Shadowing Practice: The Ultimate Asian Superhero | TTP Ep. 15 Highlight - Learn English Speaking with Video

What would be the ideal Asian superhero though?

If it was like, if this Shang-Chi wasn't happening and like...

True, wow.

We just build our own ideal character.

Yeah, what would be the ideal?

Like what characteristics would he have?

Because we can't, like, first of all, we can't make him a math...

I was going to say really bad at math.

Right.

Is like the first prerequisite.

See, this is a question I always...

No, no, we should embrace those.

This is a question I always have.

Like, you know those stereotypes?

Some of the stereotypes aren't, like not all of them are bad, right?

Because I always got confused when like, when I was in like elementary school and stuff and kids would come up and they'd be like, dude, you must be great at math.

And I'm like, is this guy complimenting me or like, what the fuck?

Is this an insult or a compliment?

Like I am really good at math.

I am really good at math.

I mean, like, is he encouraging me?

I don't get it.

Right.

So should we be like we should be embracing some of these stereotypes

or should we be doing the exact opposite for representation?

I don't get it.

Like it's very confusing sometimes.

Blurry line.

Yeah.

The same way that Eric wrote papers on this in high school in college, like one of my capstones was like literally on stereotypes and totalization.

Right.

And while they are positive stereotypes, like, oh, dude, all Asians are good at math you know they're all very very studious

and these aren't bad qualities but it's the fact

that you're being lumped in to just a general stereotype that's the that's the problem

because everybody wants individual qualities and unique traits and because i'm asian

and okay yeah i am good at math believe it

or not but that's not the point it's the fact

that you're generalizing us okay

so we're gonna make this superhero he could be good at math

because he's gonna be good at math maybe he's good at math

but uh like four questions shy of being great at

so average so he's runner up in the world he's not

that great yeah he's kind of kind of okay right you know

man marvel's got a difficult job

because i'm i'm trying to think of like the ideal like

asian hero we could have on screen right for our for our kids to like play in like during halloween um

but i can't think of any i want i want just

like a normal normal ass dude like i want some i want the equivalent of seth rogan what

so you want mithra yes you want mithra speaking english i want Mithra speaking English.

So all we have to do is teach Mithra English.

Right?

Pretty much.

Yeah.

What do you mean normal ass dude?

But that's not very superhero-ish.

All superheroes start off as outcasts.

True.

Dude, do you work at Marvel?

Just the story.

That's great.

Okay, so.

True.

The most anti-Asian Asian is what we have to come up with.

The most anti-Asian Asian?

Which is why I said, bad at math.

Horrible at math.

Yes.

Looks at a number and just pukes.

Has never looked at a dry cleaner's.

It's like his kryptonite.

It's his kryptonite.

Sees a calculator, just immediately vomits green stuff.

Right.

Okay?

Horrible at math.

That's where I'm starting from.

Like, really bad at math.

No martial arts?

No martial arts.

Super tall.

Like freakishly tall.

Tall to the point where you don't even wonder what his superpower is.

Because he's so tall. So tall.

Also very good at sports.

Very good at sports.

Extremely good at sports, especially basketball, which would make sense because he's super tall.

Okay.

Wait, is Yao Ming our ideal candidate here?

Dude, we're getting very close.

Is Yao Ming or Jeremy Lin?

And I would assume...

Too tall?

Is that too tall?

Seven foot five.

What else can he be?

He's super tall.

No martial arts.

100

Throws up whenever he sees any numbers or equations at all.

101

Right.

102

And also is not in a quartet, right?

103

Super tall.

104

Super good looking he's a tan jacked volleyball player

105

if we're trying to be against all stereotypes he's got to have another trait that I can't really

106

I can't really say

107

he's gotta be a fan

108

that I don't want to be the one to say I don't know what you're talking about you know like

109

if we're going against all stereotypes if that's the

110

for those of you who are listening I don't want you to think that this is the solution.

111

No. We are just trying to first, first of all, create a character that goes against all the stereotypes.

112

All the stereotypes.

113

And then at the end of this journey, we will decide whether this is the right way to go.

114

But I'm saying there is one stereotype.

