What is That’s Mandarin?

That’s Mandarin is a Chinese school based in Shanghai, Beijing, and Suzhou.

Since 2005, they have been doing in-person courses in several locations in China and now also offer live online classes through a platform they call NihaoCafé.

When you start interacting with That’s Mandarin, you can tell it’s a well-oiled machine.

Their sales department is very proactive and immediately wants to introduce everything to you on their platform. But, on the plus side, they are quick to arrange the next steps with you: a live test, to begin with, and then the live online class itself.

Start with a live assessment

When you start, you first do a live test on their platform.

You schedule the test ahead of time, of course. This exchange is done by email, which is simple enough.

In my case, login didn’t quite work as planned for the test, so we had to reschedule. The assessment test was postponed to the following day, so no biggie.

20 minutes of questions to prepare your live online classes

The assessment test lasted 20 minutes, as they had announced.

We started with a few simple questions such as introducing yourself, what your hobbies are in Chinese, etc. The goal here was for my “assessor” to assess my ability to speak Mandarin Chinese and see how well I understood her questions.

We then moved on to slightly more complex questions, such as (in my case) introducing my app (Ninchanese ) and its benefits. The idea behind this section of the test is to determine if I was able to talk about things in a constructed and detailed manner.

Afterward, she had me read a text aloud to see how well I knew my vocabulary.

In the text, words in green are at an HSK 3 level, and words in orange are HSK 4.

She then asked me comprehension questions about the text I had just read aloud and had me explain to her the meaning of some words in Chinese.

How the test went

During the test, I found myself wishing I hadn’t booked a morning session. First of all, I’m not a morning person, and second, I was probably feeling a little stressed because it was a test.

Comprehension-wise, I was fine, but ah, reading aloud and speaking? I could have done better.

However, an afternoon session wouldn’t have been possible, most likely. That’s because the school is in China. As I’m in France, morning classes my time work best for both sides.

Besides, a teacher uses the assessment results to put together a lesson at your level. That is the whole point of the test, after all. To get you classes at your level.

So don’t be like me and worry about your performance! Just relax and chat.

Nihaocafe platform, once you log in.

You take the initial test and the classes on their platform, NihaoCafe. The platform itself is neat and clean-looking, with a modern design. It looks easy to navigate.

A 50-minute trial live online class

On the following day, I had my trial class. You connect to the class on their platform as well.

Following this lesson, I’m told I’ll get a full report of my strengths/ weaknesses in speaking, reading, and understanding. So I’m looking forward to that.

The class started with a few initial connection hiccups, with our mics successively not working in sync. But, of course, that’s always a risk with live online classes.

However, that relaxed me, in a way, and possibly the teacher too, as we both got a good laugh out of it.

A class session lasts 50 minutes. She made sure we did a full 50 minutes, not counting the connection hiccups and so on in the beginning. Always a nice touch.

The class interface

Overall, the whole lesson went by quickly. We started with an introductory chat, moved on to new words, talked about a diagram, and finally answered questions.

What I liked about the online class

It felt professional. The teacher took me through the content planned for the lesson. But it took me a while to catch on to the fact she was following the content plan. It felt almost like a free-flow conversation, with her introducing new expressions from time to time.

In other words, she very carefully and professionally guided me to where she wanted me to go, and I saw nothing coming. 

I liked how she introduced new words. We’d talk about a subject, she’d start explaining something in Chinese, and when she was sure I had followed, she’d introduce a new word. So, each new word in Mandarin discovered was in context.

For example, she explained the term 跳槽 (tiào cáo)  to me. We first went over each character in the expression. Then, she had me think about why each of these characters was used to form the phrase “job-hopping”.
跳槽 (tiào cáo), job-hopping, turned out to be the main topic of the lesson, so we used that word a lot in the live online class.

You can also follow along and see the list of words you’ll be learning on the platform.

I discovered after a while that you could easily click on them to view the meaning and pinyin, but I didn’t feel the need to since my teacher’s explanations were plenty.

Adjusting to my level

For some words, the teacher checked if I was familiar with them and quickly moved on if I was, which was something I appreciated. Doing this allowed us to spend more time exploring unknown words.

Focus on pronunciation

She also carefully corrected my pronunciation, making me repeat words I wasn’t saying right and insisting on tones I wasn’t using correctly. She managed to do that in a way that wasn’t annoying or shaming, which was nice. Having her correct your pronunciation is a big plus, and I enjoyed the fact she took the time to do that. That was a first in my lessons online so far.

Homework and after-class practice

Your work isn’t over when the class is

After the lesson, you’re given homework. Homework! —another first in the live online classes I’ve reviewed so far.

In this case, I had to write a 100-character text in Chinese characters. My mission was to answer a few questions related to job-hopping, which was the topic of my class.

Once you upload that text back, it gets corrected and returned to you. And really corrected, the way your homework would get checked in class. She caught my typos, explained how I could make my text flow better with discourse connectors, and suggested better wording for awkward sentences.

