New Concept Mandarin - Frequently Asked Question

About New Concept Mandarin
1. How is New Concept Mandarin different from others?
New Concept Mandarin specialises in teaching Mandarin as a second language to executives and business managers. We have over 20 years of experience in applied linguistics and classroom teaching in Australia, Hong Kong, China and throughout the Asia region. Our expertise and experience in teaching over 10,000 people has taught us how 'western' people learn Chinese, which means we understand our clients needs better than anyone. We focus on teaching people the function of the language rather than the structure, and results have proven our methods to be the most fun and effective way to learn Chinese.

What is important is that we have an integrated approach to learning Chinese, which combines the best of classroom learning with interactive learning tools (CD-ROM and DVD) and online courses.

Classroom Learning
Our teachers are all carefully selected and undergo intensive teachers' training before they start any classes. Our teaching methods have been widely reported in the news media, including CNN and CNBC. The classes also use our customised course books that have been designed and published in-house exclusively for our students.

More about Classroom Courses

CD-ROM & DVD
Our clients can use our interactive CD-ROM to study the equivalent of 100 hours normal classroom study. If you are self-motivated and not averse to using a computer, you can easily acquire basic Mandarin skills by studying our CD-ROM.

Our latest product is an interactive DVD video series, which is designed for intermediate and advanced learners to help learn business phrases and terminology in Chinese. The 3-disc set is produced along the lines of a dramatised TV series and includes two hosts to help with the teaching process.

More about CD-ROM Course

Online Courses
Our unique online Mandarin courses are very popular with internet users from around the world. The structured courses are very comprehensive and help teach reading, listening, and writing skills using a variety of situational examples.

Results have proven that you can increase your speed of learning by combining classroom study with use of the CD-ROM and online learning.
More about Online Study

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If you live in Hong Kong or China, you can speed up your learning outcomes by using the combination of Classroom study with CD-ROM and Online study.

2. How are your teachers different from other teachers of Mandarin?
Our teachers are trained to make the learning process fun and effective. They are trained in-house to develop the essential skills needed to understand the process of language learning, planning and organizing activities, assessing students' needs, managing the classroom, and encouraging active participation. All these skills are the core of our teaching success.

Furthermore, our teachers' training never stops. We have training workshops every week to review and perfect how our students learn - and how we teach to achieve the outcomes our students come to expect from us.

3. Who should take these Online Mandarin courses?
We recommend you take our online Mandarin course if you

have limited budget on Mandarin study;
are too busy to come to our regular classes;
are enrolled in a school or university program and want to enhance your Mandarin study;
enjoy self-paced learning online.

4. How can I take your online course if I am a total beginner?
You can start from our Basic Survival Course. In this level, you will have two types of courses:

Situational Learning & Structural Learning.

Situational learning helps put you learning needs into context by illustrating real-life examples how and where you would use your Mandarin skills. Structural Learning helps understand the basic structures of Mandarin Chinese. We recommend you start from here. You may also spend some time on the Mandarin Pronunciation Table. Click on each sound and familiarise yourself with the syllables and tones. Click on each character to find out the meaning, pronunciation, and how it character is written.

5. What if I cannot complete your course in 90 days?
Once you have registered and paid online, you will have 90 days access to one level of our online courses. We suggest you spend one hour per day online. According to our survey over 95% of our students can complete the course within 90 days. If you have spent 90 hours and you still cannot master the contents of your paid course, we will let you repeat that level for free for another 90 days. If you want to repeat the course, you have to remember to logout each time after you complete your online study. Our system will record your study time only when you logout. If our record shows that you have not spent 90 hours on the online course, you will not be entitled to repeat the course for free.

Your commitment is the key to the success of your online study.

6. What is the use of your online courses if I am currently studying Mandarin in my university?
If you are studying Mandarin in a school or university, you may use our online courses as an additional learning tool. Many international school students use our online courses if they need to catch up on class practice.

