The first feature of Ladder Chinese is the GPS test, a language ability test for individualized learning plans. GPS helps learners to identify where they are within the 12-level system and recommends appropriate courses. With 8000 of the most commonly used words and phrases, covering the basics of business, travelling, and everyday life, Ladder Chinese provides the systematic guide needed for learners to make progress confidently… step by step.

In Ladder Chinese courses, learners are guided through a full range of interactions and given plenty of instructions , creating a language environment that helps learners learn much faster.

To speak fluent Chinese, learners need to overcome difficulties with both pronunciation and tones. In Chinese, there are four major tones. Tones are of critical importance because the same syllable spoken with a different tone might mean something completely different! But tones can be difficult because most beginning learners have trouble distinguishing between them.

In the practice section of Ladder Chinese, our technology graphs learners’ tone curves for comparison with the standard tone curves. Any errors in tone are easy to see. By making learners’ own spoken tones into a visual image, Ladder Chinese gives learners a new tool – their own eyes -- to make mastering difficult tones much easier.

In addition to tones, some Chinese pronunciations can also be difficult for non-native learners, especially those sounds which don’t exist in English and other languages. When the system identifies a mistake in pronunciation or tone, learners are prompted to enter the difficult pronunciation window, where clear instructions for pronunciation are given by breaking the syllable into parts and using similar sounds in English to indicate the proper pronunciation.

Enabled by state-of-the-art speech analysis technology, Ladder Chinese is able to offer real-time pronunciation assessment and instructions, helping learners to speak Chinese accurately!

We also offer a wide variety of activities, fun learning games, and lots of user-centred designs, making the process of learning Chinese both interesting and convenient!