Taiwan Ho! Forums

I'm praying that soon I will be able to leave the US and head to Taiwan to teach english, and/or busk.

I only know a few words and phrases in Mandarin, and I'm looking to change that before I leave. Anybody got sugestions on a good web based language course? Shelling out $500 for Rosettastone kinda hurts right now as I'm currently unemployed, but the busking is helping me out w/my finances.

Xie xie
Jim

have you tried the google?

There once was an online site that taught Taiwanese; surely there should be one to teach Mandarin.

Yes, I've tried google, but there are so many results, and I'm not sure which ones are really legit, and which are just attempts to muck up your computer.

My step father learned a lot of Chinese using Chinese Pod--one of the first podcasts to teach Mandarin I believe. Seriously, the guy was busting out these phrases and got really good. He knew the Chinese for ticket scalper and everything. http://chinesepod.com/

I think it's probably a pay service now, but you could maybe do a trial run and see if you like it.

Have you tried your local library? I bet there are some books and perhaps even some a/v material there you could borrow to aid you in your studies. Libraries are great. Seriously.

A buddy suggested a site on smart.fm for learning Chinese. I haven't tried it but he says the flashcards there are really useful.

Good luck.