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Meet The ChineseClass101 Team

Hello Listener,

You’ve probably thought about it at least once. You know…about who is really behind the voice of your favorite ChineseClass101 lessons.

Who are these mysterious multilingual strangers?
Where do they come from? What are their hobbies?

Or maybe you just want to match a voice to a face.

Here’s your chance to see the faces and learn a little more about our mix of native Chinese speakers who bring you our weekly lessons. In fact, you’d be surprised to know just how international the team is! Almost all of them have lived and studied abroad at some point.

Given their love for language and international experience, we knew they’d be perfect to teach authentic Chinese the easy, fast, and fun way.

Ready? Click Here To Meet The Team!

Best Decision You’ll Ever Make For 2012

Welcome to the New Year! This is the year of DECISION 2012.

If you haven’t yet decided to make 2012 an amazing year for Chinese learning, then here’s something to think about.

What’s the difference between speaking fluent Chinese and knowing a few words?

A decision. A decision to become fluent.

Yes you’re right – it won’t magically turn you fluent. But nobody speaks great Chinese by accident either. Nobody gets fluent by twiddling their thumbs and hoping “Maybe, I think, I’d like to try it..but I don’t know.”

They decide to become fluent. Then they do it. They rampage through dictionaries, workbooks, audio lessons and any other material they can find. They speak and read and write and make mistakes, and make mistakes, and then some MORE mistakes. The world isn’t important until they’re done.

Then they get fluent. Best decision ever made.

You’re learning Chinese… So make the decision for 2012.

Click To Decide! 32% OFF Basic & Premium for 1 Year!

Until January 20th, get 32% OFF Basic and Premium for an entire year. That’s $40 for 1 Year of Basic and $122 for 1 Year of Premium. Use coupon code DECISION2012. When 2013 comes around, you can say you’ve fulfilled your resolution. And not many people can say that.

Basic is the most affordable option! As a Basic member, you get every single audio and video lesson and all the lesson notes we’ve ever made. The fun conversational Chinese lessons are designed to have you speaking right away! Plus, the notes give you the translation, and grammar and vocabulary explanations so you understand it all!

Our Premium plan offers the fastest track to fluency. You get to enjoy your favorite series with more of the benefits, at a lower price. Get access to our huge audio and video lesson library, lesson notes, spaced repetition flashcards, 2,000 must-know words (that’s 80% of all conversation), and more.

The discount is guaranteed until Friday, January 20th, 2012. Make the decision for 2012 and click on the link below to get started with Chinese!

1 Year Basic for $40 or Premium for $122! Get it now!

ChineseClass101 2012 Lesson Sneak Peek

Oh, hello there listener! We haven’t seen you in awhile! Is that a new haircut? Did you get contacts? Or maybe a tan from your winter vacation! In any case, it’s nice to have you back!

You may have stopped by today because you’re thinking about picking up your Chinese studies in the new year. Well, you’ve come to the right place. Starting January 2nd, 2012, we’ll be publishing some really great Chinese lessons that are sure to keep you busy and entertained all year long!

Here’s a sneak peek at what you can look forward to:

Monday: Absolute Beginner Season 4

Tuesday: Upper Intermediate (Every other Tuesday)

Thursday: Throwback Thursday Lesson – Revisit an old lesson every week with these Throwback Thursday lessons!

Friday: Traditional Chinese Learn with Pictures and Video

Saturday: Pronunciation & Gengo (Alternating every Saturday)

Sunday: Innovative Language News Lesson – Stay up to date with the latest language news, tips and deals!

And remember, ChineseClass101’s newest lessons are free for the first two weeks, so be sure to stop by regularly to listen to and download the lessons with your Free Lifetime Account!

Cheers to you in the New Year!

The Innovative Language Story

It all started with JapanesePod101.com, back in December of 2005.

6 years later, Innovative Language Learning is up to 22 language sites, 2 million registered users, and 4 million app downloads. But what does it all mean?

It means we couldn’t have done it without you. It means we’re very lucky to have a community of language lovers. It also means the world sees beauty in languages and cultures, and people wish to communicate with one another. And we’re happy to help.

Here are some key stats:

  • December 2006 – 10,000 members
  • December 2008 – 100,000 members
  • April 2010 – 101 Million lesson downloads
  • November 2011 – 2,000,000 members
  • So how exactly does a Japanese podcasting website grow?

    And how does it spread out to languages like Korean, Spanish, Chinese, and Dutch? Well, it’s quite a long story to tell. If you’re really interested, we can set some time aside, get some hot cocoa and tell the tale by the fireplace. But as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

    Click here to see the Timeline of Innovative Language Learning.

    Learn A New Language with the NEW Innovative Language Learning!

    Good design is important. It communicates in ways text can’t.
    It is the visual delivery of what a website is about.

