ChineseClass101.com Blog

Hi Listener,

Remember getting smileys on your homework? Where have those days gone? Smiley face stickers in first grade evolved into nasty red-inked comments from college professors. Learning should be fun and rewarding.

Here’s your chance to practice Chinese and win prizes with ChineseClass101! You won’t get stickers, but something bigger and better to help you be awesome in Chinese.

There’s no such thing as too much practice. So, if you’ve been studying hard or easily breezing through, we want to give you an extra push.

Join the Facebook Chinese Only Challenge & Win Prizes

Why?

1. You’ll become amazing with lots of practice.

2. Hint: Big Prizes for participants

3. Why not?

On Facebook only, join the 5-day Chinese only challenge!

The Chinese Word of the Day is posted daily on our Facebook page. The challenge is to put your Chinese to use for the next 5 days using the daily vocabulary words.

For each daily word, from Monday (9/12) until Friday (9/16), your job is to create a sentence with that word. These sentences must be…

* Creative – most creative sentences get extra prizes
* Unique – not copied from the guy that commented before you!
* Consistent – you have to post every day this week

Ready? Jump on over to our Facebook page and start with the daily word for Monday, September 12th! The last day of the challenge is Friday, Sept 16th and users who participated for all 5 days will win a mystery prize that we promise you’ll love!

Winners will get instructions on how to claim their well-earned prizes once the contest ends.

Good luck and get writing!

Hello Listener,

(For maximum impact, read in Old Spice Guy’s voice)

Look at our homepage. Now back to us.
Now back to our homepage. Now back to us.

Look different? It should! With the help of our wonderful users, like you, we’ve listened to your feedback and came up with this. Designing the homepage has been like watching a baby grow.

Our iTunes logo has also changed. You can see it on our Facebook and Twitter accounts!

So when you download our free audio lessons on iTunes and see a new logo… do not be alarmed. It’s still ChineseClass101.

The Old

The New

We’ve decided it was time for a change here at ChineseClass101.
Why the change? Well, We’re not just a podcast website - but a language learning system.

This design makeover is just one small step towards one giant leap to becoming a complete online learning system.

Thoughts on the design? Feedback? Please let us know in the comments below.

But Wait!
What’s that? Look below. There’s a link.
To our 18% OFF Back To School Sale that you’ve always wanted. Look again!
It’s still there but only until August 26th. Sadly, schools don’t lower their costs and neither do student loans. However, we do.

18% OFF any premium subscription. Use Coupon 2COOL4SCHOOL and save!

If you’re taking Chinese this semester, you’re more than prepared. Just don’t sleep in class, unless you’re dozing off to the sweet sounds of a ChineseClass101 audio lesson.

And If you’re not in school (lucky!) - you’re still a student of Chinese. Join in on the discount too!

Note: The Back to School Sale Ends in 48 hours. Save 18% OFF now because your school never does this.

Google is the world’s biggest Search Engine.
Apple is the world’s biggest smart phone maker.
The Blue whale is the world’s biggest animal.

And now, our little Innovative Language Learning family has become the world’s biggest language learning app maker! Apple verified this themselves. Surprised? Us too!

In about 5 years, we’ve made over 600 apps across 40 languages that available on the iTunes store for the iPhone and iPad alone. Not to mention, our Android and Mac desktop apps.

Can you imagine? That’s more language packed in one spot than a United Nations conference. Except you could learn them all. Or some. Mastering 600 apps is only for insane overachievers.

Some of our most popular mobile apps include Survival Phrases for brushing up on essential phrases when you visit China, Gengo FlashCards for multi-sensory vocabulary learning, and the recently updated WordPower that gives you the core 2000 words and phrases necessary for daily conversation. The language is directly at your fingertips - you’re touching words and sentences as you learn them!

In fact, you can download some for free or unlock all features with our premium apps.

Head over to our Apps page for the complete list of apps and more information. You can also search the Android Market and iTunes store for “Innovative Language Learning.”

Try them risk free!

Let us know what you think. We update them regularly based on your feedback!

Probably not, but it can get you pretty close. This little app does pack a massive punch - master all the words and you’ll reach 80% comprehension, or in other words, daily conversational level!

But if Gengo WordPower wasn’t powerful enough already, we’ve went ahead and added more power!

In Case You Didnt Know…
The Gengo WordPower App provides you with the Core 2000 Chinese words. According to experts, knowing 2000 puts you at over 80% comprehension (exact number varies per language).

So Whats New?

Gengo WordPower is great for every day situations - whether you’re going to the bank, the doctor, or the airport. We’ve categorized the words down into 75 categories as well!

Here’s how you learn:

The core 2000 words are broken into 75 unique categories - which you go through like levels in a video game!

When you come across words that just wont stick in your brain, place them in the WordBank. Then, review your list of words with Flashcards until you remember.

And if you’re embarrassed about your pronunciation, wait til you hear mine! You can listen to a native speaker’s pronunciation - record your own - and compare the two.