7. How and where did you start the business?
New Concept Mandarin Limited was established in March 2000 by Fu Xianling as a Hong Kong registered company. Before that the same business existed as 'MACH Mandarin', which was founded in 1991 to meet the growing need to provide international businesses with Mandarin language skills in anticipation of closer economic ties with Mainland China. Two different companies but same clients - same purpose and learning methodologies.

About Mandarin learning
8. When learning Mandarin, can I focus on speaking and listening only?
Yes, you can, if your goal is to learn basic conversation only. But if you intend to acquire higher level Mandarin communication skills, learning the whole language is much more beneficial. Learning Chinese characters helps you master spoken Mandarin in the long term and increases your retention rate.

Also, learning to recognise Chinese characters is much easier than you think - because the teacher is always writing the word on the whiteboard in character form and in pinyin -in a short time you become familiar with the basic characters, and by doing so - you get to know the word itself. Once that happens you then start to see and recognise the character and meaning in billboards and signs.

9. Do I need to learn about the tones?
There are four tones (changes of pitch in pronunciation) in Mandarin. Many people find it is hard to master the tones, but overstress on tones can be detrimental to develop your fluency. We suggest you start with communication skills - to simply be understood - rather than over drill yourself on tones.

10. Will you guarantee my success in mastering Mandarin?
Your success is our success. Each individual learns differently. Statistics indicate that over 85% of foreign Mandarin learners fail to achieve basic proficiency. New Concept Mandarin's teaching approach is developed to make your learning easy, fun and effective.

99% of students enjoy learning Mandarin with us, and over 95% of students have achieved basic Mandarin proficiency and 85% students will renew to a more advanced level course.

11. How long will it take for me to learn Chinese?
After completing our first level module, which consists of 16 x 2-hour lessons, or level one of our online course, you should know enough Chinese to ask basic questions and get around and 'survive' on your Mandarin language skills.

12. I'm traveling to China for business. Do I need to know how to speak Chinese?
It depends on the business contacts that you have and whether or not your clients or suppliers can speak English. Generally speaking, no - it's not essential because there are always interpreters available or people that can help you get around, but it makes a big difference when you make the effort to learn the language and have some understanding of the local culture.

13. I want to travel around China. Can I get around without knowing any Chinese?
Trying to get around China on your own, without any Chinese skills or someone to help you is really very difficult. The further you get out away from the major coastal cities - the less English signage you will see, the fewer people you will meet who can speak English. You should at least acquire some Survival Chinese skills.

14. I want to go to Beijing Olympics. How much Chinese should I learn before I go?
The Beijing Olympics will be making a huge effort to help visitors get around easily without the need to learn Chinese. You don't need Mandarin skills to be a tourist in Beijing - but just think how much more you would enjoy your experience if you could communicate with the local residents, restaurants, shopkeepers, and other people from all across China as they descend on Beijing! Local Chinese will welcome you with open arms if you make the effort to be understood in Mandarin. At least learn the basics before you go with help from our online courses.

15. Do you have any podcasts?
We are planning to develop a regular series of video podcasts. Enter your name and details on our enquiry form and state that you would like to be notified when we launch our first video pod.

16. Can you teach me Chinese online, with a live teacher?
We are planning to start an Online Classroom service soon. All you need is a broadband connection, a webcam, microphone and Skype. We will then assign classes to students around the world who can then see and interact live with our teacher in China. Enter your name and details on our enquiry form and state that you would like to be notified when we launch our Online Classroom service.

17. Can I learn from home using webcam?
This is possible. We do not actively promote this service but we also aim to meet all of our learner's needs, wherever they are. This would be equivalent to having a private class and would require enrolment and payment of fees as per our standard terms and conditions and we would not be responsible for loss of time due to faults and delays in the transmission.

Become an online member
18. How do I become an online member?
Simply register on our web site by filling out the registration form. After receiving a confirmation email from us, you automatically become our member.

19. What are the benefits of signing up as an online member?
As an online member, you can have access to a lot of our free learning tools and support. You will also be notified of any important new products, services and promotions.

