Customer Reviews
Excellent product 
2007-08-11
I was most pleased with both service (speedy delivery) and product (reliable playback and truely effective concept). It really made me feel I could do this, from the very start.
The product teaches conversation Mandarin and Pin Yin at the same time, all on your pootah (all you need is a microphone). Features a guide/teacher who has a calm and supportive attitude, and is very pleasant to look at aswell, ten points for casting :D
I am a few weeks into this course now, and I am actually able to speak, understand and write quite a few things already. I certainly have no better linguistic skills or memory for vocabulary than the next guy/gal, but this system really works, keeping it simple and relevant throughout.
Highly recommended!
Great Product! 2007-05-22
I work in media and technology, and speak several languages. I know what it is like to code and to create media content, and how difficult it is to learn a language. I look at Fluenz Mandarin from that point of view. The video tutorials are very good. Sonia has everything a great teacher needs: knowledge, charisma and the ability to communicate complex ideas in very simple ways. The workouts are not only a great way to practice what you learn, but it's obvious they've been designed to continuously challenge the learner. The program's overall design is pleasing, which means you can workout for hours without hating it. As someone who has learned several languages, I can only be thankful for the amount of creativity and hard work that went into it.
Learn Mandarin! 2007-04-30
Fluenz Mandarin is a comprehensive program for anyone wanting to learn Mandarin Chinese from scratch. It is meant for learners over the age of 13, and it would be quite useful both for those trying to establish a strong foundation before proceeding to more advanced or specialized work, as well as for those who need survival skills for business, travel or casual conversation.
The software follows a Mac aesthetic: clean, elegant, and modern. This philosophy goes well beneath the surface and can be felt throughout the program. The learning system -- which features a tutor on full-motion video guiding the learner every step of the way, a series of relentlessly challenging exercises, and the use of English to "leverage" the learning of Chinese -- are all very innovative. Fluenz Mandarin is composed of 45 sessions that cover essential vocabulary, grammar, and syntax by going over realistic interactions involving restaurants, giving and receiving directions, negotiating cabs and other forms of transportation, shopping, basic conversations, and even the 2008 Olympics. Each session can take up to three hours each, depending on the learner's speed.
Each session opens with the tutor, Sonia Gil, who led the development of the program and who guides the learner from beginning to end. She explains, gives context, motivates, and keeps the whole thing going with stories of her own experience with learning Mandarin in China.
After the introduction, there is a conversation that can be followed with or without subtitles (available in English and pinyin). Sonia follows with an explanation of every word and expression used. This is the heart of the method, since she systematically compares every word and expression in Mandarin with its counterpart in English. It seems straightforward and it is, but it makes a big a difference to anyone learning.
The tutorial is followed by a series of interactive "workouts." These start with a simple review of the vocabulary and basic expressions, move on to clever matching games, and then to actual writing. Learning to write is the only way to internalize different tones because writing provides a visual cue that helps the learner retain this most challenging part of learning Mandarin. The writing workouts combine both reading and writing, and then listening and writing, and they progress from simple words to more complicated expressions. The latter relies on an innovative color-coding scheme.
The workouts also make use of a recording device that allows the learner to record and compare her or his Chinese with that of native speakers. This device first deals with simple phrases, and then offers the learner an opportunity to insert her or himself into a conversation. After a couple of review workouts, Sonia comes back to conclude the session.
Like any software program that surpasses its many competitors in quality, effectiveness, and ease of use, Fluenz is its own worst enemy. After spending some hours learning Mandarin very fast, it's altogether natural for learners to want more and better, yet Fluenz thwarts that desire on a number of counts. For instance, the navigation doesn't allow learners to repeat a workout once completed. Moreover, there are instances in which sound would nicely complement written workouts, but isn't available. And more advanced sound recognition technology would make a difference. These are features that users should rightly expect to find in future upgrades of the software.
Good principles, good practice 
2008-04-29
As a lapsed Chinese speaker who picked up Mandarin on the go while living there, I have to say I like the sensibility of their adult learning approach. This is the way I learned this language the first time, but having it reinforced with clear explanations of why the grammar and usage works the way it does -- the audio CD was great reinforcement for this -- is aiding my self-review and helping unlearn a few bad habits I picked up the first time around. Since it's not new material for me, it would be nice to find a way to pick up the pace, but that's a minor issue.
Mandarin 1+2 2008-03-27
After spending two months in relatively remote Yunnan two summers ago, it was clear that getting along with no (NONE) Mandarin or any other Chinese language capability was possible. BUT, on returning it was clear that speaking would have increased my ability to experience China exponentially. After looking in Amazon, FLUENZ jumped out at me, friendly, convenient and workable were the things I was looking for. I haven't had a moments regret since installing my first disk, au contraire, in fact, I would arrive early (6:00am) to my teaching job and spend an hour with FLUENZ Mandarin before starting my teaching day. The best thing about it for me is: immediately, I began to feel like I was speaking Chinese. My early learning applied directly to my prior experience "in country" trying to get around without any language capability. As soon as it became necessary to switch from PC to MAC, the CD was in the mail. I'm anxious to get back to China, probably in a year or so for a long time. Don't want to sound like a cliche but, Thanks to FLUENZ, I'm 100% more confident than the very confident me who visited China during the summer of '06. Xie xie, Billy Quinn
Runs Great on Tiger and Leopard 2007-12-06
This is an amazing product: plug and play, user-friendly, great design, cool tutor, beautiful photographs, smart workouts, and very relevant content. Because someone said that it doesn't work on Leopard, I actually went out of my way to try it out and it runs beautifully on both Tiger and Leopard (just as Amazon explains above).
Leopard user may want to wait according to the publisher's website. 
2007-11-24
I was just about to purchase this after reviewing the demo. To confirm that it would work with the New Leopard, I visited the publisher's website. They say it does not work well yet with Leopard. ( forgive the one star rating. Amazon does not allow a no star. I have not tried this software since I have Leopard. )
Absolutely wonderful! A great 'bang for the buck'. 2007-09-27
I downloaded the full demo and now am going to order this. I've used Rosetta Stone, and will again. But this is an entirely different method; more like a traditional schoolroom approach. It makes all the difference in the world to have a (virtual) live instructor, versus a bunch of pictures like flash cards.
Now, once I've gotten this down, then Rosetta Stone will be a wonderful complement. However, this is my starting point, and I think others will benefit. At least try the demo.
