NJ Star has a few features that make it ideal for the budding Chinese scholar. It’s most notable feature from my perspective is the Pop-Up Dictionary. Simply scroll over any character and up pops the dictionary definition along with the pinyin pronunciation!

NJ Star Pop-Up Dictionary

It sounds simple, though for anyone who’s wasted hours of their lives searching through an actual paper dictionary, it’s a god-send. When you’re studying by yourself late at night, though find you’ve forgotten the pronunciation of a character and can’t find it easily in your Text-book vocab list, you have to resort to the Dictionary.

First you have to identify the radical, then count the strokes. All this wastes time; a lot of time. What’s worse; it’s boring.

If you’re still studying with a traditional paper textbook, consider transcribing the vocab and text into NJ Star with the help of your teacher. This will make your homework and revision much more efficient.

NJ Star: Learning Features

NJ Star includes a heap of other learning aids that will save you time as well as make study more interesting…

There are a range of Chinese input methods, though I most often find myself using the basic PinYin.

No one could ever learn English in five minutes. They could learn a few basic sentences and get a feel for the language however.

“Start speaking Chinese in 5 minutes” is a more realistic claim. This is definitely possible. What’s more, this fits with my Chinese language learning strategy. “Start Speaking From Day 1″.

It all comes down to the focus of the class and the methods employed by the teacher. This is true too for MP3/ Pod cast lessons. When you put listening and speaking ahead of reading and writing, you activate the language. You get something out of the mouths of the students.

Taking away pen, paper and a text book in the Chinese language learning classroom makes students focus their attention on the teacher. Body language changes as the focus is shifted from the desk in front to the interaction going on in the classroom.

This is just as applicable with remote learning. By remote I mean any Chinese language study package for computer, CD or MP3 that doesn’t involve a classroom or tutor. The one that puts your attention and focus on hearing, absorbing and adapting to the sounds of Chinese will get you speaking the fastest.

So, to Learn Chinese in 5 minutes; go with the product that puts speaking and listening ahead of reading and writing.

I’ve got hold of a copy and have been testing it out to see if it’s all it’s cracked up to be.

After much time spent looking, listening and clicking my way through the course, I can say in a word YES.

Rocket Chinese is worth the USD$99 price tag.

Here’s why:

What do you actually get when you buy Rocket Chinese?

1) The 31-lesson Interactive Audio Course

2) 31 Grammar & Culture Lessons

3) The MegaChinese range of software-based learning games: MegaVocab & MegaAudio

4) AND the Rocket Chinese Learner’s Forum on the website.

Log into the Members Area to get all your stuff....

What do you actually get when you buy Rocket Chinese?

1) The 31-lesson Interactive Audio Course

2) 31 Grammar & Culture Lessons

3) The MegaChinese range of software-based learning games: MegaVocab & MegaAudio

4) AND the Rocket Chinese Learner’s Forum on the website.

What level of learner is Rocket Chinese aimed at?

Rocket Chinese takes you from absolute beginner, to a basic competency on a range of topics from Ordering Food, to Booking a Hotel Room. Even for those who’ve studied the language for a year or so, it’s an effective system for reviewing and cementing that knowledge through a variety of different methods.

Is Rocket Chinese fun?

The course employs several different types of lessons to keep you motivated and interested. Beginning with the two person conversation lessons which are available for easy download and also online. These are complimented by the Grammar & Cultural lessons which flesh out and explain the language you’re learning.

Is Rocket Chinese relevant and effective?

The topics covered by the course are exactly the conversations and situations you’d expect to encounter during a trip to a Chinese speaking country. Everything from booking a hotel room to ordering food. This is the stuff you need to get a handle on fast.

Are the games worthwhile? Are they fun?

The Mega Audio and Mega Vocab games provide a good distraction from the audio lessons and written transcripts. Even after having studied Chinese for many years, I’ve found the games really useful. Too many Chinese language lessons still center around dry and boring text books. It’s good to have a visually and mentally stimulating way to memorize new vocab.

First choose the topics you wish to be tested on.

Now listen to the spoken vocabulary and choose the correct picture.

The Money-Back Guarantee..

It’s become the norm to offer a “100% money back guarantee” on digital products/ebooks/training courses etc nowadays. Even though this is the case, we often hesitate in trying out a product due to some fear of losing out.

I suggest that even if you worry the Rocket Chinese course is either too difficult, too easy, or in some other way unsuitable for you, try it out. They’ll stick by you. They’ll probably ask for some feedback, though they’re not going to jump down your throats.

Go see Rocket Chinese

These guarantees are there for a reason: to ensure customer satisfaction. If you’re not satisfied, ask for your money back. On the flip side; if you think the course is great, write and tell them so.

I’ve been trying out the Rocket Chinese course for a few weeks now and I have to say I’m quite impressed. If you follow through all the audio lessons as suggested, you will learn to speak Chinese. It’s a great program to set you on your way or to cement your first year of study.

