ChinesePod

ChinesePod is a web-based Chinese language-learning service composed of three key components: audio lessons, mobile and online review tools, and live speaking practice with Mandarin Chinese teachers. The service was founded in October 2005 in Shanghai, by Hank Horkoff, Ken Carroll, and Steve Williams.

Overview

ChinesePod is a Mandarin Chinese learning platform that provides audio lessons, mobile study tools and exercise, as well as individual online tutoring lessons, which are designed for learners of every level. The company mission is "to make language learning easier for adult students".^[1] Learners can access content via smart phones, RSS feeds, and directly from ChinesePod.com.

Since 2005, ChinesePod has published over 3000+ self-contained audio lessons, each between ten and twenty minutes in length. Lesson content is divided into six difficulty levels (Newbie, elementary, intermediate, upper-intermediate, advanced, and media) and learners choose their own lessons depending on their interests and needs. Alternatively they can choose from a selection of ready-made playlists.

The Chinese host is typically complemented by a native English speaker who helps to explain the content of the lesson. Founder Ken Carroll appears in the earlier Newbie and Elementary lessons and was later succeeded by John Pasden between 2007 and 2013.^[2] John left ChinesePod in January 2014 to work on his company, AllSet Learning.^[3] Jenny "J-Dog" Zhu is the main Chinese host and was later joined by Li Dilu in late 2010, with Vera Zhang becoming ever more involved.

Connie Cheng appeared with various co-hosts in all lessons of the "Qingwen" series until late 2013. "Qingwen" focuses on specific aspects of the language that are requested by the user base.

In each ChinesePod lesson, the hosts help to break down the lesson dialog, which are recorded by native Chinese speakers at the company’s main studios in Shanghai. Accompanying every lesson are a range of cross-platform review tools, including vocabulary lists, flashcards, comprehension exercises, expansion sentences, grammar notes and interactive character writing practice.^[4]

ChinesePod was previously based on a 'freemium' business model similar to English as a Second Language Podcast; in 2011 it became necessary to purchase a package in order to access the lesson material.^[5]

Before September 2008, all levels of audio lessons were available free. They were irrevocably released under a Creative Commons license,^[6] so anyone who downloads them may freely share them, but they are no longer freely downloadable from ChinesePod itself. Internet Archive crawled the site at the end of 2007^[7] but did not make the MP3 files available.^[8]

ChinesePod was acquired by Bigfoot Ventures in January 2012.^[9]

In 2014, Fiona Tian was brought on, initially as a guest host on the Jenny Zhu Podcast, but later coming on full-time to work on upcoming video projects.^[10]In early 2015, Jenny, David and the Shanghai Office stopped producing podcasts, and the new team led by Fiona Tian continue producing daily podcasts from Taipei, Taiwan.^[11]

References