imandarinpod.com

[L-F-J]

i'm promoting this great website i recently found. cant believe i didnt find it sooner.

but for those of you at the intermediate level, i think its a great resource. every monday, wednesday, and friday (as it has been) there is a new podcast update.

each podcasts is completely in mandarin with standard accent. each new program introduces a new topic. many times it is something from chinese culture, or introducing a new idiom.

new words and grammar structures are introduced and explained completely in mandarin, and at the end of the study guide that comes with each program there is a short practice section. the answers to questions will be posted on the site's forum.

by the way, the study guide includes the lesson text in characters and/or pinyin, as well as a complete transcript for the entire podcast. translations of the transcripts are sometimes posted on the forum by members who wish to do the translation work.

i've been using this to study with everyday. hope it can help some of you intermediate students interested in chinese culture to improve your knowledge about it, and at the same time improve your mandarin!

http://www.imandarinpod.com/hoola/

[trevelyan]

Doesn't seem as polished as the paper-backed marketing materials I've seen from the company in Shanghai. Interesting to see them launch an online-only play, since if these are the guys I think they are their previous strength was as a physical school and the online stuff was marketed almost as an aside.

[imron]

There are a couple of other threads on the forums that mention them. Overall I think the quality of the podcasts is quite good and I especially like the fact that they are all in Chinese. The thing I don't like is that they tend to focus a bit too heavily on making podcasts about "lets educate the foreigners about this Chinese festival/custom".

[L-F-J]

trevelyan-

they appear to be in tianjin, not shanghai, and are mostly female.

imron-

whats wrong with that? many foreigners are interested in chinese festivals and customs, and this is a more enjoyable way to learn about it than going to school (imo), at the same time you're learning about it in mandarin. its important to learn chinese culture while learning the language (also imo).

anyhow, at the end of their podcasts and everywhere on their website they are asking people to send them suggestions or ideas for topics they would like to hear. perhaps many people asked for that, but you can always ask for something else.

i havent found anything else like it on the internet. i like the explanation of grammar and vocab being in mandarin. that seems rare, and really helpful in understanding in the target language.

[imron]

There's nothing wrong with it as such, I just find it a bit of a repetitive theme and personally think that more real-life situations would be more interesting.

[L-F-J]

thats true, but personally i like it, because i probably wouldnt take the time to learn about cultural subjects otherwise. this is a more enjoyable way, unlike a chore or going to school.

besides, i can find more real-life content from radio shows and podcasts directed at chinese natives. usually i'm just there to pick up new words and phrases, but if i can make it an opportunity to learn about culture as well, then thats cool.

[marksealey]

Can anyone recommend an equivalent Podcast series for (complete) beginners, please?

TIA

[Luobot]

You're in luck -- there's no shortage of audio lessons / podcasts for beginners. You might want to take a look at the thread Chinese Podcasts (w/ transcripts?) to check out a very good range of offerings. The thread is frequently updated with new material.

For beginners, I think a progressive approach is generally best, and my own personal preference is CLO. Which one you prefer depends on your learning style and taste, so check a few of them out to see what suits you best. Then feel free to post about your own experiences and opinions.

[marksealey]

Thanks so much, Luobot. That's a great set of resources. Shall start working my way through immediately.

My apologies for not knowing of this thread when I posted.

Much appreciated