Review what you saw in the class

Finally, you’re also given exercises to practice using the Mandarin content you saw in class.  You review what you saw in the live session on the platform and even see a bit more. That’s, I’m told, content initially planned for the lesson that we didn’t get to cover. According to That’s Mandarin, we would have covered the rest of the content if I’d booked a second class.

The exercises are mainly multiple-choice questions, with a few fill-in-the-blanks, but it’s a nice touch.

No clue what to answer some of the questions (I didn’t see that in class)

What happens if you don’t do the homework or practice exercises?
Not sure, as I didn’t do any follow-up lessons. You’ll have to learn that by yourself if you decide to book one of their live online classes and not do your homework!

Receive a complete overview after the class

After the class, as promised, I received a detailed overview of the areas I was doing good in and the areas I needed to strengthen. My 4th tone was singled out, for instance, as needing more work.

Definitely a good assessment of your weaknesses and strengths. You get a good picture of skills to work on. That’s something you want from your teacher and a class you took. Quite logically, you also receive a suggestion of what package to book and what level.

Pricing of their online live classes

At my level, That’s Mandarin suggested I book a 128-class package at a total cost of 24320 RMB (~ 3468 euros).

For that price, you get full 1-to-1 classes. In addition, you get access to experienced teachers, a learning platform, and a method.

Group classes are also available, it seems, at a different price. They weren’t offered to me, so I can’t comment on their price.

Moreover, you are also offered different content at different levels.

The class I took was an HSK 4 class. According to them, different approaches are used, ranging from videos they made themselves to “real” TV shows to more static content as I got. Sometimes, they’ll focus more on characters and introduce new Chinese characters or explore Chinese components, according to the intro I was given as a reviewer.

Is NihaoCafe worth it?

Among the different live online classes I reviewed, That’s Mandarin is definitely on the higher end of the spectrum.

Courses do seem complete and go from beginner to higher levels of Chinese.

There’s a slight surcharge for higher levels included in that cost, just so you know. This is, unfortunately, quite common.

In case you were wondering, as I was, if their in-school classes are the same price as online classes, the answer to that is no. Offline classes are more expensive than these online classes.

That set aside, for the price, you get real feedback from a teacher, material to work on, homework (that’s corrected and returned to you), and after-class practice, too. You’ve also given an assessment of your skills and what you need to work on next.  Presumably, you can also see your progress and have a sense of continuity from one class to the next. All that has a cost.

So, ultimately, that’s something for you to decide! I suggest you give their classes a go and see what you think of them.

How I’d use NihaoCafe and Ninchanese together

All the practice you want

Ninchanese is a great complement to any live online class That’s Mandarin offers. On Ninchanese, you’re self-learning, so you can spend as much time as you want on a topic and practice.

For starters, it’s a lot cheaper. Ten dollars a month is not much. So get both and get the best of both worlds.

Nincha Decks

Enter the vocabulary you’ve learned or discovered in class.

You can see a list of the words you’ve seen in class on their platform. That makes it easy to look them up on Ninchanese and add them to a custom Nincha deck to memorize them lastingly!

Strengthen the grammar you see with sentence-building stages

While you do see grammar and get a chance to practice grammar on their platform, NihaoCafe, this doesn’t go in-depth. They use the same sentences in the examples and the lessons, and you quickly go through them.

So, use Ninchanese to go further in the grammar lessons and to really practice your Chinese grammar patterns!

Summary

All in all, I was pleased with what I saw of That’s Mandarin online classes. They are professional, and if you’re willing to shell out that much, they’re a decent school you should check out.

NihaoCafe x Ninchanese Coupon

Because we love you, here’s a meowsome coupon to give That’s Mandarin classes a try yourself!

You get 5% off their live online classes (NihaoCafe). Just mention the code “NichaneseNC5” when you book an online course by email!

And one more thing

If you want to continue learning Chinese with authentic and entertaining content, then you’ll love Ninchanese.

With Ninchanese, you get a complete method to learn Chinese, which has you speaking, reading, writing, and more in Chinese. So whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner, there’s content your level on Ninchanese and plenty more!

Start using Ninchanese on the web, with your computer or tablet, or on your phone with the Android app.

The Nincha Team

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The post That’s Mandarin: Review of their NihaoCafe Live Online Classes appeared first on Ninchanese.

What’s GoEast and for who is it?

GoEast Mandarin is a dynamic Chinese teaching School based in China. They have two campuses in Shanghai. They offer both Chinese classes there and live online lessons. This is a legit school with a good track record and a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of over 84, which is no small feat. They teach Chinese to adults and children alike and offer several different types of lessons.

All Go East lessons start the same way:

First, you book a free language assessment through a convenient online tool. Then, input your available times, and wait for a match. In my case, Liz.

