Studying Mandarin has become such a global phenomenon that it’s now considered one of the most important languages to learn. It’s easy to understand why. When China opened its doors to foreign trade, companies started flowing in. As a result, most international businesses have a link to China, either through clients, suppliers, or investors. So, learning Mandarin is guaranteed to boost your career. But studying this complex language comes with more benefits than getting you a promotion. China is known for having a rich and fascinating history that goes back thousands of years. Even though some of that was lost during the Cultural Revolution, there’s still plenty to visit. Naturally, knowing how to speak Mandarin opens the opportunity to discover beautiful places not found on the usual tourist routes.
Language learning is a very personal experience. What works for some doesn’t necessarily work for others. This means that there isn’t a ‘correct’ way to learn Mandarin. Instead, you should try out several strategies yourself and stick with those that you prefer. However, since Mandarin is such a challenging language to master, it’s recommended to back up your plan with language learning software.
One of the main reasons you should consider using a language learning app is the course structure provided. Doing your own research to create a study plan takes time. Meanwhile, language learning software is the result of years of research to find the fastest way to reach fluency. Considering that you’ll have to learn hundreds of new characters and how to use Mandarin’s four different tones, having a structured path will help you tremendously.
But there’s more to apps than just a plan. Some language learning apps let you communicate with fellow students and native speakers through built-in chats. Others provide you with various content suggestions (movies, books, etc.) to further hone your skills. A few language learning platforms even offer certificates at the end of their courses, which will prove to a potential employer that you know the language.
If there’s one thing that we can all agree on it’s that learning Chinese is challenging. The language has unique pronunciation – where your tone changes the meaning of a word – and features a complicated alphabet that not even native speakers know fully. So, it’s not surprising that around 90% of Mandarin students give up. But Mandarin Blueprint is here to save the day. Created by two people who learned the language from scratch and became fluent, the app offers a fresh perspective on teaching Mandarin – where students start by learning the different tones. After getting a grasp of the pronunciation, you’ll begin to learn characters and components. To achieve this, Mandarin Blueprint follows a unique teaching sequence called Optimal Character Learning Order (OCLO) that speeds up the learning process tremendously. If that wasn’t enough, the company offers a 14-day trial to test everything out, which is enough time to learn the first phase of the course for free.
Pimsleur was one of the first self-instructional language learning courses to hit the market. Back in 1963, Dr. Paul Pimsleur released his very first reel-to-reel tape with a Modern Greek course. Nowadays, Pimsleur offers programs for more than 50 languages. Though the time of reel-to-reel tapes is long gone, there is one thing that Pimsleur maintained: the Pimsleur method. By combining graduated interval recall, the principle of anticipation, core vocabulary, and organic learning, Pimsleur helps people speak a language in no time. It’s possible to get the various learning language courses by purchasing each level of the program, or by subscribing to a monthly billing cycle that provides full access. Either way, unless you get the CD version it’s possible to use the software both on desktop and mobile, or to download the lessons in MP3 format for offline use.
Launched in Romania back in 2013, Mondly is a language learning app that offers a more engaging way to learn a new language than studying flashcards. Instead of focusing on individual words, Mondly teaches you commonly used phrases that allow you to learn new vocabulary and memorize sentences. Moreover, all exercises are backed up by a native speaker, enabling you to listen (and repeat) words with the correct pronunciation. There are speaking exercises available too, where the app takes advantage of speech recognition to tell you whether your pronunciation is correct or not. With over 40 language courses, there’s a lot to learn with Mondly, and due to the company’s recurrent promotions, you can get access to all of them for as low as $4 per month. You can also try the app’s premium version through the 7-day free trial.
There’s no way around the fact that learning Mandarin is difficult. Instead of a standard alphabet, Mandarin has around 50,000 characters. Fortunately, you don’t need to know all of them to be considered fluent. Even so, the 1,500 to 2,000 characters required are still a lot. Language learning software has come up with ways to make the memorization process faster and more engaging, including mnemonics, specific learning paths, and image association games.
But the alphabet is just the beginning. Speaking in Mandarin is also pretty challenging. You have to learn four basic pitched tones (plus a fifth neutral one) that completely change the meaning of a word. For example, in Chinese pinyin, ‘xi fu’ can mean ‘suit’ or ‘wife’ depending on the tone. This is where many Mandarin students get stuck, but language learning apps have your back. In addition to teaching you each tone and when to use them, they also explain how to move your mouth to make the right sound. Additionally, some apps come with speech recognition to make sure you’re pronouncing words correctly.
Using language learning software will help tremendously on your journey to Mandarin fluency, but you can speed up the process with extra resources. Of course, the fastest way to learn would be to move to Beijing and become immersed in the language 24/7. Sadly, that isn’t an option for most of us. Instead, you can take advantage of streaming services to watch subtitled Chinese TV shows, such as Love O2O on Netflix, or movies, like Farewell My Concubine on Amazon Prime, to improve your listening skills and learn more about Chinese culture. Another option is to listen to free podcasts, such as 锵锵三人行 (Behind the Headlines with Wentao) or 静雅思听 (Justing). Finally, we recommend adding a pop-up dictionary – like Zhongwen – to your browser to get character definitions and translations on the spot.
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