Learn Chinese in Ireland with ChinesePod
Free of charge until May 1st 2010!
Learning Mandarin Chinese is a lot of fun. It's also extremely easy to start learning with ChinesePod.com's award-winning video & audio lessons, online study tools and expert teachers.
Better still, as part of the 'Learn Chinese in Ireland' campaign, we are inviting every resident of Ireland to learn with ChinesePod.com, FREE of charge, until May 1st 2010 (no catches, no obligations)!
Join our Irish co-founder, Ken Carroll, plus the rest of the ChinesePod team (and our 250,000 worldwide users!!) for the BEST introduction to Chinese available outside of China.
Start Learning FREE Today
*SMS texts cost €1 plus standard network charges (SP OITG 0818286660). To be eligible, you will need to be in Ireland and have a +353 mobile phone number. Offer ends 31st October 2009.
For help with this process, please email us.
For press & general enquiries, please email Ross Cranwell or phone [+8621]51780707.
For non-Irish residents, you too can try a free 7-day trial.
Why Ireland?
We believe that building closer ties with China, the world’s emergent superpower, will assist Ireland’s long-term economic recovery – and that language and cultural understanding is the best way to do this!
Now is an opportune time for the people of Ireland to learn more about China!
Listen to the Irish Ambassador to China, Declan Kelleher, discussing the importance of Sino-Irish relations.The Irish pavilion at the Shanghai EXPO will be visited by thousands of people every day for six months. You can learn more about what’s going on in one of the world’s most exciting cities!
We believe Ireland’s students, entrepreneurial business people and tourist industry professionals can also benefit from an introduction to Chinese.
As an Irish entrepreneur himself, Ken Carroll believes in Ireland’s ability to get back on track through innovation and investment in education.
Listen to him discussing the campaign here >>ChinesePod is uniquely positioned to offer Ireland Chinese language learning due to our scalable platform and unrivalled content of 1200+ award-winning lessons of every topic and study level.
Gaelic speakers arguably have a head start when learning Mandarin, due to their familiarity with síneadh fada (acute accents) in the Irish language (comparable to the 5 tones used in Mandarin). Whatever your existing language skills, though, you’ll have a lot of fun learning with us!
1200+ award-winning audio and video podcast language lessons Each 10-minute lesson is packed full of Chinese culture and practical language, delivered daily, straight out of our studios in Shanghai, China!
Click here to listen to a lesson! >>ChinesePod is the BEST way for absolute beginners to start learning Mandarin
– anyone can learn Chinese!
Learn on-the-go with your mp3 player, laptop or smart phone – download them from our site or iTunes
Our iPhone and Android apps supplement the learning
Online groups and discussion boards make learning fun and engaging
ChinesePod’s Shanghai-based team provide online and Skype-based teaching. At the click of a mouse, you can connect with expert Mandarin teachers
EnglishPod>>, FrenchPod>>, SpanishPod>>, ItalianPod>> & OpenLanguage>>
What people are saying about ChinesePod:
"You'll be up-and-bantering in no time..." Washington Post
"...the podcasts resemble a lively radio segment." The Financial Times
"ChinesePod has taught me so much; not just the language but also great insights into Chinese culture. The enthusiasm of the teachers is infectious and makes you want to learn even more."
User Bayless
“You guys are AWESOME!!! ChinesePod is the perfect educational tool in allowing the learner to gain real-world experience, confidence and interaction with the Chinese language.”
User janhahn
"...By far my favorite Chinese-learning resource."
user danjo
"ChinesePod is the best way to learn Chinese!"
user forevastacy
Chinese Learners in Ireland
Name: Jason Duggan Occupation: IT (Sales)
Jason is a ChinesePod subscriber who also attends the Dublin Chinese Language and Culture meet-up (see below)
On learning Chinese:
"I have visited China twice now and have many friends in and around Shenyang, so I would really like to be able to converse with people in Chinese.
"I feel that the world dynamics are changing, that Chinese and China will become more and more important, and so having Chinese will stand me in good stead in time. I also like the language, too!
"I guess the thrill of being understood in such an ancient language, one which is totally different from any European language, is another motivation."
Occupation: Senior Lecturer in the School of Computer Science and Informatics at University College Dublin
For two years, Henry has been the UCD coordinator of a joint degree programme in Computer Science with the Software School at Fudan University, Shanghai. He began learning Chinese last year and is a Premium ChinesePod user.
Henry experiences in China and in learning Mandarin:
"I am fascinated by Chinese culture and history, but the language barrier initially seemed to me to be impossible to overcome, especially as I had never been able to learn another language before.
"Last year I was due to spend four months in Shanghai. I took some lessons over a two-month period and it was enough to get me really interested.
"I am finding that having even a very small amount of Chinese is opening new doors for me. I am also amazed by how my Chinese friends are so happy to help once they know I am trying to learn.
"My goal is to get to the point where I can conduct basic conversations with my students and friends. I guess you could say I am hooked on the language now."
"I have been a subscriber to ChinesePod for almost a year now. I am really starting to find it useful. It is especially good when I am not in China because it gives me a chance to practice and to continue learning."
On the Learn Chinese in Ireland campaign:"This is a wonderful idea! We already have a small number of UCD students studying in China and I know that there is a lot of interest here in finding out more about the country and the culture."
Dublin‘s Chinese Language and Culture meet-up (pictured here) is a great place for learners to practice their Chinese. Yu Liu, the meet-ups organizer, told us more:
"This group is open to anyone who is interested in Chinese language and culture. Currently we are having meet-ups every other Wednesday in Karma Bar, Dublin. It is quite relaxed, with a balanced mix of native Chinese speakers and learners."
You can find details of the meet-up here
Yu Liu also shared with us his insights about Mandarin learners in Ireland:
"I have seen an increase of Irish people learning Mandarin in recent years. People choose to learn Mandarin for different reasons, as far as I know: Some of them truly like Chinese culture and language; some of the learners have good experiences with Chinese friends in Ireland, or they have either lived or travelled in China. I have also seen people learning Mandarin so that they can work in China or do business with China."