    With this in mind, the Innovative Language Learning website has been redesigned. We’ve thought about how we could best portray who we are and how we can help language lovers like you. And after long hours of tinkering in the lab, here is the result!

    Ready? Go!

    Visit the Innovative Language Learning Homepage!


    Select your language.


    Lifetime of learning.


    The mobile way.

    The sleek new design gets right to the point – you want to learn a foreign language. We help you master over 38 languages – including some rare ones like Mongolian and Swahili – in the fastest, easiest, and most fun way.

    However, fitting all of this under one roof and keeping it focused was no easy task:

  • 21 language learning websites
  • Over 200 iPad iBooks, Kindle Books, Nook Books, and Audio Books in 38 languages
  • Over 700 iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Android mobile applications in 38 languages
  • Over 120 Mac and Mobile desktop applications in 38 languages
  • Survival Phrases courses available in 20 languages
  • But there’s more to the website.

    Get quick links to all of our products – we admit, we have a lot of language learning material. This lets you access and browse through them easier.

    Search either by language or product – to master as much material as possible for a certain language or if you’re going mobile and would like just the apps!

    Like free stuff? Who doesn’t! – check the free resources section with free subscriptions to our language sites, apps, audiobooks, kindle books and more!

    Click to visit the Chinese Page on Innovative Language.

    10 Best Chinese Holiday Gifts!

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    Your aunt? Get her an itchy sweater.
    Brother? Father? Itchy sweaters.
    Hey, it’s winter – a sweater is perfectly sensible gift.

    But a Chinese language lover, like you? Someone on a mission to be awesome at Chinese!? Someone that devours podcasts, workbooks, and textbooks like a Chinese learning monster and roars “MORE!”!? Don’t get sweaters!

    Get MORE! More Chinese!
    And here are 10 ways to do so!

    We’re counting down the holiday season with 10 days of the 10 BEST deals of the year!

    Deals like 55% Off Premium! 50% Off Basic, 50% Off Apps and More!

    Today’s Deal Lasts Only 24 Hours! Click To Get It!

    Starting from December 12th until the 23rd – not including the weekend – there will be a daily deal, each 24 hours long. At midnight, it expires and a new deal takes over. But you won’t know what it is until it comes!

    holiday.JPG

    And here’s the challenge – do you get it or wait for something better?
    What if you miss out? What if Santa gets stuck in your chimney?

    Missing out on one deal might be okay because there may be a better one after it! These are biggest and best deals of the year after all!
    How big, you ask? About $450 in savings total!

    And today’s deal is a whopping 55% off Premium subscriptions!

    Can you grab more than one deal? Yep – if you can catch ‘em and as long as they don’t conflict.

    Go to ChineseClass101.com/holidaydeals to see today’s deal!

    Update: Come January 2012, there will be new seasons and lessons. So get in early and learn more at a lower price (as high as 55% off if you don’t miss it)! Users that come around after the holidays will be paying a higher price!

    Happy Holidays from all of us at Innovative Language Learning!

    Killer Cyber Week Deals

    Hello Listener,

    What’s Cyber Monday you ask? Why, it’s the Internet’s busiest shopping day of the year. Deals are everywhere – minus the crowds! Everyone’s at home, click-click-clicking!

    You see, moms are buying shoes, dads are buying TV’s and… Language Learners? They’re looking for deals to spend less and learn more Chinese!

    But we’re not going to stop at just one day of hot deals on subscriptions. We slashed the price of everything we’ve got by 30% for an entire week!

    Welcome to Cyber Week : ChineseClass101 Style.

    All Basic Subscriptions – Only $42 for 1 Year!
    All Premium Subscriptions – $54 OFF for 1 Year!
    All iPhone Apps – As low as .99 or FREE!
    All Audiobooks – As low as $6.99!

    The 30% OFF Coupon has been applied everywhere! Just click on the link and you’ll be taken to the checkout page. iPhone and iPad apps have been marked down 30% in the iTunes App Store. And over in the Innovative Language Learning Store, we’ve slashed the prices of all Audiobooks and Mac Desktop Apps.

    Forget about Free Shipping – how about NO shipping? With our Apps, Software and Subscriptions, you’ll enjoy the instant gratification of buying online by getting access to any of your purchases right away! That means you start learning Chinese TODAY.

    Simply choose where to start browsing with the links below and enjoy 30% savings until Friday, December 2nd, 2011.

    [Click here to browse Basic and Premium ChineseClass101 Subscriptions]

    [Click here to launch the iTunes App Store]

    [Click here to browse our Audiobook Library]

    Happy CyberWeek!

    Has anyone said “Thank you” to you today?

    Has anyone said “Thank you” to you today? If not, we’d like to be the first!
    And we’d like to say it in 26 different languages.

