User Comments - John
John
Posted on: The Colors of Money
November 22, 2013 at 1:41 AMYeah, I would guess that the powers that be are just kind of stalling on the implementation of the new higher-tech bills.
Posted on: Chinese Graded Readers and ACTFL
November 21, 2013 at 5:24 AMRJ,
On the iPad, there is a link at the bottom left of the reader screen that can take you to exactly where you were in the story when you clicked on the vocabulary footnote link. I don't have a Kindle myself, but my business partner does, and I believe the Kindle has something similar (a hardware "back" button?).
Posted on: The Colors of Money
November 21, 2013 at 4:49 AMI've heard rumors of a 500 RMB bill. The big problem is counterfeit bills, and making the largest bill 100 mitigates the risk a bit.
Posted on: Chinese Graded Readers and ACTFL
November 21, 2013 at 4:40 AMPretzel,
It's really not that simple. You can find plenty of "children's books" in simplified Chinese with pinyin, but the grammar and vocabulary are ridiculously formal, difficult, and impractical. Most of the "traditional stories" type fall into this category.
So the challenge of creating a good graded reader is not merely a good story with pinyin; we actually want to avoid the need for pinyin as much as possible. The real challenge lies in creating a good story for a certain level. (The lower the level, the more challenging this is to pull off.)
Posted on: Chinese Graded Readers and ACTFL
November 18, 2013 at 11:58 PMGary,
It's so gratifying to read this! That's exactly what we're trying to accomplish with these readers. Thank you so much for sharing.
Posted on: Chinese Graded Readers and ACTFL
November 18, 2013 at 11:57 PMlilywhytelegs,
It all depends on demand! I take it you're casting your vote for traditional?
Posted on: Chinese Graded Readers and ACTFL
November 18, 2013 at 12:42 PMMike,
Yes, that's because the other two titles are still under review by Apple (but are out on Amazon). The remaining two titles are coming out later this month (again, on Amazon first, then iBooks later).
Posted on: Chinese Graded Readers and ACTFL
November 18, 2013 at 12:41 PMRJ,
It would appear that you can, but you have to install the Kindle app for PC:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/
There's also a web version:
Posted on: Chinese Graded Readers and ACTFL
November 18, 2013 at 12:29 PMGlad you like it! Transliterations in literary works really annoy me too, and when it's a main character's name, the constant repetition really does grate. So none of that with Mandarin Companion.
Posted on: Chinese Graded Readers and ACTFL
November 22, 2013 at 1:43 AMThanks a lot, Bodawei! Let me know if you know any other "just quirky enough to be interesting" stories you'd like to see us do.