preschool, so we balance it with characters at home.
¿Cómo maneja usted la resistencia o cuando su hijo prefiere un idioma?
Sometimes he resists Mandarin when tired or when he’s around English-speaking friends. We stay patient, model it ourselves, and make Mandarin fun — songs, games, stories. We never force it or make it a fight.
¿Ha experimentado algún momento de avance o de orgullo en su desarrollo del lenguaje?
Definitely. The first time he translated a joke for his grandfather and laughed in both languages — that was unforgettable. And when he sang a full Chinese nursery rhyme at preschool, his teachers were impressed.
¿Qué papel ha desempeñado su familia extendida o su comunidad al apoyar (o desafiar) sus metas?
Our family has been our biggest support. The grandparents’ presence is the anchor. Our local Chinese community also provides events and library resources. Melbourne has good multicultural support, so we haven’t felt isolated.
¿Tienes una anécdota divertida o inesperada de tu experiencia bilingüe? Nos encantaría escucharla.
One day he told us “Don’t say that, it’s a naughty word!” — turns out it was a perfectly innocent phrase in Mandarin that sounds funny in English. We had to explain the difference between tone and meaning!
¿Alguna vez has sentido presión (interna o externa) por tus objetivos bilingües?
Yes. Sometimes we feel like we have to “prove” he’s fluent in both, which is silly. And there’s always the fear that if we ease off, Mandarin will fade too quickly. It’s constant, quiet pressure.
¿Sientes que tu hijo se conecta emocional o culturalmente con ambos idiomas?
He does. He’s just as excited to video call his Chinese cousins as he is to play with his Aussie friends. He switches naturally and understands that both are part of who he is.
¿Cuál ha sido el desafío más inesperado?
Finding high-quality Mandarin books for his age group here in Melbourne. We’ve had to import some from China and rely on digital versions for variety.
¿Qué es lo que más te ha sorprendido de forma positiva?
How quickly kids adapt. Within six months of preschool, he was speaking English fluently. But his Mandarin hasn’t suffered — he just knows when and where to use each one.
¿Qué tecnología u otros recursos utiliza para apoyar el aprendizaje de idiomas?
YouTube Kids (curated), iHuman Chinese app, Bilibili Kids, Spotify Mandarin playlists, and regular video calls with family. We also subscribe to a Chinese children’s book club that delivers monthly.
¿Los entornos escolares o de cuidado infantil han ayudado o dificultado el proceso?
Preschool has helped — they encourage diversity and let Kai share Mandarin songs with classmates. We’ve spoken with the teachers, and they’re supportive of his bilingual background.
Si pudieras hacer una cosa diferente ¿qué sería?
Start character recognition earlier. We focused so much on spoken Mandarin that reading took a back seat. We’re now playing catch-up, but he’s catching on fast.
¿Qué consejo le darías a otros padres que están empezando?
Be consistent. Don’t worry about perfection. Surround your child with the language through family, media, and fun. Let it be something they associate with love, not stress.