About "Real You Mandarin: Beginnings"

Do you offer free trials?

You can preview a free lesson HERE before purchase. This lesson is the exact same format as all other lessons within the course, so you should be able to get a solid understanding of whether or not the skill level and learning format is suitable for your needs. If it is a good fit, you are able to purchase the course directly from that free lesson portal.

What exactly do I get in the course?

Instant access to the 15 modules of content that include 60+ video lessons and 1600+ digital flashcards. Read the Course Syllabus to see the topics covered within each module. Video lessons include transcripts of each line in Traditional Chinese, with Pinyin pronunciations (including tones) and English translations. You are encouraged to practice echoing & shadowing each video to improve your speaking ability. Each digital flashcard (provided through Anki) is pre-built with the highlighted vocabulary word/phrase in Traditional Chinese, Pinyin pronunciation, a sample sentence using the vocabulary, and audio pronunciation.

Is the course only suitable for American-Born Chinese (ABC) & American-Born Taiwanese (ABT) individuals?

No. Although the inspiration behind building Real You Mandarin came from our own struggles as ABCs/ABTs and this group will always be the original intended audience for the course offerings, as we started to reach more and more Mandarin learners online, we realized that Real You Mandarin could help all advanced Mandarin learners find their voice. As long as your Mandarin skill level is sufficient to keep up with the Free Preview Lesson and you are interested in the topics outlined in the Syllabus, "Real You Mandarin: Beginnings" is suitable for you regardless of your cultural background.

Is the course a one-time fee?

Yes. With your one-time payment you get instant access to the entire "Real You Mandarin: Beginnings" course. There are no recurring payments after your initial purchase.

Are there refunds?

No. As the course is a digital product that gives you instant access to all content upon purchase, all sales are final and no refunds will be given.

Do I get access to future offerings from Real You Mandarin for free?

No. Your purchase of the "Real You Mandarin: Beginnings" course entitles you access to the plethora of content outlined within the Course Syllabus of this specific course. Any future courses or paid offerings from Real You Mandarin would require additional purchase.

Is the course offered in Simplified Chinese?

No. The course is only offered in Traditional Chinese, but is phoneticized using Pinyin throughout, and all of the content is translated into English as well. As this was our first course, we wanted to get the content out as soon as it was available, so we pushed ahead with Traditional Chinese as both creators are Taiwanese/Taiwanese-American and thereby use Traditional Chinese by default. We strive to offer future courses in both Traditional and Simplified Chinese.

Does the course include live lessons or practice?

No. "Real You Mandarin: Beginnings" is a self-paced course featuring on-demand videos. You are encouraged to practice speaking on your own using echoing & shadowing techniques leveraging the course videos. However, upon course purchase, you also get access to the free students-only Discord community where you have the opportunity to initiate practice opportunities with other students in voice channels and/or in real life, though these efforts are self-directed by the students and not orchestrated officially by Real You Mandarin.

Can I connect with other students?

Yes. As mentioned above, upon course purchase, you get access to the free students-only Discord community where you have the opportunity to connect with other students. There are regional channels created for students to find other students in their local area should students want to coordinate meet ups.

I bought the "Real You Mandarin" course on or before February 2025. Is this the same thing as "Real You Mandarin: Beginnings"?

Yes. We changed the name of the original "Real You Mandarin" course launched in July 2024 to "Real You Mandarin: Beginnings" in February 2025 in order to give more flexibility to the Real You Mandarin brand to create more offerings under the same umbrella without causing further confusion. We apologize for any confusion this may cause existing students.