When it comes to learning to speak Chinese students are often enthusiastic and eager to jump straight in. The reality is however that in a vast majority of Chinese universities, an old style, traditional teaching method is still employed; seemingly with the sole aim of extinguishing from the classroom for good any fun or excitement.

I really don’t know why this has to be so. Language is all about communication: talking to people, discovery, exchange of information. Not boring cold classrooms with poor heating, a crotchety teacher and uninspiring text books.

Traditional teaching methods seem to be so far removed from the reality and functional usage of the language as to be a disservice to students. It’s about time Universities got on up to speed with proven, modern language teaching methods, that have been shown to work. This doesn’t have to come just in the form of computer/ software programs. There’s been a lot of research done on language learning for adults long before computers came to the fore.

I sometimes feel it’s more of a systemic problem than a technological one.

Enough harping for now. More on this later.

What’s not so immediately obvious is just how straightforward and comparatively simple the spoken language is. The grammar and vocabulary that makes up day to day conversation in Mandarin Chinese is surprisingly basic and intuitive.

Now I’ll tell you why:

First of all, in spoken Chinese, fewere words are used to express oneself than seems to be the case in English. A good example of this is the word “shang”, meaning “up”. Shang is such a useful and ubiquitous word, it’s hard to give a full overview of it’s meaning, though it can be used in any of the following situations:

“shang” = up

shang mian = on top

shang huo che = get on the train (bus, plane etc)

shang da xue = start university (work, lesson, class etc)

Indeed, it’s understanding how simple words are used in a multitude of different situations, though differently from English, which fast-tracks the learning process.

Another example of the relative simplicity of spoken Chinese is the absence of articles, which are rife in English.

A, the, am, of and to don’t exist in Chinese and are the bane of English language learners the world over. For example; “I want to go to” is simply “I want go” in Chinese. Same too with “I want eat, I want see, I want buy”.

I frequently hear my girlfriend chatting on her cell-phone…

“Ni gan ma?”, literally “You do what?”, translates to “What are you doing?”.

Obviously, there is a longer and more convoluted way to express yourself in Chinese language, however it’s often overlooked just how easy things can be, when you really start to listen to native speakers.

A final example is the work “kan”, which means “to see”, look, watch, read, observe, pay attention to etc..

So to with “ting”, meaning “to hear”, or “listen”.

Trying to explain the difference between “see”, “look” and “watch” to a native Chinese speaker is not an easy task.

In conclusion, the budding Chinese language learner should not be perturbed by the seemingly insurmountable task of memorizing Chinese Characters. Day to day spoken Chinese is quite straight forward and simple. Focus your efforts on mastering the oral-aural basics and learning Chinese just might be fun!

Chinese For Smart Kids Demonstration Lesson

The first lesson deals with family…

Cartoons, Audio, English-Chinese....

Lessons come in both simplified and complex characters… You choose your preference at the beginning..

I strongly reccommend you check out Chinese For Smart Kids

There are two main aspects of the Chinese language that scare most would be students: tones & characters.

Let’s take a look at the first. Yes, Chinese has four tones. These tones affect the meaning of words. If you mess up your tones you say something completely different from what you planned. For example, ma, ma & ma, depending on the tone could mean “?”, mother or horse…. or a host of other words.

Now you don’t want to go calling your mother a horse or a horse your mother, though the Chinese language newbie need not fret. Tones really aren’t as hard as you first think. Let me ask you a question:

Can you hum a tune? Do you sing in the shower, or sing along to the radio while driving in your car? If the answer is yes, then you can learn Chinese tones.

The reason people think they are so hard is because no-one knows how to teach them well. Native Chinese speakers learn their tones through mimicry as kids. As such, they’ve never had to actively “learn” tones, much in the same way as we’ve never had to actively learn basic English. We “do” English rather than “learn” English.

So, if you’re able to hum a simple tune, you are perfectly capable of learning how to speak Chinese, provided you take the right approach.

Remember I said the second thing we native English speakers find hard about learning how to speak Chinese is Chinese characters: the written system? Well you need not fear here either. There are literally thousands of Chinese characters, all with different meanings, though only a relatively small amount are used in daily conversation.

Just as in English, the native Chinese speaker communicates wants, needs and basic thoughts in basic language, and day-to-day Chinese is more direct and basic than our mother tongue. The secret to leaning Characters easily is to take a natural approach.

Namely, don’t try to run before you can walk, or walk before you can crawl. This translates into putting your emphasis on listening and speaking ahead of reading and writing. Learn the characters for words you can use in conversation. NEVER the other way around!

Trying to read and write ahead of listening and speaking is the fast way to boredom and frustration.

To wrap up; if you want to learn how to speak Chinese, then don’t go about it the wrong way. Do put your emphasis on learning the natural way: listening and speaking ahead of reading and writing.