115

What stereotype?

116

That I, that, you know what I mean?

117

Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.

118

He's got to have a trait.

119

Yeah.

120

Is his emotional trait?

121

I think it will go hand in hand with his height.

122

Right.

123

It would make sense.

124

Like proportional size.

125

Big shoes.

126

Undeniable.

127

People just kneel down in his presence just...

128

What?

129

He's just too powerful.

130

I don't know what you're talking about.

131

I don't know what you're talking about, Eddie, but I get it.

132

Is that what you're trying to say?

133

We're talking about how good he is of a driver, right?

134

Yeah.

135

Yo, I didn't make this stereotype.

136

Okay.

137

I'm just trying to great driver.

138

Why?

139

Wait, wait.

140

That's called fast enough.

141

Yo, street racing is a stereotype.

142

Yeah.

143

OK, like our souped up, you know, what do they call us rice burners or whatever

144

sounds delicious i got a story about these rice rockets okay

145

in college um i was in the bay area right like i was at stanford

146

and we didn't have any of um these rice rockets okay Like it was the, it's the Bay Area.

147

Like not many people do that.

148

Right.

149

Okay.

150

Um, and we didn't have like, so the typical Asian at the time,

151

the stereotypical Asian at the time were like rice rockets and like baggy jeans and like, Oh, like, uh, you know, you know, that look, that fast and furious kind of vibe.

152

And, um, my friend that was living in LA was going to drive up

153

to visit me on campus and dude showed up in a honda civic

154

that was like super souped up with like rave lights

155

and glow sticks like all over the place

156

and he rolled up on campus like in front of my dorm oh no

157

and i was with all my friends

158

and i'm like i have been i've been prepping them like my friend from LA is coming

159

and just stereotype the crap out of us.

160

Dude, it looked like a, it looked like a, it looked like Gundam.

161

It looked like ready to like turn into a robot in a transformer, just ready to go.

162

Just bumblebee in it up.

163

But anyways, so is, is there a stereotype that Asians can't drive?

164

yes yeah definitely there's a series of asian particularly women cannot drive yeah it's like they can't they drive

165

and sex they drive too well

166

and blah blah you know it's you can't be there's just no winning in this situation medium driver he's average

167

so our tall guy our tall guy is a is a

168

sort of like average driver like it's just hates math not too fast not too slow Not too furious.

169

Pretty good driver.

170

Right.

171

Okay.

172

Is there anything else that we have to like Go against Does not go to Ivy League.

173

Yeah, he doesn't study doesn't study at all.

174

He doesn't go to Ivy League.

175

He really doesn't study Doesn't go to college.

176

Yeah, I don't like books Has never taken the SATs or the PSA.

177

But he's not stupid.

178

He's street smart.

179

He's just easy.

180

Yeah He's street smart naturally smart.

181

Yeah, naturally smart dude But he it's not because he's been reading the botanical.

182

He doesn't apply himself.

183

Okay.

184

Did his parents struggle?

185

Like did his parents struggle for his sake?

186

Did they sacrifice their youth?

187

That was my question.

188

So I mentioned dry cleaners earlier, right?

189

Do we want to include or not include the dry cleaners?

190

I feel like that is a very integral part of Asian culture.

191

Because assuming we go with the stereotype, the laundromat would become like his base of operations, right?

192

Like, it would be like his bat cave where he goes into one of the dryers

193

and it's a tunnel that goes Shoots downward

194

and there's a cave underneath where he has all his secret identity stuff

195

But I just you sold me that makes sense to me.

196

It does it does We are creating the monster

197

The best superhero ever we have been trying to go against these stereotypes

198

that we we are creating a monster at the moment This is a monster.

199

Okay, so the laundromat stays.

200

So the laundromat stays because he is our superhero.

201

He is the antithesis of all of our stereotypes, but his parents- Can be stereotypes?

202

Can be stereotypes.

203

So we can, it's a stark contrast to say, this is not just who we are.

