Phew! I’m proud to say that we have finally completed the conversion of all our PDF Complete word for word transcripts from PDF format to the new “interactive” web version. It was a painstaking process but well worth it. We will now change our focus towards converting the Premium lesson notes from Lessons 5 to 30 to this new format as well. Hopefully that process will be smoother (and quicker!).

We are constantly on the lookout for new ideas to improve your user experience, so if you have any, don’t hesitate to let us know. Most of the tools on this site have come from your suggestions so don’t stop! There is a long “to do” list that we are working on right now. While the new Course schedule shows us taking a break during the holiday season, we will be using that time to catch up on updating some of the existing resources and coming up with new ones. As always, stay tuned to this blog to find out what’s new and exciting here at ChineseLearnOnline.com.

From now on, the latest Podcast update will continue to be released among the Podcast lessons in the General site.  However, since most of them refer to features and promotions that are later discontinued, they will subsequently be removed from the General site and archived here.

The audio for Lesson 26 was updated with a very small change.  In the original lesson, we said that zhù had a meaning of “to rent” or “to stay.”  However the former definition is incorrect so that reference was removed.  The word for word transcript was also updated to reflect this change.

We’ve created a calendar for Level 1 (Lessons 1 to 60) and the start of Level 2 (Lessons 60+). You may view it here. Note that there will be some time off during the holiday break as well as between Levels 1 and 2. Use this time to catch up on your review, or take some time off from learning Chinese. 🙂 If any changes are made to this schedule they will be posted in this blog.

The Complete word for word transcripts for Lessons 13 to 20 have been updated from PDF to interactive format.  “Interactive” is the new buzzword we’re using for the online versions that allow you to mouseover Chinese words to get their English meanings.  There are 10 lessons left (21 to 30) to convert to this format.  We’ll then move to converting all the Premium Lesson notes.  Phew!

If you notice any glitches along the way (typos, outdated links etc.) please let us know!  Thanks.

We’ve had a lot of feedback regarding the use of Chinese within the lessons from Lesson 30 on. For many of you it was too much. We’ve taken a long look at it and asked Heidi to slow down her rate of speech to make it easier to understand. Lessons 32 to 35 have been updated with Heidi’s lines made slower. The content of the lesson and transcript remains the same.

This approach we’re using is similar to how children learn their native language. When the same thing is said to them over and over, it eventually sinks in. So we’re hoping that by using the same teaching language in each lesson, it will slowly start to sink in. If ever in doubt, please refer to the Complete word for word transcripts that translate the extra Chinese thrown in there. Once you’re used to the current level of Chinese within the lesson, expect more to be introduced until eventually we should be able to use Chinese for most of the lesson!

Please continue to send in your comments as it really helps us improve the course for you.

There have been a couple of minor updates to the Lesson 31 and 35 podcasts. According to Kirin, my intros didn’t sound right so they were rerecorded to be more correct. The Complete word for word transcripts have been updated to reflect this change.

Since these are lessons that will remain archived to be downloaded anytime, it is important for each lesson to be very accurate.  If you hear any words or phrases that don’t sound right, please inform us.  We are also taking corrective steps to avoid having to update future lessons by getting it right the first time!  Thank you for your patience with us. 🙂

The Lesson notes from Lessons 31 on have been updated to include extra vocabulary pertinent to the lesson. The review questions for those lessons have been removed for now as it seems that there isn’t much demand for them in their current format. If you would like to see them back though, please let us know.

Over time, the PDF notes on the website will slowly be replaced with their website counterparts. This will allow us to present the material in a better format, as well as allow you to copy and paste into other applications (which was harder to do with PDFs). For those of you wanting to print, you may use the “Print this Page” link at the bottom of every page.

If there’s anything else we can do to improve your user experience, please let us know.

I’ve added 3 others to this new section at the bottom of the Premium lessons.  They are a collection of nursery rhymes, so they are short and easy to read.  Being able to master the pronunciation of these will help you with new words as they are introduced in the lessons.  Let me know what you think!

The first Tone and Pinyin Practice has been added to the Premium section just after Lesson 4.  We had it there before, but feedback was that the audio wasn’t good enough (which I agree).  That has since been improved and it’s now back up.  I will try and add more of these type of practice as it’s a great way to practice pronunciation and reading Pinyin without having to focus on meaning (although the meaning is quite cute!).

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) has been updated with a few new questions we’ve been getting.  It’s also been redesigned to make the questions easier to access.  If you have a question, please ask here or Contact Us.

These two lessons were both updated to correct some misinformation.

32. There was a mistake in the original lesson as sāichē was originally taught as sàichē. Check the transcript in your lesson. If it has sàichē, then please redownload the lesson.

36. There was a mistake in the original lesson as jiùde was originally taught as jiǔde.  The easiest way to check if you have the updated lesson is to look at the length of the file.  If your file length is 11:00 please redownload the lesson as the new lesson is now 10:44.

In cases, where a major update in a lesson was made as in the above, there will be a message in the Comments section of that lesson (as there is now).  From time to time, we may make minor updates to lessons without changing the content.  In those cases, the updates will be mentioned here but not in the comments section.
Thanks and sorry for any inconvenience!

– new website design
– multiple review features in Premium section
– audio summary
– test your recognition of Chinese characters
– supplementary notes
– word for word transcripts
– special thanks to those who have given us feedback and given us ratings and reviews
– monthly price increasing to $14.95 US starting Dec 1
– November promotion: sign up for $9.95 US monthly and maintain the price with your subscription regardless of future price increases
– lots of new features being added in the next few weeks

– Lessons 1-12 rerecorded in past two weeks to improve sound quality
– Lessons can be searched on website by typing in lesson number (e.g. type ‘010’ in search window to bring up Lesson 10).
– Complete ‘word for word’ transcripts now available for Premium subscribers. Samples available in Lessons section.
– New speakers coming soon.
– Premium notes complement podcast lesson by teaching supplemental vocabulary and review exercises through reading.
– Premium content constantly being updated.
– Language learning and motivation tips from experts also available in Premium section.
– Premium memberships currently selling for $9.95 US per month.
– October promo: send comments to feedback@chinesetrack.com.
– Vote and write reviews for us on iTunes, Yahoo and Podcast Alley.

ChineseLearnOnline.com podcast update for September 2006

– Viewing of lyrics included with podcast
– Extra review questions added to Premium notes
– More teaching of Chinese characters
– Special promotional offer for Lesson 6 premium notes
– Send your comments to feedback@chinesetrack.com
– Course Outline available on website under Lesson Notes
– Two ways to support us:
– sign up for premium content
– introduction rate until end of September 2006
– rate / review us on podcast websites