Shadowing Practice: Growing up ASIAN - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

B2
Growing up Asian, I've heard some dumb stuff like,  "Hey, are you Japanese perhaps?" Yeah. Why? Oh, namaste" "bruh." And also the classic,  all Asians look the same, which no, that's ridiculous. Are you telling me that if  I could cut my hair short, learn martial arts, hya, and claim that I'm Jackie Chan in the bank  to request $3 million from his bank account... "Hey, I'm Jackie Chen. $3 million, please." Nobody  would even be able to tell the difference??
⏸ Paused
14 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Growing up Asian, I've heard some dumb stuff like,  "Hey, are you Japanese perhaps?" Yeah. Why? Oh, namaste" "bruh." And also the classic,  all Asians look the same, which no, that's ridiculous. Are you telling me that if  I could cut my hair short, learn martial arts, hya, and claim that I'm Jackie Chan in the bank  to request $3 million from his bank account... "Hey, I'm Jackie Chen. $3 million, please." Nobody  would even be able to tell the difference??
2
Mr. Jackie Chen, hi. Wow, I didn't  realize you were so short in real life.
3
Can I get an autograph?" I've heard this  phrase so much growing up just because I'm half Asian. So imagine someone who is fully  Asian, the pure breed, like my dad. He gets compared to his older brother so much even  though my uncle is 20 years older than him, which is ridiculous. They look nothing alike.  My uncle has wrinkles and wears glasses and my dad doesn't have wrinkles and wears glasses.  They look nothing alike. Right, Dad? Dad? Uh hm. Did you get a new haircut? Anyways,  Asian stereotypes. I sounded a little too excited. It It's a bad thing.  So, Asian stereotypes. By the way, these stories that I'm about to tell you are  all true, no matter how stupid they sound. Well, I guess some people are just ignorant. Anyways,  enjoy. I love sushi. Hey. Uh, you used to live in Japan, right? Yeah. Oh I love sushi. I'm so  so jealous. You could eat sushi every day.
4
Sushi every day. Sushi every day. Sushi every  day. Oh yeah. I ate sushi and only sushi every single day while living in Japan because Japanese  people have invented no other cuisine. Damn it, you're so lucky. No, I'm just kidding. I actually  hate sushi. Taste it once and never again.
5
What the do you mean you hate  sushi? You're Japanese. Actually, I'm only half Japanese. What  did you used to eat then? Ramen.
6
...dogs (IT'S A JOKE). Studying Japan at school. So, this one  was actually kind of funny. Whenever Japan was mentioned in like, I don't know, history class,  people's eyes would instantly start to stare at me, including the teachers. As if my ancestors,  actually, I shouldn't even say ancestors. I don't know these people. Those are random Japanese  people I don't know about. As if it was my own family who did those historic things. Okay  class. So today we're going to learn how Japan committed war crimes, mass genocide, enslavered  many innocent people and left forever lasting scars that will never recover on territories they  invaded during and before World War II, right, Jyuna? Uh me? Uh yeah, that that was horrible.  Okay, class. Now open chapter 1. So, Japan first formally annexed Korea to its territory in 1910  and it lasted until the end of World War II in 1945. When they lost the war alongside the rest  of the axis, including Germany and facist Italy, Korea under Japanese was marked by- Why are  you looking at me? I got nothing to do with that.
7
Where are you from? So, as some of you may know,  I'm half Japanese and half Brazilian. And while I've been in Brazil, people have asked me like,  "Where are you from?" Even though my passport is Brazilian, like, "Hey, where are you from?" Huh?  Where are you from? I am Brazilian. No, no, no, no. Where are you really from? I was born here in  Brazil, man. What's your ethnicity? Oh, well, I'm half Japanese and half Brazil. Oh my gosh, you're  Japanese. KONNICHIWA Namaste. Is that how you say it?
8
Dude, that's not how you You know what? Never  mind. Namaste to you, too. I had a teacher who'd always greet me like that. I'm absolutely sure he  had good intentions and was just oblivious. So, I though it was a bit cringy, I never bothered  to correct him. I thought that maybe it was a bonding moment for him. So, I thought like, eh,  whatever. Oh, good morning, Miss Jyuna. Namaste.
9
And then he would make this praying motion.  Oh my gosh. My response would just be like, namaste to you, too, Mr. Mendes.
10
That That's not Hey, you can speak Japanese,  right? [ __ ] Here we go again. Yeah. Why? I So, uh, I got this letter in Japanese. Could  you translate it for me? Okay, I can try.
11
This is Chinese. Well, then can't you read it?  It's basically the same thing, you know, just a bunch of sticks. No, I speak Japanese, which  is a totally different language from Chinese, in case you didn't know. Huh. Really? Well, it  all just looked the same to me. Uh, I can see why you'd think that, but to be fair, Japanese  ideoggrams did come from China, which is why some of them are identical. But still, I cannot read  Chinese. It's another language. Oh, okay. I I understand. I guess I'll never be able to read the  letter my girlfriend left me before disappearing.
12
Just use Google Translate. Oh, you're right.  You're Asian. You must like Hey. Are you Asian?
13
Yeah. Oh, I see. You must like anime then. Uh,  yeah, I do. Oh, really? What is your favorite anime? Oh, it's one called I Like anime, but Not  because I'm Asian. H, I've never heard of that one before. Strange title. Mr. Chan, here's  your $3 million you have requested. Mr. Chan, so just a disclaimer because some people  in my last video of being the Asian kid thought that I had suffered bullying. And  yeah, although most of these interactions were a little inconvenient and annoying  sometimes, but I mean, they were nowhere near bullying. I swear it didn't traumatize  me or anything. So, I don't want anyone taking what I've said in that video and in this video  seriously. Like, yeah, it's a little annoying, but that's about it. It happens. And looking back,  I think it's even pretty stupid and funny. So, just don't take it seriously. And that's it for  today. And so I have finished my next video by the time I'm uploading this one because I used to get  very anxious whenever I would just rush a video to then upload it right after I was done editing.  So right now I have a couple ready so that I don't feel that anxiety anymore and that now I can  work more peacefully. I want to say thank you to all my patronons and thank you for watching.  I appreciate it very much. Thank you. Bye.
14
Oh my gosh, my back is killing

