Ian McGraw

In between my BA at Stanford University and my Ph.D. at MIT, I came to China to get a solid foundation in the Chinese language. I thought that I was capable of teaching myself Chinese as I had done with other subjects in the past. I even had the advantage of having quite a few bilingual friends who were willing to help me out. After two months of self-study, however, I realized my progress was depressingly slow. I needed help. Thus, I contacted That's Mandarin. It was definitely the best decision. Their methods are truly innovative. I can still remember the first lesson when Guo-laoshi explained to me the beauty of the Chinese language by constructing a vocabulary list of interconnected words. For example, if I were given the word wai4guo2ren2 (meaning foreigner), he would also explain the meanings of wai4bian1 (outside), guo2jia1 (country), ren2 (person). They created a web of interrelated words to study, making memorization quicker and easier. As my Chinese improved, That's Mandarin 's methods adapted. After four months my vocabulary was over three thousand words and I was able to improvise full stories during class. Outside of the classroom I found myself able to hold steady conversations and follow much of the rapid-fire dialog of a Chinese television show. I also began to break free of the canned-examples of the text books and started reading characters in the form of signs, subtitles, and even comic books. From the very first day I met them, I knew they were the right teachers for me. Their energy matched my enthusiasm for learning, and their methods are created from the very core of what makes Chinese such a wonderful language. Thus, if you are a serious student of Chinese or would like to become one, I whole heartedly recommend you learn with That's Mandarin

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