Chinese Learning Software Always Beats a Book and CD

Chinese learning software has really only begun to reach its full capacity as a language learning system. While it is commonly believed that language learning software is simply an extension of the same formula used by teach yourself books and CDs, nothing could be further from the truth.

There are some established problems with books and CDs as a system of language learning. The main difficulties are that these systems do not engage language learners in the ways that are most efficient. While there are some benefits to reading and listening to a foreign language, the brain only really starts to absorb language when it is forced to use it. Chinese learning software recognizes the inherent problem in systems of the past. Although there are text based lessons and audio files, they are supplemented with games, tools, and self testing.

The brain works in some ways that are largely misunderstood by most people. Although it may seem like all language learning happens the same way, this is really not true. If you spend all of your time reading pinyin you may find that although you are able to recognize the meaning of Chinese conversations on paper, you are unable to translate an English sentence into Chinese pinyin even if those two sentences contain all of the same words. This is because the parts of the brain responsible for processing language do not necessarily produce language. You need to find as many ways as possible of engaging with a language, in order to strengthen all of those neurological pathways.

Chinese learning software bypasses the problems associated with book and CD language learning by allowing you to engage with every form of language that you are learning. It also anticipates problems that arise when you learn from a book and CD. The best Chinese learning software offers support for your questions, and opportunities to have conversations with a native speaker of Mandarin Chinese. This makes all the difference in language learning. In any language learning project, problems will eventually arise and a book and CD will not help you overcome these obstacles.

Justin White lives in Jhubei Taiwan, and frantically works at learning Chinese.

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