Rebecca Hallengren asked:


While learning any language it is very important for a person to be able to understand the basics of the language one desires to learn. This increases the ease and confidence of learning a new language. Thus when one learns a language as difficult as Mandarin Chinese, it becomes all the more important that it is done with the help of the right methods and tools.

While a person is willing to learn the language online there are various options that he may consider. Websites such as Loquella, which follow the Foreign Service Institute methods, are the best the place for learning a language. Mandarin Chinese is taught by making the students learning to read, speak, and write fluently. Thus it requires a lot of listening to the proper pronunciation as well as read the lessons simultaneously, which eventually enables the student to speak the language properly using the typical dialect.

While learning the Mandarin language the students are also taught the phonetics, vocabulary and grammar. For every language it is very important to learn the grammar correctly as it is the basis of learning a language. And it applies in the case of Mandarin language too. While learning online, the learner may download the Mandarin Chinese mp3 audio files and listen to them while reading the lessons. This helps him to learn the proper pronunciation as well as the phonetics.

At Loquella standard Mandarin Chinese is taught. Loquella has also introduced the ‘Pinyin characters’ into the lessons. The Chinese characters are put directly under the Pinyin text thus it becomes easy for the students to Learn Mandarin while they read through the material.

While learning Mandarin Chinese at Loquella, the learner has the option of learning the Pinyin in four different options. Thus learning becomes more enjoyable at Loquella. The various language drills makes the student repeat and practice the lessons thoroughly. Thus they can adapt the language perfectly and equip themselves with the confidence of speaking and understanding the Mandarin language appropriately.

The flexibility of learning the language makes Loquella popular among students, businessmen, executives as well as travelers. Learn Mandarin course has been designed to appeal to everybody’s purpose.

While practicing on Mandarin Chinese, Loquella puts extra emphasis on learning the pronunciation. The language drills, which are a part of the course, provides further emphasis on increasing the students vocabulary.

Mandarin Chinese can be learnt following proper instructions that are given on the website. One has to remember that the course alone cannot suffice hard work and dedication on the part of the student. Rigorous training and constant listening, reading and writing make the student confident enough to converse in the Chinese language fluently.. Loquella offers all of these features which make learning Mandarin Chinese a pleasurable and not arduous task.

Jeff Lillie asked:


The world is shrinking. The overall economy is becoming increasingly global. Diverse cultures are just a plane ride away. The Internet is connecting communities all across the planet. It makes more sense than ever before to learn new languages in order to participate, communicate, and prosper. And Chinese is an ideal language to choose. In fact you can learn to speak Chinese easier than you may think.

Learning Chinese may seem extremely challenging to most Westerners. After all, it is extremely different than many more familiar languages such as French or Spanish. So why should you try to learn Chinese? There are plenty of reasons. Over 850 million people on the planet currently speak Mandarin Chinese. China is increasingly becoming a significant economic force with many emerging opportunities for the global business community. China represents an ancient and rich culture that has and will continue to have a huge impact on Western society.

So how can you learn Chinese? You could take a college course or find a language tutor, but those represent some of the more time-consuming and expensive options. Or, you could study at your own pace in the comfort of your own home with a special language program that can readily be purchased on the Internet.

Of all the language programs out there that can you can use to learn to speak Chinese, the one I would highly recommend is “Rocket Chinese”. Rocket Chinese is downloadable for less than $100. With it you can learn this new language quickly through a series of audio lessons, memory games, and quizzes. Unlike many competitive products, they offer access to a member’s only help forum. You can choose a free 6-day trial of the product and there’s a money back guarantee.

So whether you’re looking to travel, grow your business, communicate better, or just expand your mind, check out the Rocket Chinese Language Program.

Beth Butler asked:


As a mom of two school-aged children, I feel the impending end of summer and the excitement and nervousness of a new school year. Many parents are concerned with having enough funds this year in the family budget for the normal back-to-school spending frenzy. While children concern themselves with the social aspects of the educational journey connected with the school year ahead. It is amusing to witness the differences between the two areas of concern, anxiousness and nervousness.

Often times this part of each year marks a renewed commitment to learning something with more intensity, more mastery than ever before. Be it on the part of the parent saying to himself or herself that they will stay more involved with the studies of their children, thus lending their wisdom and experience towards these endeavors. Or be it the child vowing to apply himself towards a particular area of studies he knows he has been slacking off in or the student who truly hopes to master a new language during the school year.

I will never forget sitting within earshot of a family one day at a local diner. The two teenage sons were discussing with their parents the coming school year and what types of classes they would be hoping to register for. The eldest son seemed keen on discussing his foreign language selection. He had chosen German, and the parents were still questioning him on why he felt that to be the best choice out of the languages offered at his high school.

It was all I could do not to turn around and provide my depth of wisdom and personal experience with having Spanish as my second language for more than thirty years. Here I am living in a country where Spanish is the most requested language program still to date, and this young man was adamant about German being the perfect selection for him. If I had heard foreshadowing of living in Germany, working with a company whose corporate office deemed German as a highly recommended second language, and then I would never have felt an urge to offer my two cents.

This particular family paid their bill, left the diner and never received my free, valuable input! I feel compelled, however, to share what was on the tip of my tongue that morning and remains there on a daily basis as I live the life of a person bilingual in English and Spanish.

With more than 45 million people living in our United States of America speaking Spanish as their native language, and with that number growing by more than 2 million annually, I see Spanish as a second language selection crystal clear! Spanish remains the second most widely spoken language in our country, and in the world it ranks as third. Mandarin is first, English is second and Spanish is third.

I know that the talk is wide spread about making certain your child learns Mandarin which is a dialect of the Chinese language. For many reasons, many of which are too political to bring up in this article based on helping parents and teachers, I will not succumb to that thought process or that notion. Why you might ask?

First of all I want to ask you, how often do you walk around your community or travel across this great United States of America and hear Mandarin being spoken compared to how many times do you hear Spanish being spoken? We all are very aware of the increase every year in our cities and our states in the Latino population. And as savvy parents and educators we realize that being bilingual is no longer an option, it is a necessity.

Again, without getting involved in a political debate about immigration and Latinos learning our English language, I want to stress that the point here is related to which language you and your family should choose to begin the school year with, which second language is going to make your travel through life more successful and full of better opportunities. Spanish is the natural choice for most of us, adult and child alike.

Secondly I would be remiss if I did not point out that the country in which Mandarin is spoken, China, continues to add negatively to the pollution of our world while choosing to spend more than three hundred million dollars on the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in which they are showcasing themselves as a world force to be contended with. I find it so unappealing to introduce their language into my home when I feel the ever-increasing dark shadow of their presence in our country.

With all of that being said, as controversial as it may sound to you, I hear parents and teachers around the United States recommitting themselves to helping provide their children a jump-start on becoming lifetime language learners. With that renewed commitment also comes an awareness of the imminent need to speak both English and Spanish in order to communicate, perform and succeed in our communities with our new Latino friends, colleagues and family members.

Start this school year with a positive outlook on what will make the future of your child even better. Latin? I think not in spite of it being the root of all languages. French? Perhaps, should your child be planning on working with a company connected with Europe or in the travel industry. Mandarin? Do not get me started! Spanish? Absolutely the number one choice still of parents requesting what their children receive along with the decisions connected with schools, both public and private.

Make it a great year ahead. Stay connected with your child, his school, her teachers and their studies. The more you show an interest in what they do daily in connection with their education, the more value they place on the time invested towards their future. A future that is proving to be a very global one. Happy educating to all!