Fluenz Mandarin 1+2 Learning Suite Mac, Including DVDs, Audio CDs, Podcasts, and Fluenz Navigator. Next-Generation Chinese Language Learning Software
 | Format: DVD-ROM List Price: $357.00 Our Price: $323.00 Your Save: $ 34.00 ( 10% ) Availability: N/A Average Customer Rating:   |
Features: We custom made Fluenz Mandarin as language learners who knew there had to be a better way to learn languages. The multi-media application was specifically designed to help English-speakers gain fluency in Chinese.
To create a live learning enviroment, similar to what you are used to in a classroom, language tutor Sonia Gil guides you on video every step of the way.
Adults do not learn in the same way as children; we need to use the rules of languages we know to learn other languages. Fluenz leverages your knowledge of English to accelerate your learning of Mandarin, with an emphasis on those words you are most likely to use.
A next-generation platform blends beautiful full motion video with engaging, interactive workouts, including voice recording so you can compare your accent to native speech.
Included is the Fluenz Mandarin 1+2 DVD-ROM for your computer (Mac OS X 10.3 and above, running great on Tiger and Leopard), an audio CD for additional training, and the handy Fluenz Navigator for on-the-go referencing of important words and phrases.
Editorial Reviews:
Fluenz is a software company founded by a group of passionate language learners who felt there had to be a better way. At the center of our Mandarin program is language tutor Sonia Gil, who went to China herself to learn Mandarin. Sonia is there to guide you throughout the program, blending full motion video explanations in English with a series of highly engaging workouts, helping you understand and speak relevant Mandarin. The Fluenz system follows three clear principles: 1) Live Learning - Learning a new language, especially one as unfamiliar as Mandarin, is difficult to do on your own. With Live Learning, we have brought to computer education the essence of the classroom experience: a teacher. All words and phrases are thoroughly explained and you are guided through a structured learning process. 2) Leverage Learning - Modern linguistics tells us that as adults, we need to use the tools of the language we already know and apply them to learning a new language. With Fluenz, you learn first in English and relate basic Mandarin grammar and syntax to that of English, rather than trying to understand Mandarin grammar with Mandarin logic. Using the English you already know to learn Mandarin is the essence of Leverage Learning. 3) Relevant Learning - You need to start learning the words and structures that will allow you to communicate the most in the least amount of time, taking into consideration which words are easier to remember for English speakers, which expressions make the most logical sense to us, and which are most useful--"cell phone" instead of "red apple." Being able to communicate right away in simple ways is the key to Relevant Learning; And, with more than 13 types of workouts covering verbal expression and comprehension, as well as reading and writing, you practice and internalize what you learn in the video lessons.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Beware! Echoed...
Comment: Beware! Echoed...
An echoed review from A. Jose...
Look at the authors for all of these 5-star reviews (for Fluenz products) - they seem to be fake accounts made to trick people into thinking this is a good program. I've never used it before, but I think this kind of thing is unacceptable.
I can't agree more! Thanks A. Jose for pointing this out!
Customer Rating:
Summary: got me out of the house!
Comment: I had been living in Shanghai China for about 8 months and found myself trapped at home watching bootleg DVDs and eating at high priced resturants. From the moment I started Fluenz my local staff was impressed with my quick pickup of elements of the language. In fact they started speaking more Shanghainese as it became apparent I could understand them!
Fluenz customer service is also top notch. When Paypal delayed giving them my payment, I told them I needed the product in two days (because I was flying back to China) it showed up no questions asked! Even better - when they upgraded the initial version, they sent it to me without asking.
The podcasts are good reviews and are very helpful. I find Rosetta Stone annoying and not very helpful. I really don't need to tell anyone that the Elephant was playing ball with the boy. The Fluenz approach is much more practical and useful from day one.
I did not give 5 stars because I feel that including optional display of Chinese Characters would make the product that much better. OVERALL - GREAT.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Great Way to Learn a Language
Comment: Fluenz is based on one on one tutering in a classroom setting. While Rosetta immerses you in Mandarin, Fluenz believe adults and small children have different ways of learning languages. While I seemed to be able to pick up enough to travel in Japan with Rosetta Stone in a month, it just wasn't working as well for me with Mandarin, maybe because I was doing two languages at once and I was confusing myself. However, I speak Spanish and French and I don't get confused. Don't get me wrong, Rosetta Stone Mandarin is a five star program, it's just that I felt I needed more, so I turned to Fluenz, decided to do them both, Rosetta in the morning, Fluenz before I went to bed, so that it would percolate in my dreams.
The Fluenz system works with logic and memory, You hear a phrase, click on the correct picture, learn the way a child learns. Fluenz introduces their sessions in English, Rosetta does not. Both are useful methods for me, for me they complement each other.
You listen to a conversation several times with and without subtitles. After the short conversation you match up Mandarin phrases with the correct English counterpart, kind of like with a work book, with Mandarin on the left and English on the right, only you're not drawing lines connecting them. This is fairly easy.
Next you see some images and you match the word or expression that matches it, much like you do in Rosetta Stone. Then you write words in Mandarin, of course you're using Pinyin. This is harder, but it seems to reinforce what I've learned. Then you have to write out words you hear only. This is harder still. And like with Rosetta Stone, you can record yourself and listen to how you're doing and you can also enter into a conversation, playing one of the characters. It's kind of neat hearing yourself played back.
So which do I prefer, Fluenz or Rosetta Stone? They're both great. I've done well with Rosetta Japanese and am progressing with Mandarin, but I'm moving faster using Fluenz too. Fluenz is just simply a great way to learn a language, however you should know it's a six month commitment. You can't rush it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good principles, good practice
Comment: As a lapsed Chinese speaker who picked up Mandarin on the go while living there, I have to say I like the sensibility of their adult learning approach. This is the way I learned this language the first time, but having it reinforced with clear explanations of why the grammar and usage works the way it does -- the audio CD was great reinforcement for this -- is aiding my self-review and helping unlearn a few bad habits I picked up the first time around. Since it's not new material for me, it would be nice to find a way to pick up the pace, but that's a minor issue.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Mandarin 1+2
Comment: After spending two months in relatively remote Yunnan two summers ago, it was clear that getting along with no (NONE) Mandarin or any other Chinese language capability was possible. BUT, on returning it was clear that speaking would have increased my ability to experience China exponentially. After looking in Amazon, FLUENZ jumped out at me, friendly, convenient and workable were the things I was looking for. I haven't had a moments regret since installing my first disk, au contraire, in fact, I would arrive early (6:00am) to my teaching job and spend an hour with FLUENZ Mandarin before starting my teaching day. The best thing about it for me is: immediately, I began to feel like I was speaking Chinese. My early learning applied directly to my prior experience "in country" trying to get around without any language capability. As soon as it became necessary to switch from PC to MAC, the CD was in the mail. I'm anxious to get back to China, probably in a year or so for a long time. Don't want to sound like a cliche but, Thanks to FLUENZ, I'm 100% more confident than the very confident me who visited China during the summer of '06. Xie xie, Billy Quinn
Technical Details
Binding: DVD-ROMBrand: Fluenz
EAN: 0804879078029
Feature: We custom made Fluenz Mandarin as language learners who knew there had to be a better way to learn languages. The multi-media application was specifically designed to help English-speakers gain fluency in Chinese.
Format: DVD-ROM
Label: Fluenz
Manufacturer: Fluenz
Publisher: Fluenz
Studio: Fluenz
