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Sunday, August 20, 2006
Online Chinese Learning: Some of the best things in life are free I confess that I am a link lover. I snorkel through blog-rolls of sites I respect and search for other China expat netizens and expat resources. The China Law Blog recently turned me on to The 88s, a bitchin' site that rocks with observations and information. One of their most recent posts pointed me to another free (We 60's and 70's born expats LOVE free and not because it is the inverse of FREE love) Mandarin and Cantonese learning site here, where a group of dedicated dudes and dudettes have resurrected the course materials and audio files from the Foreign Service Institute's 70's curriculum. All kidding aside, like man, is this a priceless find or what? I am going to give the Cantonese a shot. It is essential here in Guangzhou where the taxi drivers (the best change up artists since Bruce Sutter) always seem to speak the language you don't. They will feign Cantonese and even speak it with a Beijing accent to get an extra Yuan out of you. I stay quiet. Hey, the guy has a huge weapon in his hand and he is not afraid to use it! I suggest hiring a college student to help motivate you. They are terrified that you will criticize their English, but they are not afraid to blow tea through their noses in a laughing critique of your pronunciation. It is what I look for in a teacher. Besides, colleges students really need the dough. If you have need for an interpreter, translator or tutor in South China send me an email and I will introduce you to someone reliable. If you are like me (frightening thought, isn't it?) you have unopened boxes of Rosetta Stone, Berlitz, and even Da Shan ( this is where long term expats do that tea thing through their noses), the Chinese speaking Canadian clone of Bill Gates, sitting on your shelves. I need a classroom or a Chinese lifeguard to keep me from falling into the deep end of the linguistic pool. Stay away from the high dollar folks at New Concept Mandarin and such as there are plenty of inexpensive alternatives available. I will do a follow-up post with recommendations soon. In other news: a reader sent me a link to a Chinese language site that does screen overseas institutions for students at no charge to the user Visit their site here. And an American soldier wrote to tell me that the helmet kits I mentioned in my Fishing for the Moon post are going to be standard issue. Right now there is a terrible shortage at the factory (Logistics Management is to the Military as Mandarin is to Guangzhou) that produces them. The soldiers and their families still need your help though, so please check out the IAVA site. --Lonnie Hodge Chinese Asia China Blog Online Learning Lonnie Hodge Guangzhou South China Guangzhou Expat Cantonese Lessons Japan China Blogger News Network is advertiser-supported, and your visits to our advertisers help BNN to meet its expenses. Help keep us afloat! posted by Lonnie at 10:39 PM |
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1 Comments:
Excellent - My husband wants to learn Mandarin but I find it hard to teach him. So this is great. Also discovered that BBC offers free Mandarin (and French, Spanish, etc.) lessons online!
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