Translate Chinese to English

Best Resources, Translation 1 Response »
Sep 142010

I’ve been using Babelfish to translate Chinese text to English, and I’m pretty happy with it. Babelfish has been my favorite translation tool for years, for all languages.

Admittedly, the results around perfect — especially for Chinese — but they’re good enough for me to get a general understanding of the text or website I’m translating. As an added bonus, occasionally the results are unintentionally hilarious!

Another translation tool you might want to try is Google Translate.

Know of a better translation tool? Post a comment below and tell me about it.

Posted by Kai at 7:07 pm Tagged with: ,

China Panorama Approaching Chinese is a Good Book for Beginners

Books, Learning Tools 1 Response »
Sep 092010

When I decided to study Chinese earlier this year, the first thing I did was look for a good textbook. My tutor suggested using China Panorama: Approaching Chinese and I’m glad she did.

China Panorama is a series of three Chinese textbooks prepared by a group of TCFL experts working for The Development Centre for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language under the Ministry of Education in China.

I’m almost finished the first book in the series and will be starting book 2 in a few weeks.

Book 1 is designed for complete beginners and moves at a comfortable, easy pace (but not too easy!).

After completing all 3 books in the series, the publishers say you will know about 1,000 words and 200 sentence patterns.

I study this book with the assistance of my tutor. However, audio and video companions are available for self-learners.

Originally I planned on using the popular Integrated Chinese textbook and workbook, which I purchased from Amazon. But I prefer China Panorama. To me, it seems friendlier. Plus I have found it to be effective. I’m sticking with it.

Posted by Kai at 7:27 pm Tagged with: ,

Here's Your First Chinese Lesson

Best Resources, Lessons, Videos 1 Response »
Sep 052010

So you decided to learn Chinese. Fantastic. Are you ready for your very first Chinese lesson? Sure you are. Let’s go for it…

Your first Chinese lesson needs to be fun and easy and practical. You want to learn the most basic things like how to say “hello” or “thank you”.

I think the best and easiest first Chinese lesson I’ve seen is a video called Learn Chinese (Mandarin) with YangYang 001. You can watch it below.

Posted by Kai at 7:14 pm Tagged with: ,

Learn Basic Shanghainese Phrases with Shanghainese Soundboard

Audio, Best Resources, Learning Tools, Pronunciation, Shanghai No Responses »
Sep 052010

As you may already know, the dialect spoken in Shanghai is somewhat different from standard Mandarin. If you are planning a trip to Shanghai it would be useful (and fun) to learn a few Shanghainese words and phrases.

One of the best and easiest online tools for learning basic Shanghainese is the Shanghainese Soundboard.

This simple little tool lets you hear both Mandarin and Shanghainese for simple, common phrases like “thanks” or “I love you.”

The Shanghainese Soundboard is provided by the wonderful Sinosplice website.

Posted by Kai at 4:06 pm Tagged with: ,

Chinese-English Dictionary with Audio

Audio, Best Resources, Learning Tools, Pronunciation No Responses »
Sep 032010

If you’re studying Chinese, of course you need a Chinese-English, English-Chinese dictionary. The one I use is at Chinese-Tools.com.

I like the fact it is quick and comprehensive. Plus I can click on the speaker icon to play the audio and hear the correct pronunciation.

Do you know of a better free, two-way Chinese-English dictionary online? If so, let me know.

Posted by Kai at 5:08 pm Tagged with: ,
© 2013 Chinese Study Lounge - Welcome! Suffusion WordPress theme by Sayontan Sinha