204

So are we keeping the backstory of like, you know, like the immigrant, like the typical immigrant family,

205

like parents, you know, struggled and they sacrificed their happiness and like, you know,

206

and for their kid yes and yeah we are yes in

207

that because yeah well see here's two the other option is then it's like it's in asia

208

and they're just very super well off to start with

209

but that's just like that's like crazy rich agents like that's your do your thing

210

and i think they come around because the father role uncle uncle wong

211

uncle wong all right good let's focus here okay okay i was trying to go off of uncle ben Okay.

212

Uncle.. you mean PF Changs?

213

Okay.

214

Uncle Chang gets killed.

215

So the aunt...

216

Aunt May, and this May is MEI.

217

Right.

218

As in Pinin Pinin.

219

Okay.

220

Is it me or in the process of trying to go against stereotypes, have I become a racist?

221

You're a racist, Tablo.

222

Tableau's a racist, guys He's just Really setting his back Have I become racist to my own people?

223

I'm disassociating now Cut all ties

224

So sad to see I'm sorry about the Uncle Wong part

225

I was trying to come up with Our own Uncle Ben You can be Ben I know Uncle Ben I know,

226

but I thought we were keeping the stereotypes for the parents so that he could go against them.

227

I was confused.

228

Here's what I will say.

229

I'm not racist.

230

Questionable.

231

I love Asian people.

232

I am Asian.

233

Dude, I love it.

234

You are listening to the Tableau Podcast.

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475 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 234 sentences and 1864 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:45. The speaker talks at a natural 159 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 82% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
mathematics noun	/mæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪks/	An abstract representational system studying numbers, shapes, structures, quantitative change and relationships between them.
uncle noun	/ˈʌŋ.kl̩/	The brother or brother-in-law of one’s parent.
superhero noun	/ˈs(j)upɚhɪɹoʊ/	Any fictional crime-fighting character, often with supernatural powers or equipment, in popular children's and fantasy literature; a fictional hero who does…
ideal adjective	/aɪˈdi(ə)l/	Pertaining to ideas, or to a given idea.
racist noun	/ˈɹeɪ.sɪst/	A person who believes in or supports racism; a person who believes that a particular race is superior to others, or who discriminates against other races.
trait noun	/tɹeɪt/	An identifying characteristic, habit or trend.
rocket noun	/ˈɹɑk.ɪt/	A cylindrical projectile that can be fired to a great height through combustion, (specifically) a type of firework of this form, typically exploding with light…
martial adjective	/ˈmɑɹʃəl/	Of, relating to, or suggestive of war; warlike.
wong verb	/wɔŋ/	To enter a betting game, particularly blackjack, when the odds are favorable.
naturally adverb	/ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/	In a natural manner.
confused adjective	/kənˈfjuːzd/	unable to think clearly or understand
horrible adjective	/ˈhɔɹ.ɪ.bəl/	Causing horror; terrible; shocking.
sacrifice noun	/ˈsæk.ɹɪ.faɪs/	Originally, the killing (and often burning) of a human being or an animal as an offering to a deity; later, also the offering of an object to a deity.
cave noun	/keɪv/	A large, naturally-occurring cavity formed underground or in the face of a cliff or a hillside.
aunt noun	/ɑːnt/	The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
come up with verb		To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it.
come around verb	/kʌ.məˈɹaʊnd/	To change one's mind, especially to begin to agree or appreciate what one was reluctant to accept at first.
come up verb		To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly.
drive up verb		To cause or force a price, quantity, rate, etc. to increase.
start off verb		To begin.
throw up verb		To vomit.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 59 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: mathematics /mæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪks/, underneath /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/, antithesis /ænˈtɪθ.ɪ.sɪs/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: martial /ˈmɑɹʃəl/, contrast /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/, delicious /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/, representation /ˌɹɛp.ɹə.zɛnˈteɪ.ʃən/, shoe /ˈʃu/
Long words — get the stress right: mathematics /mæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪks/, superhero /ˈs(j)upɚhɪɹoʊ/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, representation /ˌɹɛp.ɹə.zɛnˈteɪ.ʃən/, elementary /ˌɛləˈmɛntəɹi/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like mathematics, uncle, superhero.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on	i've been prepping · he's been reading · have been trying
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	Has never looked · have been · Has never taken

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

Grammar in this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?