Live Language Assessment with Liz over Zoom

During the language assessment, we spoke together in Mandarin Chinese for about 40 minutes. Yes, she went straight for Chinese, and we stuck to it for the entire assessment session, something I enjoyed. Part of it was free-flow conversation, and the rest was her saying sentences and asking me to repeat them and translate them. This exercise of repeating and translating sentences allowed her to check my level of comprehension, expression, and understanding. At the end of the session, she rightly assessed that my current need was more spoken Chinese, as opportunities to speak Chinese are rarer at the moment.

If you’re a beginner in Chinese, not to worry, the assessment won’t be entirely in Chinese for you! The whole point is for GoEast to understand your needs in Chinese and what goals you have. From there, they can put together a study plan and suggest a course of action for you.

The whole proposal is sent to you by email for your consideration.

Classes at all levels

Levels 1 to 4:
You get a double combo, from Chinese levels 1 to 4: online content to prepare each upcoming class, including audio and some video content (what they call self-study), and then a live session/group class to discuss and drive home the content you explored beforehand.

As they say, this saves the teacher (and you!) time, as they don’t need to teach you vocabulary live, time better spent using the language in context and learning to make sentences with it. GoEast calls it, their ESA method: study at home, engage, and activate (what you learned) in class.

From level 5 and on, there’s no online content to rely on. That’s because, as GoEast put it, at this level, each student has different needs, and it’s best for each teacher to figure it out with the student directly. GoEast has different high-level paths to offer: one for academic needs, one for business needs, and one that places the focus on Spoken Chinese.

In-person or over zoom GoEast offers a wide range of live lessons

You can do sessions in person, in their Shanghai-based schools, or over zoom, which is convenient in these covid-stricken times.

Choose the style that suits you best, from one-to-one classes to group classes. Group classes can be composed of other Chinese learners at the same level as you (up to 4 per class) – great if you’re more into studying when others are learning with you. Group classes can also be composed of students you know! Gather three other students and make your own group class. Pretty neat!

The choice also depends on whether there’s a group class at a time that’s convenient for you. Group class times depend on the level you’re at and what group is starting soon. There are a lot of time slots at levels HSK 1 to 3 and fewer as you go up in levels, which is understandable. In my case, a group class at my level would have been in the morning, China Time so not at all convenient for me considering my time zone.

One-to-one classes offer more flexibility in terms of when they can take place, so that’s what I tried.

How a Live Class goes

Each live class is 50 minutes long. First, you determine when it’s best to have a lesson and then, GoEast gets back to you with a timeframe and a teacher. As much as possible, GoEast tries to match you with one teacher and stick to that to ensure continuity in your learning.

GoEast’s teaching style

GoEast offers a free language lesson for you to try out their teaching style. I tried an intermediate Spoken Chinese, as per my assessment recommended.

The teacher I had, Dany, spoke Chinese the most during the session. She only relied on English, which she spoke very well, when needed, to explain a concept I didn’t know yet, for instance, or to help me find the words I needed to talk. This way of doing things ensures you’re spending your time primarily speaking in Chinese, which is the whole purpose.

The Spoken Chinese class relies on a book (Mastering Chinese) for topics of discussion and questions, and its goal is undeniably to get you talking in Chinese. In each session, you cover one lesson. GoEast explained that 100 sessions were needed to go through the whole book. My test lesson centered around 职业病 (zhí yè bìng), occupational diseases, i.e. afflictions that can ail you at work. For instance, if you spend your workday sitting at the computer like me. It was pretty fitting, and I learned a few new words that I put directly in a Nincha Deck for later reviewing and reinforcement.

Pricing

Good for: you if you learn better with a teacher and with someone to drive your learning.
Pricing-wise, Go East explains that the cost of a session depends on:
– whether you are taking a one-to-one class
– or a group class
– and on the level you want to take classes at.

As expected, rates for group classes are cheaper (although I wasn’t given the rates) and one-to-one classes are pricier. They do demand a sizable investment. But perhaps, that’s the price to pay for a personalized approach and flexible hours, with real human beings teaching you (and not lovely cats that teach you Chinese).

Summary

Based on what I tried, lessons look well-prepared, and teachers know what they’re doing. So if you’re looking for a live teacher, check out GoEast. They offer a free language assessment and a free class so you can try out their services at no cost.

Our recommendation: GoEast could be a good complement to Ninchanese. Use Ninchanese at your level to focus on vocabulary acquisition, sentence practice, and speaking training. And use GoEast to give you live interaction with teachers and speaking practice.

Have fun learning Chinese, little dragons!

Sarah, from the Nincha Team

Sarah Aberman is one of Ninchanese‘s co-founders. She loves learning languages, particularly Chinese, and traveling. She’s passionate about furthering her understanding of Chinese culture. She’s also fascinated by Japanese and Korean and so enjoys discovering and exploring those cultures too. When she’s not writing up Chinese grammar lessons or blog posts for the Nincha blog, Sarah can be found holed up at home with a good book or a Cdrama/Kdrama/Anime.

The post Go East Review: Live Mandarin Classes appeared first on Ninchanese.