I’m an American born and raised, and I grew up speaking mandarin with a Singaporean accent because I learned it from my mother who was from Singapore. I am not concerned with my pronunciation or literacy.
The problem is that whenever I listen to Chinese news reporters, or native speakers talking, I do not understand a word they are saying. I can understand mandarin only if my family members are talking to me with it.
I am already 18 now, so I do not know if I am too old to fix this. After all, mandarin is one of the world’s most difficult languages.
Methods? Experiences?