Jack Takahashi Mao
About Me
Lessons
Availability
Reviews
Online
Jack Takahashi Mao
Professional Teacher![]()
Teaches
Chinese (Mandarin)
Native
English
Japanese
Speaks
Swedish
Finnish
Linguist, Medical Interpreter, TESOL Certified Chinese/Japanese/English Professional Teacher
Teaches
Chinese (Mandarin)
Native
English
Japanese
Speaks
Swedish
Finnish
Linguist, Medical Interpreter, TESOL Certified Chinese/Japanese/English Professional Teacher
About Me
Me as a Teacher
My lessons & teaching style
Resume
From ChinaLiving in Denver, United States (14:34 UTC-07:00)
About Me
italki teacher since Apr 10, 2018InterestsAnimation & ComicsTravelArtMedical & HealthcarePets & Animals
Hi, everyone! I am Jack, a trained linguist. I created a Youtube channel for my students: Panda Knows Linguistics. I talk about Chinese/Japanese/linguistics there. If you are interested in my teaching style, please feel free to check it out! I am from Chongqing, China and have been living in Colorado, USA since 2009. I speak Chinese, Japanese, and English fluently. I am a passionate linguist and have learned many languages including Latin, Ancient Greek, Swahili, Finnish and Swedish. I have been teaching Chinese and Japanese since 2010.
*Notice* I am not accepting students younger than college level (18 years old) due to lack of such training. Sorry for the inconvenience.Me as a Teacher
I hold two Masters degrees from the University of Colorado - Japanese Language and Civilization, and Linguistics. The former provided me with extensive training in translation, interpretation, and literary analysis from both historical and modern perspectives. Linguistics offered me the theoretical and practical basis for teaching a foreign language. I am especially interested in applying phonetic and phonological strategies to classroom teaching in order to prepare students for a native-like pronunciation and intuition. I am a native Chinese Mandarin speaker with Japanese heritage. With the educational training mentioned above, I am capable of teaching both languages.My lessons & teaching style
I believe language learning should be fun for both students and teachers. No matter you want to perfect Chinese or Japanese skills after a few years of learning, or want to start from zero without any previous background, I can help! I will be a language learning facilitator to encourage you to be the center of your own learning. I will guide you through the complexity of grammars and diverse aspects of conversational situations, and make you take the initiative to digest the knowledge. Visual, audible, and multimedia materials will be incorporated into my lessons and linguistically informed methods will be used to ensure your understanding and skills are sound, solid, and crystal clear.My teaching material
- PDF file
- Text Documents
- Presentation slides/PPT
- Audio files
- Image files
- Video files
- Flashcards
- Articles and news
- Quizzes
- Test templates and examples
- Graphs and charts
- Homework Assignments
Certificates
Masters Degree in Linguistics - University of Colorado Boulder - 2016
Certificate verified
Masters Degree in Asian Languages and Civilizations-Japanese - University of Colorado Boulder - 2015
Certificate verified
The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning Associate - University of Colorado Boulder - 2015The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) is an NSF Center for Learning and Teaching in higher education. CIRTL uses graduate and post-doc education as the leverage point to develop a national STEM faculty committed to implementing and advancing effective teaching practices for diverse student audiences as part of successful professional careers.
Certificate verified
Membership of Phi Sigma Iota International Foreign Language Honor Society - Phi Sigma Iota International Foreign Language Honor Society - 2011Phi Sigma Iota recognizes outstanding accomplishment in the study or teaching of any of the academic fields related to foreign language, literature, or culture. Phi Sigma Iota is the highest academic honor in the field of foreign languages.
Certificate verified
Education
2014 - 2016
Master's - LinguisticsAdmitted to the PhD program in Linguistics. Took linguistics courses covering all domains from phonetics/phonology to pragmatics and historical linguistics.
2013 - 2015
Master's - Asian Languages and Civilizations-JapaneseAncient and modern literature, poetries, and philosophical texts. Training in literary critics, translation, and pedagogical strategies.
Work Experience
2011 - 2013
Math TutorTutoring students at the university math center on various undergraduate math topics.
2011 - 2013
Chinese, Japanese, Latin TutorMultilingual tutor at the Center for World Languages and Cultures at the University of Denver. Helping students who were learning Chinese, Japanese or Latin with their homework and course materials.
2013 - 2016
Teaching AssistantTeaching recitations and labs for both Japanese and Linguistics department. Courses included: Intermediate Japanese, Language and Gender, and Language Sound Structures
2016 - 2017
Graduate InstructorTeaching full-size undergraduate linguistics classes (80-100 people). Courses included: Languages of the World, and Language Sound Structure
2018 - Current
Japanese InstructorTeaching 1-1 private lessons or 3-4 people small groups. Mainly towards adults who want to learn Japanese basics in a short period of time.
2018 - Current
IELTS Administrator Assistant
2018 - 2020
Chinese Linguistic Consultanthttps://www.fromzero.com/
Chinese Linguistic Consulting Service for Chinese Textbook Series
2022 - 2022
Mandarin-English InterpreterProfessional Medical Interpreter: Mandarin-English
5.0
Rating
252
Students
2,649
Lessons
100%
Attendance rate
100%
Response rate
Japanese Lessons
Japanese
Chinese (Mandarin)
English
Trial Lesson
136 lessons completed
USD 10.00+
Japanese for Everyone ゼロから日本語 *JLPT 5 - 1* (discount for package)
A1 - C2Language Essentials956 lessons completed
USD 23.50+
Package with 6% off
Availability
Based on your timezone (UTC+00:00)
Jacek Wielemborek
40 Chinese (Mandarin) lessons
Teacher’s pick
I don't normally write reviews after having done a couple lessons with a teacher, but what I had with Jack today was MINDBLOWINGLY good. He definitely deserves at least twice what he gets here for today's lesson!
We had speaking practice and thanks to Jack's expertise in phonology, he looked up what sounds are available in my language and compared them to Chinese. Then he helped me practice and explained how is it that even if I hear the difference between his and mine version, both are correct. The explanation had pretty much an academic aspect to it, so I'm super glad I got a linguistics graduate as a teacher.
Huge thanks, Jack!
Jul 31, 2018
Tanya
11 Chinese (Mandarin) lessons
Teacher’s pick
Can't say enough great things about Jack as a teacher. He is enthusiastic and knowledgeable. I am sure that his unique skills as a linguist further contribute to helping me understand not just the "what" of Chinese, but more importantly the "why" and "how". Thanks for another great lesson!
May 21, 2018
Eric S
98 Chinese (Mandarin) lessons
Teacher’s pick
Jack is EXCELLENT. His genuine enthusiasm about language learning is infectious! Re: Chinese pronunciation (which was the most intimidating part of learning Chinese for me), Jack gave detailed explanations about tongue placement which helped me a lot. Looking forward to the next one. :)
May 6, 2018
D W
4 Chinese (Mandarin) lessons
Great trial lesson with Jack. He was able to quickly access my needs and determine the best approach for me. He is easy going, great listener, and very engaging. I booked another 5 lessons with him. Looking forward to improving my mandarin!
Oct 21, 2024
Alicia Hagen
7 Chinese (Mandarin) lessons
First session today and really enjoyed it. Looking forwarding to learning more.
May 2, 2024
Alex
20 Chinese (Mandarin) lessons
Jack's lessons offer a great combination of being fun and sharing professional knowledge at the same time. As such, they are motivating and have helped me improve my Chinese a lot. Thank you Jack! :)
Jan 29, 2023
Trial Lesson
USD 10.00
Your final payment will be made in USD