Finally, don’t be scared by tones. If you can hum, you can learn how to speak Chinese.

Thanks for listening. I have lots more to add on these topics, so stay tuned!

Rocket Languages presently offer a host of other products in the same format; namely European languages and have recently made the jump into Chinese.

Initially I was in two minds about big companies stepping into new territory and across cultural boundaries, though the people behind Rocket Chinese seem to know what they’re doing.

A good introductory and intermediate Chinese course must, in my mind, possess several characteristics:

1. Focus first and foremost on speaking and listening.
2. It absolutely must be fun and interesting!

Well the folks at Rocket Chinese haven’t done too bad a job. I’ll write a lot more on this once I’ve had a chance to look over the copy I picked up in more detail.

Until then, to check it out for yourself: Click Here!

Something I’ve been doing lately is reading kids books like “Green Eggs and Ham”, by good old Dr Seuss. Now it’s a book we’ve all read at some time or another, so we’re fairly familiar with the text. The book is bilingual, with the English on top and the Chinese below.

I’ve found this a great way to practise the Chinese I already know and learn some characters I don’t. I find I understand about 80% of the story, while 20% is new material. What’s good about having the English on top is that I can check if my understanding is correct.

I sometimes find I know the pronunciation of a character, though don’t know the meaning. This is a pain in the ass. Having the English on top helps solve this problem.

Understanding 80% of the text lets me develop some momentum with my reading. I really get to exercise my lips and develop linguistic muscle memory. This is super important for your pronunciation and cognitive memory also.

Kid’s books have pictures! This makes the book more fun and interesting, even when I don’t understand some of the content. Pictures are full of shapes and colour. We remember images easily. It’s how our brain is set up. It certainly helps to have a picture in your mind that’s associated with the subject matter.

So why don’t Universities or teaching Colleges have Kids story books as part of the Chinese learning curriculum? It’s not “mature and adult”, that’s why!

Adult Chinese learners deserve drab colourless textbooks devoid of interesting material. No pictures! No rhymes! No stories! Oh no, that’s how kids learn..

I think there’s a lot to be said for approaching Chinese language learning in much the same kids do. This isn’t to say we should treat adult students as if they were children, but that we should incorporate a diverse array of methods and techniques into Chinese classes to spice up the learning experience and access the other side of our brain.

]]> http://stresslesschinese.wordpress.com/2008/10/01/learning-chinese-with-kids-books/feed/ 0 adofunk http://stresslesschinese.wordpress.com/2008/09/29/learn-to-speak-mandarin-chinese/ http://stresslesschinese.wordpress.com/2008/09/29/learn-to-speak-mandarin-chinese/#comments Mon, 29 Sep 2008 03:35:43 +0000 adofunk http://stresslesschinese.wordpress.com/?p=8 ]]> If you want to learn to speak Chinese fast, then my recommendation is that you DON’T do what most people do. That you don’t follow the traditional teaching methods that have been the bane of innumerable well meaning Chinese language students such as myself..

The simple fact is; traditional teaching methods, typical Mandarin Chinese training courses and classes Do Not Aim To Teach You How To Speak Chinese!!! This isn’t their focus. This isn’t their goal. Here’s why.

You can examine the aims and intentions of a Chinese language course in two ways. The first is by skipping straight to the end and taking a look at what you will hopefully achieve. By this I mean look at your final test or exam. How is it structured? What are you expected to know? How will you be tested?

This is of paramount importance, because the way you’re examined and what you’re examined on dictates the way you study and what you study.

Traditional courses, especially those offered through different Universities care about one thing and one thing only: pigeon holing you along with all your fellow classmates into neat little brackets ranging from Fail to A+.

I view this as a systemic problem. The University system requires students to take exams. Fair enough. Problem is that in the case of Mandarin Chinese, these exams are far removed from the core competency that most Chinese language students desire.. to be able to SPEAK Chinese!!

My ability or otherwise to pass a written exam with paper and pen in no way indicates how well I speak Chinese. All it does is provide a cost effective way to examine large numbers of students at the same time.

What’s the result of this? Students begin to study to pass their exams, not to learn how to speak Chinese. From the very beginning we’re forced by the system to spend hours wrote learning characters to pass Fridays dictation test, then many more painful hours trying to somehow force these characters into our brains to pass the exam…

There is often an oral component to the University testing process to be sure, however I’ve not encountered a course that focuses on speaking and listening ahead of reading and writing. Such an exam would weight oral and aural tests much more heavily.

So, if you want to learn to speak Chinese, first look at the course you’re going to take. Look at the exam, look at the weekly tests. Are they written? Will you be penalized for forgetting how to write characters? Will you have to spend hours doing mundane “look-cover-write-check” exercises?

If so, you ARE NOT LEARNING HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE! You are “Studying Chinese”… The two are very different.

Regards, Adrian Edlington.