Gengo Wordpower is available for iPhone, iPad, and Android.
Try the Free WordPower Lite or access all features with Gengo WordPower.

It’s already second half of 2011! How are your New Year’s Resolutions going?

..Its okay, we totally understand.

By no coincidence, the 2nd half of our season begins today.

Here’s a reminder of our weekly schedule!

You were swimming, weren’t you!?

Don’t worry, just checking.

Summer’s here and we’re in the mood to celebrate this warm joyous season – and what better way to start summer off right than have a Summer Celebration Sale!

Why celebrate summer you ask? Excellent question. Because not only is the sun shining and the ice-cream plentiful, but we also have a lot of NEW things to release. We’re kicking off July with 6 brand NEW languages, NEW Premium Flashcards, NEW lessons AND a NEW discount of 22% OFF for Premium Subscribers.

Click here to get the discount and get all of our new features!

This Fourth of July, we welcome Swedish, Dutch, Hungarian, Hindi, Hebrew and Indonesian to the Pod101 family! Also, our Premium Flashcards are faster, better, and stronger with spaced-repetition and progress tracking that will make you learn vocabulary faster and stronger too. Finally, we’re continuing with the 2nd half of our 2011 season with brand new lessons from your favorite energetic hosts.

But why 22% OFF on all Premium Subscriptions? Why not 17.3%? We’ve debated this extensively and while 17.3 is a fantastic number, we’re using 22% to mark our new total of 22 languages at Interactive Language Learning.

The only catch is that this sale doesn’t last all summer - sale ends July 15th!

Join the Summer Celebration Sale: New Languages, New Premium Flashcards, New Lessons, New 22% Discount, and A New Sunburn (not provided by us). Subscribe for 22% Less and get it all here!

Hej! Hallo! Sziasztok! That’s “Hello” in Dutch, Swedish, and Hungarian. Did we get it right?

We’re really excited about our 3 new European additions to the Innovative Language Learning family and today we’re announcing yet another three languages. We’ve held our breath for so long to keep these a secret that we’re just about ready to faint!

Ready?

Starting July 4, Hindi, Hebrew, and Indonesian will be getting the complete Innovative Language Learning treatment with their own 101.com websites! Now, even though these languages are spoken by a collective 725 million people worldwide, they aren’t given enough attention online – or anywhere for that matter. Until now! If you’ve never had a good reason to learn these languages before, we’re about to give you some!

Why learn with Innovative Language Learning?
These brand new Hindi, Indonesian, and Hebrew lessons will use our fun and effective lesson format. And of course, you’ll also get our free and premium learning tools such as online flashcards, line-by-line audio, video lessons, and mobile apps, which you can use to learn wherever you are in the world (except Antarctica.)

The first 101 listeners to sign up for the Founding Fathers Club will get a lifetime 50% off discount and to celebrate the addition of these new languages, we’ll also be having a Summer Celebration Sale where listeners can save BIG on current site subscriptions including to JapanesePod101!

So, why should you learn Hindi, Indonesian, or Hebrew?
Hindi is one of 22 languages spoken in India, and being the second most populated country with over 1 billion people, it’s just too big for us to skip. India is notorious for its traffic but showing some patience will pay big dividends when you try the food! If you’re in the mood for something a little more tropical, Indonesian is one of the world’s most spoken languages. After all, Indonesia is the fourth most populated country right after the United States, and a popular travel destination. Who could resist Indonesia’s tropical climate, beautiful islands, white sandy beaches…hold on, we’re getting carried away…

Lastly, did you know that Hebrew is one of the most requested languages from our Innovative Language Learning listeners? Well, we just couldn’t wait any longer! Travelling to Israel? Can’t understand your grandmother? (I can’t either) Or perhaps you’d like to take a dip in the Dead Sea? HebrewPod101.com will provide you with the resources to make sure you don’t open your eyes underwater – it’s extremely salty!

Stay tuned for more details to come on how to get in on all the discounts!

In case you thought we were kidding about world language domination, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. After months of hard work, we’re proud to announce the launch of AustralianPod101.com for all of you Down Under lovers!

Just kidding. Though, we are giving this idea serious consideration.

Coming this July to a laptop screen right in front of you, we will be introducing 6 new exciting languages to the Innovative Language Learning family. Dutch, Hungarian, and Swedish are just the first additions to our language family on track to be released July 5th. We’d love to tell you about the other 3 but it’s a big secret – you’ll have to wait another 2 weeks!

Now, the Dutch, Hungarian and Swedish languages aren’t the most sought after languages and as a result, there aren’t many places to learn them. But that’s exactly why we’ve chosen to teach them and make them available to you anywhere you are.

Why learn with Innovative Language Learning? These new language sites will follow our signature fun and effective lesson format using our free and premium learning tools such as online flashcards, line-by-line audio, video lessons, and mobile apps. Not to mention the fact that you can learn the language from anywhere in the world! For the 6 new languages, the first 101 listeners to sign up for the Founding Fathers Club will get a lifetime 50% off discount, and to celebrate the addition of these new languages, we’ll also be having a Summer Celebration Sale where listeners can save on the site they’re already subscribed to.

