Customer Reviews
Fluenz Mandarin - Fresh approach, Innovative style, well organized 
2008-05-06
I purchased this product based on the positive reviews by customers.
Having purchased many "learn a language" programs, I was really hoping this was different. Given the price relative to the competition, it had better be!!!
The package from Amazon arrived in this HUGE box. Inside this HUGE box, was a small red box. Inside the small red box was a small red envelope. Inside the small red envelope was two disks and a little cheat sheet. Rest assured, your disks are well protected during shipment!
It's been a month and I am very happy with my investment. I have listened to the CD over 20 times in my car and love it. The DVD is very interactive and I find myself learning faster than just reading a book or using other programs. Fluenz says you should review the interactive DVD before you listen to the CD as the CD supplements the DVD. I couldn't wait and listened to the CD for 3 or 4 times before finally using the DVD. No regrets...I found the CD was a great intro to the DVD.
My mother listened to the Fluenz CD in my car for the first time last week and thought very highly of it (prior to that, she heard the Michael Thomas "learn to speak Mandarin" CD in my car). Mom thought the Michael Thomas CD was useless and confusing. My mom speaks several chinese languages including Cantonese and Mandarin. She said the Fluenz CD helped her improve her pronounciation of Mandarin. I can't tell you how big a compliment that was.
It would have been nice to have a book to supplement the DVD and CD as I do not always have access to a computer which is ironic since I have 4 laptop and 2 desktop computers.
Another suggestion would be to give the user the ability to print review material from the DVD.
Fluenz Mandarin has room to improve, but it's way ahead of the competition. Good job!! I look forward to purchasing Fluenz Spanish as my clients speak Mandarin and Spanish.
Keeping up with my cousin 2008-05-02
I will be visiting Beijing in a few weeks with my cousin who, like myself, is not a native speaker of mandarin -however she studied mandarin in college and has spent time in Beijing. I hope to be able to communicate somewhat on my own, without relying entirely on her or on the point and smile / pantomime method of communication.
So far, fluenz has worked better than I expected from a teach-yourself program. While my pronunciation is probably still really bad (I guess we'll find out), the approach taken in building phrases is fairly intuitive, and I feel like in the limited time I have to study I'm actually retaining something. I'd highly recommend fluenz if you want to gain some practical language skills in a limited time.
All about retention 2008-04-28
With the rise of China as an economic player, I wanted to learn Mandarin for business purposes. I thought of trying Rosetta Stone until I came across this product. What made me choose Fluenz over Rosetta Stone was the principle behind Fluenz: children and adults learn languages differently, and, therefore, need different techniques and tools for learning. This product was designed and developed by adults who actually had to learn Madarin experiencing the challenges that came with adult language learning. So, I think, this product gives you the necessary tools for adult language learning derived from personal experiences. I agree with the principle having learned English as a second language as a child and having picked up Japanese as my third language as an adult. As adults, we cannot simply learn by having pictures and vocabulary flashed across the screen. We need more explanations and repetitions in order to retain the material. This product does just that - explains and repeats through "workouts" and through the CDs. Also, the lessons are simple and short enough rooted in everyday situations for anyone to learn and remember without expending an exhorbitant amount of time. If you are busy but want to learn Madarin, I would definitely recommend that you give Fluenz a shot.
Fluenz Mandarin Podcasts are a Winner! 2008-03-31
The Fluenz Mandarin podcasts, a newly-released upgrade to the instructional DVD, are an excellent complement to an already superb piece of software. These are practical exercises that reinforce the materials on the interactive instructional DVD and audio CD workout disc that comprise the original package. The instructors, one an experienced native Mandarin speaker, and the other, a novice student, are enthusiastic, clear and effective in their instruction, and make the learning experience lots of fun. The purchaser of this entire package has an outstanding approach to learning a very difficult subject.
Free Upgrade! 2008-03-25
At first I was going to agree with R. Staton's review that the software bugs were semi annoying although the learning methodology is super effective.
Well no need to agree anymore since Fluenz decided to ship an upgraded Mandarin 1+2 to my door without me even asking for it!
This includes:
-Improved video rendering
-Bug fixes
-USB microphone support
-Going back to previous workout from within a session
-A number of shortcuts
-And the ability of writing the tones with numbers i.e. a1 a2 a3 etc
I assume that all new purchasers will be getting this improved version. All in all I'm extremely pleased with Fluenz as a language learning tool and a business.
Fluenz is Worth Every Penny! 2008-06-16
At first I thought the software was a little overpriced, but I comperad it with other softwares and programs and decided to go for Fluenz. I have to say, the service is great, if you have any problem they solve it as fast as they can. The lessons are really simple and easy to learn. The software is made so you can feel relaxed while you are learning and it teaches you the most important stuff of the everyday life.
