Fluenz Mandarin

 Do you want to learn to speak Mandarin Chinese fast, using a method based on up-to-date research for how adults learn languages?

Fluenz Mandarin (link to Amazon)  is a software program, for Windows and Mac, that can help you get a good start in learning the language. I am impressed with how this young company puts their programs together. I haven't gone through the Chinese one but I have used the Spanish one. Fluenz is run by people who are passionate about learning languages, and it shows.

Here I will explain what I do and don't like about Fluenz Mandarin. There is just one dislike, so let's get that over with. When I studied Spanish with the Fluenz program, I really enjoyed it that the tutor, Sonia Gil, was a native speaker along with speaking English perfectly. I thought she did a great job of presenting the words and phrases and explaining nuances.

So when I discovered that she was also the tutor on Fluenz Mandarin, I didn't like the idea. Sure, she is one of the founders of the company and she does very well as a personable and encouraging tutor, but couldn't they have found someone with a truly perfect Mandarin accent?

Actually I think they were well aware of the issue and did some good things to solve it, like using native Mandarin speakers as well as Sonia Gil. Because she learned Mandarin in order to make this program, she is well aware of how to get started learning it. So this quibble doesn't stop me from recommending the program.

(I grew up hearing a lot of Chinese at home, since my father was a political scientist specializing in China, and we had lots of Chinese friends. My dad had lived in China as a teenager and later, and he spoke passable Mandarin. But I could always tell that he had an American accent. Mastering those tones isn't easy. My father used to warn me that if I didn't get the tones on "hello" just right, I would instead be saying "You are a good horse.")

Now, here is what I like about Fluenz Mandarin. It makes the daunting task of learning to speak Chinese seem much more achievable, by the presentation and by the fact that Sonia Gil has learned it herself.

1. You do hear plenty of native speakers, both in the program and in the additional sound files on CD.
2. It is well organized and easy to use, making it more likely that you will stick with doing it. (A lot of people who start to learn a language don't keep at it. If you plan when you will do your practice time, you are far more likely to do it!)
3. That extra CD means you can practice while on the go, not just when you are at your computer.
4. It uses pinyin, the romanized Chinese writing system which is widely used there and which is MUCH easier for us Westerners than trying to learn Chinese written characters at the same time that we are trying to learn to speak.
5. It draws on cutting-edge research on how adults learn languages. We learn most effectively if things are explained in our native tongue. For example, in this program the tones in Mandarin are explained in English.
6. It teaches you the words and phrases you are most likely to need in order to carry on basic conversations in Mandarin.

I could probably think of more, but you get the idea. Here's a screenshot I took :

 Here is a link to a very informative Fluenz Mandarin page at Amazon.com, where the users' reviews are interesting. 

Fluenz Mandarin compared with Rosetta Stone Chinese (Mandarin)

I compare these two programs because they are both multi-media programs for learning Mandarin Chinese.

Fluenz Mandarin is a recently made program, using English as needed to explain what you are learning in Mandarin. Its methodology derives from cutting-edge research into how adults learn additional languages.

Rosetta Stone Chinese is a more expensive program using their long-established method for teaching languages by only using pictures and the language they are teaching, not using any English at all. This is based on concepts about learning that treat adults the same as young children in learning languages, and it means that the program can't use English to explain things like the different tones in Chinese. See my page on Rosetta Stone Chinese for more about it.

Well, it's very clear that I am opinionated. But that is why I created this website. As someone who really cares about people around the world being able to communicate with each other, I am motivated to seek out what I consider to be the best programs. Also, with my background as a librarian and library director, I am trained and experienced in evaluating books and programs. Enough about me... I wish you the best in learning Chinese, with whatever methods you decide to try.

Here's the Fluenz Mandarin link again. Just click on the image to go find out more at Amazon.com...