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Did you know that more than 14% of the worlds population speak Chinese? That's more than a billion people and that number is growing exponentially. China is now the largest trading partner to the United States and the United Kingdom. More Chinese businesses are now expanding into the western world which is why those that know how to speak Chinese will have a huge advantage now and in the years to come. This is why I have decided to learn Chinese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the past if you wanted to learn a new language you would need to hire a tutor or go back to school but now thanks to Rocket Languages it's possible to learn Chinese in your spare time from the comfort of your own home. Rocket Chinese is an interactive learning platform accessible by the internet. It teaches you much more than just how to speak Chinese. I'll explain more in a minute!

 

The Chinese language is over 5,000 years old and as such it's not something that you can learn overnight. It's going to take time and effort to master but Rocket Languages has created a simple interactive course that will take you from someone who can't speak a work of Chinese to an eloquent speaker of the Chinese language in no time at all.

 

After you order you will be able to log in to the members area where you will find a lot of different learning material, but don't worry it's all step by step and you wont feel overwhelmed. Here's what you'll find in the members area.

 

Over 15 hours of audio. There's over 15 hours of audio and transcripts that take you from beginner to advanced Chinese. You can follow along and pause at any time. Below the audio are transcripts in English and Chinese and phonetics to help with pronunciation. Yes 15 hours sounds like a lot and it is but you can go through it at your own pace. Even if you just spend an hour per day it will only take you a couple of weeks to go through and you will be making progress before you know it. I know I am.

 

31 language lessons. There are 31 language lessons in the members area. You'll find videos, e-books, pictures and even more audio files to help you learning. Some people are more visual learners so the videos are a great way to help you learn Chinese. By watching people act things out and talk you can get to see how people speak Chinese in the real world. There are also picture cards with simple pictures and below the pictures are the corresponding English and Chinese words for that picture. This is helpful for people with a more photographic memory. I definitely find this a simple but effective way to learn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speech comparison. In my opinion this is one of the best ways to perfect your Chinese and I am really impressed with this feature. Basically the Rocket Chinese program will play you an audio phrase and tell you it's meaning and then you can record yourself saying the same phrase into your microphone and the software will analyze it and compare it to the original Chinese speakers. This will help you to perfect your pronunciation so you wont sound strange when you actually talk to a Chinese person. This is something that you just can't learn by reading books.

 

Tests and quizzes. Rocket Chinese is with you every step of the way. There are regular tests and quizzes for you to complete. This is so that the program can analyze your progress and see what areas you need to work on more so that you can then focus on those areas to improve your Chinese.

 

Learn Chinese through games. There are several games in the members area that are designed to help you learn Chinese words and phrases (more info). These games are not only fun and educational but it's apparent that the designers have put a lot of effort into them. One of my favorite games is 'Phrase Master' it's a game where you need to put the words together to complete Chinese phrases. By doing this you get an understanding of how words go together in the Chinese language. The games are more supplementary to the program but I like to play them a lot in my spare time and I find it very helpful as you probably will too!

 

Novice to Guru. For those of you who like to see your hard work rewarded you be pleased to know that the Rocket Chinese program gives you points for progressing through the course. As you gain more points you will earn badges showing what level you are at. You'll start off with a 'novice badge' and it's your goal to get all the way up to a 'guru Chinese speaker badge'. This is just a nice way to show you that you're making progress.

 

What good is learning to speak Chinese if you can't put pen to paper and write it too? Why is that important? Chinese characters are almost like a work of art. Inside the members are videos showing you exactly how to write all of them down so not only will you be able to speak Chinese but write it too.

 

If you ever plan to go to China then it's not just enough to know the language you also need to understand their culture if you really want to fit in. Rocket Chinese also teaches you how to dress, what Chinese people like to eat, how Chinese people thank each other and just generally how to fit in and not feel like an outsider. There are a lot of differences between Chinese and Western culture so it's really helpful to learn these differences if you ever plan to go there.

 

Conclusion

 

In my opinion the Rocket Chinese program is fantastic but there's only so much you can learn from an interactive course. I believe that if you follow it you will get a good grasp of the Chinese language and maybe even learn to speak it fluently but to really perfect your Chinese you will ultimately need to go out and speak to some real Chinese people. And that's the beauty of this program, it gets you prepared so you can then go out and really master the Chinese language.

 

After you've been through the course and have reached 'Guru' status it's a great idea to make friends with a Chinese person or even get yourself a Chinese pen pal and talk over Skype. It's a wonderful thing being able to talk to someone in another language especially a language as old and intricate as Chinese.

 

At $99.95 Rocket Chinese is under-priced in my opinion. They could definitely charge more and it would be worth it. If you're thinking about signing up then you'll be pleased to know that they also have a 6 day free trial at the moment so you can get a peek at everything they have for free for 6 days! I would definitely recommend Rocket Chinese to anybody who wants to learn Chinese.