20. Do I have to pay for signing up as a member?
No, it is FREE to become our member.

21. I received an email from you after signing up. What should I do with it?
After signing up as our member, our system will automatically send you a confirmation email with an activation link. You can just open this email and click on the activation link. You account will then be activated. You do not have to reply this email.

22. I can't login with my login name and password. Help!!!
Are you a new member? Have you received a confirmation email with an activation link? Have you clicked on the activation link? After signing up as our member, our system will send you a confirmation email with an activation link. Simply open this email and click on the activation link, and your account will be activated. If you are a member already, have you changed your password? Let us send you the password again.

If you are using the following web mail system, did you activate your spam control? Remember to add emails from @newconceptmandarin.com into your accept list.

Earthlink.net
Compuserv.com
yahoo.com
Hotmail

Still can't login? Contact our administrator

You can also read our quick start guide for the login guideline.

Yes, I've subscribed some online courses

No, I have not subscribed any online courses
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Online learning
23. Why should I take your Online Mandarin courses?
If you can not participate in our face-to-face teaching, and you are self-motivated enough to study at your own pace, then you should take our online courses. Our students also use the Online Courses as a supplement to their group or private classroom study.

24. What are the requirements for my computer system in order to access your online courses?
The minimum system requirements of taking the online course are

Hardware:

P MMX,
64MB RAM,
Min. 100MB HDD free spaces
with Sound Card, Speaker/Headphone
True color display with 800 x 600 resolution
System font = normal or small

Software:

Win 98 SE or above
Flash Player version 7 or above
Acrobat Reader 6.0 or above
IE version 5.5 or above

Others:

Cookies enabled
Java script enabled

25. How can I pay for the online courses?
You can purchase online from our web site. To buy online, fill out the registration form to first become our member. It is free to become our member! Then you can simply pay online with your credit card. You can also pay with check or cash at our centres. You will receive your login name and password after your payment has been made.

26. Why is it that I can login with my own computer, but not others? I am sure my login name and password is correct!
You need to check whether that computer is using a personal firewall. Usually Antivirus programs such as Norton, MacAfee, PC-cillin will bundle with a personal firewall. Please list www.newconceptmandarin.com and go to the access granted list.

27. I can login and view all the graphics, but not the courses. Why?
You need Flash Player 7 or above to view the online courses properly. You can install it from here.

28. I can view the sample lessons on your web site, but not the online courses after I log in, why?
You need Flash Player 7 or above to view the online courses properly. You can download it from here.

29. My course has expired. How do I renew the course?
To renew your online courses, you need to re-subscribe. Go to "Buy Items" after logging into your account choose your level and then checkout. You will have another 90 days access within minutes. You can download the detailed subscription steps here.

If your course has expired after 90 hours and you still have not mastered all the content, we will let you repeat that level FOR FREE for another 90 days. If you want to repeat the course, you have to remember to logout each time after you complete your online study. Our system records your study time only when you logout. If our record shows that you have not spent 90 hours on the online course, you will not be entitled to repeat the course for free.

30. I finished level 1. How can I access level 2 or level 3?
To access further levels, please go to "Buy Items" after logging into your account. Choose your level and checkout. You will see the newly subscribed levels after completing the procedures. You can download the detailed subscription steps here.

CD-ROM self-learning package
31. What is Mandarin Tutor?
'Mandarin Tutor' is the name of our CD-ROM self-learning package. If you are not able to take our Mandarin course, you can always use our CD-ROM self-learning package.

32. What are the requirements for my computer system in order to use the CD-ROM self-learning package?
The minimum requirements of installing Mandarin tutor are:

An IBM-compatible multimedia PC with 33MHZ i486DX or Higher
VGA with 256 colors
A CD ROM drive
A speakers and a microphone for recording
16 MB RAM
25 MB hard disk space
An MPC-compatible sound card
Windows 95, 98, NT or above.