So, why should you learn Dutch, Swedish or Hungarian? With over 23 million Dutch speakers, 16 million Hungarian speakers, and 10 Million Swedish, you’ll learn all about their rich cultures and traditions. Or if you’re hungry like us, do it for their food! In fact, by knowing English, you already have a head start on Dutch which is said to be a mixture of English and German. Feel free to crash the next World Cup and yell alongside your fellow Dutchmen.

In addition to being the national language of Sweden (duh!), Swedish is spoken in parts of Finland and is mutually intelligible with Norwegian. Knowing Swedish grants you access to the Nordic part of Europe (except Iceland – but we’ll get them too!) But if Vikings aren’t your thing, why not try Hungarian? It’s the most prevalent non-Indo-European language in Europe and would be quite handy if you’re interested in their history or cuisine, or choose to explore Hungary’s passionate spa culture.

Stay tuned for the announcement of the final 3 languages and more details to come on how to get in on the discounts!

Have you used your Word Bank lately? Inspired by your emails, requests and suggestions, we upgraded the My Word Bank feature to make it even easier for you to study vocabulary on ChineseClass101.com! My Word Bank is a Premium feature that allows you to add vocabulary words from our lessons and word dictionary to a personalized central list for you to study from. Create online flashcards and hear native audio pronunciation with every entry.

With the new My Word Bank features, you can organize, sort, export, and completely manage all of your vocabulary. Here is a complete rundown of the new features:

1. Group Words Into Lists – You wanted lists? You got it! Now you can organize your words with lists and labels. Create, edit and delete your own labels and assign words into categories. You can also filter your Word Bank and Flashcards by the labels you create.

2. Export Your Word Bank - Another common request we received from users was the desire to export their Word Bank data. With the new export function, you can export your Word Bank data to PDF, CSV, or XML file formats. Print out your lists to study on the go or organize offline.

3. See Related Lessons – Need to review a word’s usage? Quickly find related audio and video lessons for words stored in your Word Bank with the Related Lessons expansion column.

4. You’re In Control - Sort your Word Bank data by Target Language, English, Class, or Label, in either ascending or descending order. Choose how many records you would like to have displayed in your Word Bank.

5. Tighter Integration - To create a tighter integration with My Word Bank, we added a new “Go To My Word Bank” button to the Lesson Vocabulary lists and Word Dictionary.

6. See It Better - For improved readability, we bumped up the font size used in the Word Bank.

7. Study Faster - We made the new Word Bank face not only smooth and sleek, but also fast loading and user-friendly.

8. Class - We added a new field called “Class” to the Word Bank. Where available, the part of speech will be displayed in this column.

9. Core Word Lists Integration – Need some help creating lists? Add words from our Core Chinese Word List to your own Word Bank!

If you’re a Premium member, you can start using these new features today in your Word Bank (under the Reference Materials drop down menu). If you’re not a Premium member, click here to upgrade to Premium!

Pack your beach bag with the essentials this summer - bathing suit, sunblock and ChineseClass101.com! The summer is officially here and what better time than now to become a ChineseClass101 Premium Member! To make things even easier for you, instantly knock $50 OFF 1 or 2 Year Premium subscriptions!

Save $50 today with the Summer Special coupon! Use coupon code SUMMER2010!

At ChineseClass101.com, you can choose to study in 1 of 3 ways: a Free Lifetime Membership (everyone automatically gets one), a Basic Membership (another good option) and our most popular choice, the Premium Membership. Here are just a few excellent learning resources you instantly gain access to with a Premium Membership:

• Quick Pronunciation & Accent Review - Review Audio Tracks are quick reviews specifically dedicated to correct pronunciation and pitch accent.
• Vocabulary Retention Builder - The Premium Video Vocabulary combines visual cues with the voices of native speakers to provide you with the most effective method of learning and retaining thousands of vocabulary words.
• One-Click and Customized Premium Downloads - Once subscribed to the Premium Podcast Feed via iTunes, FREE, Basic, and Premium media files will be automatically downloaded for each new lesson as they become available.My Feed allows you to take control of your studies and decide exactly what lesson levels and materials you want delivered on your podcast feed for automatic download.
• Fun Review Quizzes - There’s nothing like a little competition (even against yourself!) to really heighten your abilities. Test yourself over the lesson material with audio-enabled content quizzes, grammar quizzes, and vocabulary quizzes.
• And much much more! - Click here to see the list!

I want access to the Premium Learning Resources! Take me to the sign up page now!

The Summer Special ends July 2nd, so take advantage of the care-free summer days to soak in a little sun and some Chinese too with a $50 discount! You could be on your way to Chinese fluency for as little as  $10 a month!  Use coupon code SUMMER2010 at check out!

Have a great summer!

The ChineseClass101.com Team

P.S. Save $50 on a 1 or 2-Year Premium subscription to ChineseClass101.com during our Summer Special!

P.P.S. Simply click this link before July 2nd to save an automatic $50 OFF your Premium purchase!