    So listener, thank you for being a part of the Innovative Language family and for learning with us! Even though Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated in many parts of the world, everyone, everywhere loves hearing “thank you.”

    Click here to visit our Thank You Page and get your Free video lesson:

    thankyouvideo.png

    ‘Learn how to say thank you in 26 different languages.’ One day, when you travel the world, that’s the one phrase that will put a smile on other people’s faces.

    Click Here For Your Free Thank You Video Lesson

    But…that’s not all!

    Looking to learn more Chinese?

    From November 20th to the 25th – Get 30% OFF any subscription of your choice! 30% off is a big $54 off 1 year of Premium. Start speaking Chinese like it’s your own language!

    Click Here – Free Video Lesson & 30% OFF Now!

    Learn Chinese with This Once in a Millennium Offer

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    Better than Black Friday. That comes once a year.

    This offer is once in a millennium.

    Good through Monday:

    Click here to get 1-Month Premium for $11.11
    (55% OFF the regular price)

    or

    Click here to get 1-Year Premium for $111.11
    (43% OFF the regular price)

    That’s every single one of our audio and video lessons, PDF Lesson Notes, My Flashcards, My Word Bank, Core Word Lists, Lesson Quizzes, Review, Dialogue and Expansion tracks and so much more – for $11.11 for a single month, or $111.11 for an entire year!

    Don’t let this once in a millennium chance pass you by – it expires Monday, November 14th at midnight! Just pick your deal and get started with our fun and effective Chinese language learning system today!

    Click any of the links below to upgrade before it’s gone!

    Save 55% on 1-Month Premium — $11.11 for 1-Month

    or

    Save 43% on 1-Year Premium — $111.11 for 1-Year

    New! MyFlashcards are Smart Flashcards

    Hello Listener,

    Seen that iPhone 4S? It’s pretty smart and all.
    But is it making you smarter?

    Our new MyFlashcards are smarter now – but their goal is to make you smarter in too! If you’re a Premium Member, you know all about our spaced repetition system for learning lots and lots of vocabulary. However, we’ve recently made some BIG changes to the MyFlashcard system.

    Quick Overview: The Good Stuff
    In short MyFlashcards eliminates the “Where do I start?” “When should I study?” and “How much should I study?” by assigning you the words and dates.

    MyFlashcards 2.3 Update makes learning more efficient by:

  • assigning you the words due today
  • marking your progress, overall and by word
  • stopping you when you’ve done enough
  • recommending you study at a later assigned date to reinforce your memory
  • “Wait. You’re going to STOP me from studying?!”

    Yes.

    To remember better, you need to space out your study sessions in intervals. Studying once won’t imprint the word in your brain forever. Cramming for final the night before might work in college, but not for long term language acquisition. Study that particular deck in a week, then in 3 weeks and it won’t leave your brain!

    Updated! Try Out My Flashcards! Click Here!

    Here’s the detailed scoop!

    My Decks:
    Aside from starting a new deck, get quick overview of all your decks and their progress. Look for the “Due Today” notification to know just how many cards you have to study today! Yes – it gives you homework, it’s that smart!

    1mydeck.PNG

    Create New Deck – Deck Manager
    This takes you to the brand new Deck Manager. This is the deck master tool letting you pull words from any lesson, core word list or from My WordBank into any deck of your choice. If you want to combine the words from multiple lessons, just hold shift and click to select several lessons.

    deckmanager.PNG
    (sample screenshot from RussianPod101)

    Edit
    Feeling brave? Set the maximum number of flashcards per session in case you’re an overachiever and wish to study more. Just below the study modes, there’s a Manage Items section that shows all the words in the deck – and their progress. Remember, you must master the 3 study modes – recognition, production, and listening before a word is mastered 100%.

    Also, feel free to merge decks or add new cards here.

    2edit.PNG
    (sample screenshot from RussianPod101)

    3edit.PNG
    (sample screenshot from RussianPod101)

    Press Study or Launch Deck
    The new dashboard breaks down just exactly how many words are in a deck, the ones you mastered, learned, started and the ones you haven’t started. The progress bar on top tracks your overall process for this deck.

    4dash.PNG

    Start New Session
    The cards have been slightly redesigned so they’re easier to read. Go ahead and go through your deck. After one session, you’re not quite done yet! You must master all 3 modes, remember? After going through a few sessions, MyFlashcards will recommend you to study at a later date. Don’t worry – you’ll remember better if you spread your studying out instead of cramming in one shot.

    5cards.PNG
    (sample screenshot from JapanesePod101)

    Take some time and go through your decks. My Flashcards will track your progress to figure you out and serve you better as you go on. All you have to do is follow along and master the vocabulary. Simple!

    Click Here To Try Out My Flashcards!