I could not have chosen a better way to learn Mandarin. You learn fast and you learn good.
Edited to FIVE STARS - Excellent Product Support/Customer Service 
2008-06-13
PRODUCT REVIEW
*****
FIVE STARS
Impressed by the product description and stellar reviews, I recently ordered the Fluenz Mandarin for Windows product. When the package arrived, it was the Fluenz for MAC product instead.
Although the problem did not originate with Fluenz (it was a mistake in shipment), I contacted Fluenz Customer Service. Fluenz responded promptly and professionally, and took immediate steps not only to rectify my problem, but to ensure that future customers do not experience a similar situation. Clearly, Fluenz not only has a great product, but is committed to providing outstanding service to its customers.
I am looking forward to using the product, and would recommend it highly to anyone interested in learning Mandarin.
Great for Mandarin Starters 2008-06-08
My work provides Rosetta Stone for free but I found it frustrating and a series of phrases strung together- I didn't know what each word meant. It was worth it to shell out the $300 to buy Fluenz. The workouts are great and I hope they incorporate the super-challenging conversation podcasts into the actual DVD sessions in later versions. While Fluenz overleverages on the written pinyin and could use more listening/speaking conversations it is a great starting point for Mandarin and crushes the competition. I just wish Sonia's beauty wasn't so distracting from learning Mandarin!
A message to the Fluenz team: Please stop posting your own reviews to bump up your ratings. Trust the users and you'll do fine.
Kevin 
2008-05-20
This is a worthy product, especially for those just starting to learn Mandarin. It is very interactive and can help build your vocabulary and speaking/listening skills. It is especially good for visual learners. However, if you are looking to learn characters, this program focuses on Pinyin, which actually works well for English speakers. However, Fluenz could improve this product by including characters. Maybe they'll do it in a future version. For now, I suggest Tuttle's Learning Chinese Characters for characters. I'm using Fluenz in conjunction with the Pimsleur series (which is great for speaking/listening)- and I think they compliment each other. Though it's not cheap, I think it's worth the money.
Great approach, great software, amazing customer service! 2008-05-18
I read consumer product reviews religiously, but this is my first time writing my own, prompted by the outstanding customer service at Fluenz. My horribly managed aparment complex told me they sent away an envelope during one of my 2 week trips to China, and I feared that I would never know what was in the mysterious package. Fluenz personally contacted me to find out why my free software upgrade had been returned to them. I explained my situation and they immediately sent it to my work address (still free of charge). I am not sure if I was more impressed that they incorporated consumer feedback to improve their already great product, or that they spent their own time and money to ensure that their consumers were getting the most out of it.
As for the software, I am an Engineer and have struggled with learning foreign languages my whole life (French and Spanish) using traditional memorization or immersion techniques. My retention was so poor that I ended up on a train to Austria instead of Paris, and found myself wandering the streets of Clermont Ferrand to find my new university, armed only with a small cartoon map and the finger pointing of a well intentioned French man (I couldn't even communicate well enough to get a taxi).
The Fluenz system has been the most effective for me yet, although I have only tried Mandarin. I combined this with a continuing education course for business travelers, and my teacher was amazed that I could easily translate words that I learned on my own with Fluenz. I find Sonia a bit difficult to listen to at each lesson, and I tend to skip past her explanation, but as I received more thorough instruction from my native teacher, it wasn't necessary. Pronunciation is the most difficult part for me, and being able to record your voice and compare it to the native speaker is invaluable.
I also use the Pimsleur CDs during my morning commute which helps provide me with more converstaional tools, a slightly different vocabulary and good pronunciation practice. If you are serious about learning the language, I recommend a combination of Fluenz, character book/flashcards, classroom instruction and Pimsleur, but if you have to pick one, Fluenz will give you the most bang for your buck, as the retention rate and breadth can't be beat. When speaking to a coworker who lived in China for 4 years, I found that my understanding of the language was better!
FOR FLUENZ(since I know you read these): I have been searching for a language tool that allows the learner to connect the characters to pinyin, english and spoken Mandarin at the same time. I have failed miserably at character recognition by learning only from books/flashcards and I suspect the only way I will learn is if the spoken language tools are combined with the written in the same software. Learning the character components really help me to see how concepts and thoughts are built in Chinese. For example, airplane = fly + machine and airport = fly + machine + field, but without hearing the pronunciation, or seeing the sentence construction in pinyin, I can't retain the characters. There seems to be a hole in the market for this type of comprehensive tool.....and if anyone can fill it, I know you can!
