Chinese (Mandarin)

Rating:
Summary: Great Way to Learn Madarin
Review: This is the first Pimsleur course I've used, and I wish I had discovered them sooner! I usually don't learn languages completely by ear, but it's proving to be a great way to learn Mandarin. I even find that I remember things my Chinese friends teach me so much easier since I am getting used to picking up new words without seeing them or writing a notecard on them! I've I am on Disc 3 so far and have had no problems remembering any of my lessons. Additionally, I think my pronunciation is coming very easily because I am not trying to translate Romanized characters into Chinese sounds.

Rating:
Summary: Great Way to Learn Madarin
Review: This is the first Pimsleur course I've used, and I wish I had discovered them sooner! I usually don't learn languages completely by ear, but it's proving to be a great way to learn Mandarin. I even find that I remember things my Chinese friends teach me so much easier since I am getting used to picking up new words without seeing them or writing a notecard on them! I've I am on Disc 3 so far and have had no problems remembering any of my lessons. Additionally, I think my pronunciation is coming very easily because I am not trying to translate Romanized characters into Chinese sounds.

Rating:
Summary: A great first start.
Review: Two years ago my employer required me to begin to learn Mandarin. They had purchased the Original Pimsleur Mandarin Cassettes several years prior to my joining the company. I made it through eight lessons before I took a position with another firm. However, my desire to learn Mandarin had been ignited.
I didn't feel comfortable spending the $350.00 to buy the full Pimsleur course myself, so I went to the local library and checked out the resources there. I tried three different courses by other authors and was amazed how sub-standard they were. Nothing compared to the quality and retention the Pimsleur method gave. When I saw that the Instant Conversation series was available I bought it immediately. I reasoned that for less than $50.00 I could find if I really wanted to learn Chinese. After my experiences with the other learning systems I was not sure I wanted to continue. I'm now starting the third CD and I am confident I will spend the money for the next level of instruction. Every day I learn more and retain probably 80% of what was covered in each lesson. Due to the confidence the Pimsleur method gives I know that mastery of Mandarin Chinese is attainable. I have a friend at work who is a native speaker and she tells me my accent is negligible. I could not think of a more promising recommendation then that.