Price: $179.95

Overall Rating:
81%

Transparent Chinese review

By Gerrit du Plessis

Transparent Chinese Complete has many positive things going for it. It's relatively inexpensive at $179.00 (that's the download price - a backup CD is available for $9.95).

And it seems intelligently designed; one of its most unique features is its memory algorithm technology, which compares the student's spoken voice to that of a native speaker to improve your accent. (This may backfire, however, if the student's accent is so bad the software considers it unintelligible.)

The vocabulary is somewhat slanted toward the tourist rather than the business user, but overall is very useful - the student will learn to ask the time of day, order food in a restaurant, ask directions, and the like. Students get simple grammar lessons and a solid vocabulary, together with a bit of practice in reading and writing Chinese.

Transparent Chinese Complete might be suitable for someone planning to visit China for a very short time, particularly if they'll be staying in an urban area where many people are fluent in English. In other words, even though the program bills itself as Transparent Chinese Complete, it really isn't.

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P.S. If you want to use a proven online Mandarin Chinese course that's much less expensive than Transparent Chinese and provides you with interactive learning resources, then I recommend you have a look at Rocket Chinese here. They do offer you a free 6-day trial of their course, so it's a great way to check it out for yourself.