Download App

AI scoring for every sentence you speak

Scan To Download
Scan To Download
Download on theApp Store
Get it onGoogle Play
TRENDING

Popular

About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice your English speaking skills using a humorous and engaging YouTube video titled "Growing up Asian." The speaker shares personal anecdotes about growing up with Asian heritage, highlighting common stereotypes, cultural misunderstandings, and the amusing situations that arise from them. By shadowing these stories, you will not only improve your pronunciation and intonation but also enhance your ability to understand conversational English related to identity and cultural experiences.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Stereotype - An oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.
  • Cuisine - A style of cooking associated with a particular culture.
  • Namaste - A respectful greeting originating from Indian culture.
  • Anime - A style of animation that originated in Japan, characterized by colorful graphics and vibrant characters.
  • Translation - The process of converting text from one language to another.
  • Authenticity - The quality of being genuine or real.
  • Cultural Identity - The identity or feeling of belonging to a group, influenced by social, cultural, and historical factors.
  • Prejudice - Preconceived opinion not based on reason or actual experience.

Practice Tips

To make the most out of this video for your English speaking practice, you can use a shadowing app to follow along with the speaker's dialogue. As you listen, try to imitate their tempo, pitch, and emotional tone. Here are some specific tips:

  • Listen to the video several times to familiarize yourself with the rhythm and intonation of the dialogue.
  • Use a shadowing app to record yourself imitating the speaker. This will give you immediate feedback on your pronunciation and clarity.
  • Pay attention to the pauses and emphasis in the speaker's voice. Copying these elements will help you sound more natural in conversations.
  • Practice shadow speaking with different segments of the video. Start with shorter clips and gradually increase the length as you become more comfortable.
  • Engage with the content by thinking about your own experiences related to cultural identity. This reflection can help deepen your understanding of the vocabulary while providing conversational context for practice.

By integrating these strategies, you can effectively learn English with YouTube while enhancing your speaking skills through targeted practice. Enjoy the humorous insights and challenges of the video as you improve your English proficiency!

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

☕ Buy us a coffee