Learn Chinese Now! 9.0

by Transparent Language

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005Y3VF
• Item model number: 744573059330
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 4, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,139 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #36 in Software > Education & Reference > Writing & Literature
  • #76 in Software > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Asian
  • #88 in Software > Education & Reference > Typing
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

With the modern PC having a variety of possibilities of which traditional language-learning methods could only dream--voice recognition, video dialogues, and so on--the past few years have seen an extraordinary boom in language-learning software packages. However, as picking through this surfeit can be tricky, it is important to find a reliable brand, and the Learn Now! series is definitely among the best software packages.

The program comes equipped with 2 CDs, one of which has various key sections--useful "survival phrases", fun activities, conversations, and practicing speech against the voice of a native speaker--while the other has a thorough grammar tutorial. This combination is certainly a valuable one for people who are serious about learning a language, and the product is clear and easy to use: in role-plays, phrases are highlighted in a box and their English translations placed underneath, while the voice recognition software allows you to measure your own voice against that of a native speaker, and the games hone the things that have been learnt. Sections are tailored to various activities, such as getting around, going out, and business situations, while at any point you can call up a grammar tutorial which explains a particular point on which you are unsure.

In addition to these sections, the part on survival phrases will be of much use to those who have already reached a basic level. There are several practice dialogues based around commonplace situations--in the hotel, the bar, the airport, etc. Although some of the advice borders on the infantile ("When you decide to travel outside the USA, you will probably need a passport"), much of it is useful, and rounds out what is a well composed package for someone starting out on the road to using the language overseas. --Toby Green, Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com Product Description

Learn Chinese Now! 9.0 Deluxe takes you from beginner to confident speaker in no time. Listening and speaking activities, grammar tools, and vocabulary games build a solid foundation, while real-life video content lets you interact with native speakers. Learn Chinese Now! also adds online features that create an interesting and authentic atmosphere, making Chinese Italian fast, fun, and highly effective.

Learn Chinese Now!'s four stimulating titles include: The Most Common Words in Chinese, Survival Phrases for Chinese, the Chinese Way, and Beijing: Yesterday and Today. GrammarPro!, the software's comprehensive grammar tool, adds more than 10,000 words, extensive tutorials, and grammar quizzes to your desktop. Installed, GrammarPro! integrates seamlessly with all four Learn Chinese Now! titles to provide detailed grammar analyses with just a click of your mouse.

Online features, fun interactive games, and conversations and phrases round out this deluxe suite. Practice your pronunciation using the integrated speech features, then record your voice and replay your conversation. Learn at your own pace by deciding when you need translation. The software even includes GlobalWriter98 for Microsoft Windows users and a handy screen saver. GlobalWriter98 is a word-processing tool that helps you write in more than 100 languages.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best for the Price, July 3, 2002

By 

B. J Wilson (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Learn Chinese Now! 9.0 (CD-ROM)

I have struggled through several introductory chinese language products, and to date this has been the most useful for conversational development. It is not a full integrated course, in that it is conversation and pinyin, but even my Chinese friends consider that a good beginning. It has an amazing collection of learning methods in an inexpensive package.

Chinese is extremely difficult to start. It has taken me many hours to get get down the most basic phrases. I found this, along with the Pimsleur programs to be the most helpful.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very good supplement for the serious student of Chinese, September 30, 2004

By 

reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learn Chinese Now! 9.0 (CD-ROM)

This software is not for the complete beginner. If you are a complete beginner, try Beginner's Chinese by Yong Ho and/or the pricey Ultimate Mandarin Chinese (ISBN 0517708779) instead. The software has 4 'chapters,' two being in the 'beginner' level and the other two being in the 'intermediate' level. The chapters consist of dialogues that are rendered in Pinyin only (NO Chinese characters are used). You can listen to the dialogue and follow along with the Pinyin; you can also click on the Pinyin and the program will display the definition of the word/character. Except for one chapter which contains Chinese survival phrases, all the other chapters are better suited for a college student of Chinese than it is for the person who is doing self-study or one who is a complete beginner. The dialogues are in fact very interesting because they explore various aspects of Chinese culture, but one would have to have one semester of college Chinese before being able to appreciate it; after 2 semesters of college Chinese, one could probably understand 40-50% of the dialogue without looking at the translation; after 4 semesters (that is, two years of college Chinese), one could understand most of the simpler dialogues, but the software is still a very good tool for developing listening skills. Overall, if you are a complete beginner, skip this software; if you are taking college/high school Chinese, and you plan to stick with it either by taking more classes or doing serious self-study, then this software is definitely valuable as a supplement; and I would highly recommend it.

P.S. The grammar section and the Pinyin guide is so basic and lacking in substance that it is basically worthless.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What an amazing Tool, May 30, 2003

By 

Jane Black (Beijing, China) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learn Chinese Now! 9.0 (CD-ROM)

Hi I'm an English teacher who teaches English as a Second Language (ESL) to students in China. Before starting this job I took a Madarin Chinese class and found it very hard. I got this program and using it helped me immensly. I was able to put into practice what I learned in class through this program. This provided excellent practice in pronunciation and contains a very large vocabulary section. The games and media were very good tools to practice and learn with, especially Vocabulous, my favorite game. After the class, when I was in China, I still used this program to help keep my language skills sharp and to expand my knowledge of it. Chinese Now is a very good learning program and it works.