33. How can I buy Mandarin Tutor?
You can purchase online from our website. To buy online, fill out the registration form to become our member. This is a free service. Then you can simply pay online with your credit card. You can also pay with check or cash at any one of our centres. You will receive your login user name and password after payment has been received.

34. Can I use the registration information online for Mandarin Tutor?
No. Mandarin Tutor is not yet a network enabled application.

Payment issue
35. Is it safe for me to pay online through your website?
All payments initiated from www.newconceptmandarin.com will be handled by our payment service provider, www.paydollar.com. Paydollar will take care of all the security issues necessary for online payment. We do not hold any credit card details.

36. My credit card is not in US dollars, can I still pay online?
Yes, you can. We accept all major international credit cards. All transactions initiated within www.newconceptmandarin.com will be settled using either US Dollars (USD) or Euros. We offer reference exchange rates in Hong Kong dollars, Chinese RMB, Korean WON, Japanese Yen, and Australian dollars in the product list. Exchange rates used in the currency converter are used for reference only. For the exact rates, please refer to the bank exchange rates on the date of transaction.

37. How is the delivery cost calculated?
We have 4 different regions of delivery categorised as

Region	Details	First 500g	Every additional 500g or below
1	Region where our major centres are located.	USD 14	USD 7
2	Major Asian Cities, USA and Major European Cities.	USD 28	USD 7
3	Major African and Middle East Asian Cities	USD 35	USD 14
4	Other cities not listed	USD 70	USD 14

List of area included

Approximate weight of our products including packing material are listed below for your reference

	Item (1 piece)	Weight with package
1	Mandarin Tutor (CD-ROM Kit)	250 grams
2	Course Book	520 grams

DVD Business Chinese Video
38. How do I get a copy of the student workbook that accompanies the DVD video?
If you purchase a copy of the DVD without the accompanying workbook, please order directly from our online store and we will send it to you by post.

39. Am I allowed to use the video in my classroom?
If you purchase a legal copy of the video then you can use it for private viewings for classroom usage. You are not entitled under the law to make additional copies, distribute or screen the video in public for a fee paying audience. If you have any further questions regarding this, please contact us for clarification.

40. How long does it take for me to receive the video after I buy it online?
Please allow 2-3 weeks for us to process and post the video to you. All postage, unless otherwise requested in standard airmail, will be paid by yourself.

41. Is the video for sale in bookstores?
We would like it to be - but don't rely on searching bookstores across town. If you are a distributor or retailer and would like to stock our product then please contact us - we would like to hear from you.

42. How long is the video?
The duration for each of the three DVD discs is over 60 minutes, but as it is an interactive menu-driven disc, you can easily stop, start and replay at any time.

43. Can I view the video clips online?
Yes. We are the first language centre in the world to provide subscription-based video-on-demand learning content. This is designed to be an affordable and convenient alternative to purchasing the DVD discs. Please try our sample clips and subscribe to our video course online.

44. Can I see a demo clip?
Yes. To view the sample of our video-on-demand Business Chinese series - click here to access the sample area.

Centre Locations
45. Where are your locations?
We are constantly adding new centres. We now have locations throughout Mainland China, as well as Hong Kong (Group Head Office), Singapore, Germany, Vietnam and the Philippines. Click here to see detailed addresses of all our centres.

46. Can you help find me a teacher even if you don't have a centre in my area?
Yes. Especially for our corporate clients, we can arrange for our teachers to travel to cities or locations that are not yet covered by a centre office. This is often the case when a client requests intensive training or to participate in an immersion program - at their location.

47. Can you open a learning centre in my city?
If you think there is sufficient demand locally for learning Chinese, then yes we would definitely be interested. If that's the case, to help you and your company or colleagues to get started, we may even arrange for you to receive training before we open a centre. If you are in China and need Mandarin language training services then please contact us today with details. If you are located internationally and have an interest in becoming our franchisee partner - then please complete a franchisee enquiry form.

Click here to Contact us with more questions!

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