<p><strong>Can you become fluent in Chinese without teachers, classes, or even Chinese speakers around you?</strong> For Serbian software engineer <strong>Marko Javoanovic</strong>, the answer is “yes” by focusing on “<em>fluency now”</em>.</p><p>In this episode, Marko shares how he started learning <strong>Japanese</strong> out of a love for anime but quickly pivoted to <strong>Chinese</strong> when he realized there were far more Chinese people than Japanese in his hometown of <strong>Novi Sad, Serbia</strong>. What began as a curiosity turned into a disciplined daily habit that transformed not only his language skills but also his friendships and worldview.</p><p>Marko dives into how he built <em>real working fluency</em> from scratch using English-language resources like <strong>Mandarin Companion</strong>, <strong>YoYo Chinese</strong>, and extensive listening and how that foundation led to translating live at a visa interview, making friends over baozi, and becoming part of his local Chinese community.</p><p>His story includes:</p><ul><li><p>Why he stopped obsessing over flashcards and HSK levels</p></li><li><p>How “fluency now” helped him understand without translating</p></li><li><p>Why tones matter more than you think (like mixing up “food” with “video”)</p></li><li><p>The emotional reward of using Chinese to truly connect</p></li></ul><p>This episode is a roadmap for any Chinese learner, especially those going it alone.</p><p><strong>Links from the episode:</strong></p><ul><li><p><a href="https://mandarincompanion.com/products/"><u>Mandarin Companion Graded Readers</u></a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@LittleChineseEverywhere"><u>Little Chinese Everywhere</u></a> | YouTube</p></li><li><p>Do you have a story to share? <a href="https://mandarincompanion.com/contact-us/"><u>Reach out to us</u></a></p></li></ul>