Online Chinese Learning

[Guest thinkaican]

Hi all,

 

After living in China for 6 years and setting up an online English learning site at www.englishtown.com, some of my colleagues and I are now creating an online Chinese language learning site. I was hoping to see what sites you have found useful for learning Chinese and what kind of content would make it worthwhile. We have a talented team of developers in place and are in the process of getting a content team together to create what will be an amazing learning experience.

 

I will of course save all email addresses of those who send comments and send a free membership once we are up to anyone who replies.

 

Best of luck to all of you in the visa process. There's light at the end of your tunnel and it is glorious. I forget where I last left off but Xia got her green card over 6 months ago and is working full time, going back to school and just doing great. We just finished wedding number 3 (one for immigration, one in China, and one big party in US). We both miss China but plan to go back at the end of the year.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Kai

Edited August 11, 2006 by thinkaican (see edit history)

[Brian121247]

Hi all,

 

After living in China for 6 years and setting up an online English learning site at  www.englishtown.com, some of my colleagues and I are now creating an online Chinese language learning site.  I was hoping to see what sites you have found useful for learning Chinese and what kind of content would make it worthwhile.  We have a talented team of developers in place and are in the process of getting a content team together to create what will be an amazing learning experience.

 

I will of course save all email addresses of those who send comments and send a free membership once we are up to anyone who replies.

 

Best of luck to all of you in the visa process.  There's light at the end of your tunnel and it is glorious.  I forget where I last left off but Xia got her green card over 6 months ago and is working full time, going back to school and just doing great.  We just finished wedding number 3 (one for immigration, one in China, and one big party in US).  We both miss China but plan to go back at the end of the year.   

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Kai

237036[/snapback]

Hi,

I would be interested in learning Chinese online. I am thinking about teaching English in China in the future, and would like to learn at least elementary Chinese to augment that preparation. I haven't used any online tools yet to learn Chinese, but I was impressed by your Englishtown website and notice it has TOEFL preparation. You can reach me at brianlynch@sprintmail.com

 

Brian

[jim_julian]

I haven't found any that are very useful. What I think might be useful is the combination of English representation, pinyin representation, and aural representation. I haven't found a site that does that extensively.

[BillV 8-16-2004]

I haven't found any that are very useful.  What I think might be useful is the combination of English representation, pinyin representation, and aural representation.  I haven't found a site that does that extensively.

240582[/snapback]

I checked out ChinesePod for the first time yesterday. "Learn Mandarin Chinese with free daily podcasts and a personal learning center direct from Shanghai, China. There is no need for inconveniently scheduled and inconveniently located classroom lessons. Use ChinesePod to learn Chinese when, and where, is most convenient for you". I had seen an article on the web so I decided to listen to the sample (introductory) lesson.

[GaryandSherry]

I have pinyin books and an English/Chiinese dictionary. My major problem is phonetics and sounds. In our school when we are learning our own language, they use phonetics a lot. If you could somehow create the pinyin with phonetics, that would be great. xie xie

[chrisnhong]

The FSI series that the US government uses to teach it's diplomats has been released to the general public.

 

FSI Chinese

[blkowl]

I took Chinese at a local Community college and we used a program called www.NJStar.com

I was a great program went the user learned how to use it!

It is an advanced program so time is required to learn how to us it!

It teaches now to type in Chinese and translate in Chinese and English.

http://www.njstar.com

 

Here is website set up by the Chinese Government.

http://www.linese.com

 

I hoped this helped!

 

blkowl

[chrisnhong]

I've been digging into the FSI chinese course that I mentioned earlier in this thread. I has a far more intense teaching of pinyin and phonetics than anything else I've come across. It includes all the tapes on mp3 and the textbooks on pdf.

 

If I was starting from scratch, I'd start with Pimsleur. Three comprehensive sets that give a really good thorough grounding in the language. It's got two main problems. It's all audio, so there is no development of pinyin or hanzi. Also the vocabulary is pretty limited. You can make yourself understood, to a limited extent.

 

Then go to the FSI stuff, followed by Chinesepod.

 

It's been said that learning Chinese is a five year lesson in humility. After learning for five years, your Chinese is still really shitty, but you've got humility down pat.

[Rakkasan]

I tried the Pimsleur CD's before my trip to China. I thought I was doing good until I hit the ground and tried talking to my SO. She didn't understand a word I said and I pronounced everything exactly the way is was on the CD's, including tones and inflection. I decided it would be better to learn the language from her since there must be some sort of regional difference in pronounciation, sort of like to speak english from a New Yorker and then trying to speak with someone from Louisiana. It just doesn't work well.

[Michael and Manyun]

I tried the Pimsleur CD's before my trip to China. I thought I was doing good until I hit the ground and tried talking to my SO. She didn't understand a word I said and I pronounced everything exactly the way is was on the CD's, including tones and inflection. I decided it would be better to learn the language from her since there must be some sort of regional difference in pronounciation, sort of like to speak english from a New Yorker and then trying to speak with someone from Louisiana. It just doesn't work well.

 

I bought the first 4 CD set from Pimsleur, and gave up after the second lesson. No matter how hard I listened, the intonations were very muddled to my ear. If at least there was a phonetic booklet supplied, it would have been much easier.

 

Thanks for the other suggestions. I am going to check them all out. I want to learn some Mandarin just so that I can help them learn English....get over the rough spots.