Learn Chinese Online with eTeacher Chinese Program: Review

eTeacher Chinese program is an online teaching platform for Chinese learners from beginner to intermediate levels. The program hires certified native Chinese instructors to teach the online lessons. Most instructors come from top universities in China and have rich language teaching experiences. With a computer, microphone and camera, learners can attend small classes or private sessions online anywhere with an Internet connection. eTeacher Chinese Program mainly focuses on spoken languages. Reading and writing track lessons are also available for advanced learners who are interested in Chinese characters.

Teaching Methods

eTeacher Chinese program offers 3 tracks to satisfy learners with different goals: “Spoken Chinese”, “Business Chinese” and “Chinese Reading & Writing”. “Spoken Chinese” track focuses on casual and practical speaking skills. It contains 5 skill levels, 30 classes for each level. Learners are able to choose the class package with their desired skill level. “Business Chinese” is a speeded-up class designed for learners with some basic knowledge about Chinese. It’s best for businessmen who need to improve their oral negotiation skills in Chinese. As the name suggested, “Chinese Reading & Writing” intends to enhance learner’s familiarity with Chinese characters. For language learners without specific enhancement goals, eTeacher provides 4 levels of general courses from beginner to intermediate.

eTeacher utilizes state-of-the-art video conferencing technology to build online virtual classrooms. The access to virtual classroom is password protected. The minimum requirement to attend online class is a computer with a headset (including microphone). Students are able to see the instructor through live camera, and presentation board on screen at the same time. Through the headset, students interact with the instructor and classmates during live classes. The system is well maintained and supported by technical staff. A 24/7 technical hotline is available to assist students with troubles.

Typically students only have to attend the live virtual class once a week. For the rest of the week, learners are assigned with homework and practicing projects. Instructors will collect and return assignment through emails each week. If a student has questions for the instructor, he or she can discuss with the instructor during Weekly Personal Sessions. All live lessons and dialogs are recorded and available for review anytime. Additionally, a 24/7 Forum is open for all students to discuss and communicate.

Other Features of the website

eTeacherchinese.com also provides some free tool resources to the public, including “Free Chinese Lessons” “Chinese Dictionary” “Names in Chinese” “Newsletter” “Blog” and “More resources”. 9 short Chinese lesson videos are free to access from the left side bar, under “Chinese tools”. These short lessons are a nice reflection of live virtual class settings. Leaners can use them as a “free trial” to test the program. “Chinese Dictionary” is also a useful tool to help with studying. The website contains a couple lists in categories of popular Chinese phrases. It’s very thoughtful of the program developer to include “Names in Chinese” in the toolbox. Having a name in a new language is always exciting for learners. The list collects a good number of Chinese-translated popular English names. Although the names are transliterated in Chinese and are not “real” Chinese names, they should be good enough for beginners and intermediates. “Newsletter” is updated every 2 weeks on average. It introduces the most popular topics Chinese are discussing about recently. It’s a great way to keep learners updated about Chinese society and pop culture. The other important resource to learn about Chinese culture is “Blog”. eTeacher has over 10 topic categories its official blog site, including economy, art, culture, food, traditions, etc. Although the posts are not numerous, each article is well written. They helps readers to learn new Chinese words through a nicely setup chart in the bottom of each article. “More Resources” lists other online Chinese learning resources for learner’s reference.

Advantages

eTeacher Chinese Language Program is a valuable way to learn Chinese. The live virtual lesson format provides more reliability and supervision over study quality than self-study programs. Trained instructors ensure high lesson quality, and interaction with instructors and fellow classmates is critical to enhance the learning experience. The program also offers necessary flexibility to accommodate learner’s busy schedules. With controlled quality and less costs, eTeacher Chinese Language Program is an ideal substitute of expensive language training camps.

Compared with other online platforms, eTeacher Chinese is user-friendlier and better maintained. The most significant advantage of eTeacher Chinese’s teaching method is quality control. The Syllabus is well designed for learners with different goals, and various quality control methods are used through the learning process. Not only will beginners benefit from the designed learning system, any learners with a busy schedule can follow the study plan.

Why Learn Chinese Mandarin?

For every 5 people on earth there is one that speaks Chinese. Chinese has been one of the most populated languages on the earth. Besides China, Mandarin is widely used by Chinese immigrants in South East Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. As China opens her gate towards the world, the number of Chinese immigrants has been rapidly growing in other non-Asian countries. It’s more likely than other times to work with an individual with Chinese heritage in school or business.

China is one of the world’s most fascinating ancient civilizations. The great historical heritage enriches its language and culture. As one of the most representative cultures in the Eastern world, Chinese culture has continuously influenced the mainstream of Eastern culture for thousands of years. Regardless of various Chinese dialects, Mandarin is the golden ticket to all regions in China and major Chinese communities in South East Asia. To develop a better understanding of the mysterious Eastern culture, literature and history, Mandarin is a short cut to go.

The strong trend of globalization also makes a good reason for learning Chinese. With 20% of the world’s population, the Chinese market possesses huge business potentials. Medias predicted that China would be the new superpower and the most important trade partner of US and the world. Knowing the language is extremely helpful in conducting international business with China.

From the standpoint of politics, learning Chinese is critical as well. Every country is in need of bilingual talents for foreign affairs. With China’s rising as a new power pole, it’s predicted that China will be an important role having significant influence over global issues. Being able to communicate with Chinese, and understand the deeper meanings behind the words is critically important in foreign affairs.

Benefits of learning Chinese online:

There are plenty of public and private institutions offering Chinese lessons and language programs. However, high costs stop many eager learners from moving forward. A summer intensive program with a reputed college or university would cost more than $5000 on average. The fees could easily go over $10,000 for short-term programs, not to mention long-term programs. Besides, most training programs require weeks or months continuous exclusive participation to classes.

Thus learning online becomes a suitable substitute. Online programs usually cost hundreds of dollars on average. Some could go below $100 with promotion coupons and discounts. Besides, you could always find abundant free learning resources to add to your own learning plan. Some self-study online programs, such as Rocket Chinese Language Program, provide downloadable video or audio lessons, along with texts and practice and testing resources. Learners could design their own study plans based on their own schedule. Some other programs offer remote online lessons, such as eTeacher Chinese. These programs have lower flexibility than self-study programs. But learners may enjoy the more efficient teaching with the help of virtual online classes. Virtual classes gather instructor and a class of students online and learn Chinese together. It’s more like taking real language classes at your own choice of location. Leaners are able to interact with instructors and classmates during classes.