Notes, instructions and checking
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| abbreviate | 缩写 | suō xiě |
| following instructions | 遵循指令 | zūn xún zhǐ lìng |
| clarifying | 澄清 | chéng qīng |
Eight words beat a full sentence
- A speaker gives directions. You write opposite the post office in full — and miss if you reach the bridge you've gone too far.
- Writing runs slower than speech. Every full sentence you write costs you a sentence you do not hear.
- The fix is not writing faster. It is writing less.
What to keep
- Keep nouns and numbers. Grammar you can rebuild; a date you cannot.
- Use symbols: an arrow for leads to, a cross for not,
≈for about. - Abbreviate 缩写 consistently:
gov,env,2nd,w/. Your own system is fine as long as it is yours every time.
Which of these are worth writing down while you listen? Choose all that apply.
Nouns and numbers cannot be reconstructed; grammar can. Writing grammar costs you the next sentence.
Which symbol would you use in notes for "leads to" or "then"?
An arrow is faster than any word and reads the same in both languages.
Heard: "Take the second exit, go past the bank, and it's opposite the post office — but if you reach the bridge you've gone too far."
Notes: 2nd exit → past bank → opp. post office (X bridge = too far)
Eight tokens. The warning at the end survives, and the warning is what the question asks about.
Following instructions
- Following instructions 遵循指令 is listening that is judged by what you do, not by what you say.
- Listen for the ordering words: first, then, once you have, before you.
- The order is the content. Three correct steps in the wrong order is a wrong answer.
In a "follow the instructions" task, getting all the steps but in the wrong order still counts as correct.
The order is the content. Listen for first, then, once you have, before you.
Checking, without losing face
- Clarifying 澄清 is a marked skill: Sorry, did you say fifteen or fifty?
- Restating proves you understood: So the deadline moves to Thursday, and we submit online.
- Both are what a competent professional does. Neither is an admission of weakness.
You did not catch a number. Which is the strongest thing to say?
One specific detail, with the two possibilities named. It is quick to answer and shows you were following.
Your teacher says the report deadline moves to Thursday and must be submitted online. Write one sentence restating that to confirm you understood.
Example: "So the report is due on Thursday and we submit it online." Both facts, in your own words.
Ask about one detail, not the whole thing. Could I check the date? is a strong move. Could you repeat everything? tells the speaker you were not following, and it costs them a minute they will remember.
Numbers in English are where careful listeners still lose marks: fifteen and fifty, thirty and thirteen. The stress differs — FIFteen and FIFty — but under pressure, confirm rather than guess.