I first learned about Inspirlang and its founder Jade Wu through her teaching of Cantonese, Mandarin -- and most meaningfully for me -- Taishanese via her energetic social media presence. After a convivial 15-minute coffee chat with Jade, I learned that I was an advanced enough speaker of my mother tongue to take LEVEL 6: Intermediate Taishanese. Over 8 Thursday evenings in early 2024, four classmates and I met with Jade over Zoom for 90-minute sessions. I loved every moment of our time together. First of all, I'm so grateful that Jade, a native of Taishan herself, but twenty-five to thirty years younger than I, would combine her language savvy with entrepreneurial energy to create Inspirlang, a space in which students of Taishanese could gather together to improve our language skills and our cultural understandings. Though I wished that I had mastered Taishanese Romanization and more Chinese writing and reading beforehand, it didn't matter. Jade was able to accommodate the varying skill levels of all her students. It seemed that everyone felt at home; I certainly did. I'll be forever grateful to Jade for being willing to take up topics that we brought up, such as how to talk about the sometimes alien topic of forgiveness and love among Taishanese people who love each other tenderly but long to convey those feelings in words. I'm also grateful for my fellow students. There are relatively few opportunities to learn Taishanese (unlike Mandarin, for example), so it felt particularly precious to be in the presence of others outside my family and close-knit circles with whom to speak Taishanese. I loved my classmates and look forward to keeping in touch with them beyond the class. read more

I found out about Inspirlang after watching a video by Jade. In this video, she talked about Taishanese, why she taught it, and how she feared losing that piece of her. This video broke my heart while simultaneously inspiring me. To give you some background, I am a 2nd generation Chinese-Canadian. My mom's family speaks Toisan/Hoiping, but my mother, aunt and uncles were told not to speak Chinese. My grandfather wanted to master English; he wanted them to have perfect English. My father is a Hong Kong immigrant who grew up extremely poor. After moving to Canada, he became a pharmacist. My father worked almost six days a week, typically for twelve hours a day, to prevent my sisters and me from facing the same hardships he faced. As a result, I never learned Cantonese, apart from the odd word here or there. My fiancé's parents are from Hong Kong, and that helped me pick up more vocabulary! But I never succeeded in learning Cantonese. Jade's video spoke to me in many ways. Before my paternal grandparents passed, I never had a chance to get to know them or talk with them. My relationship with my father's sisters was peculiar, as they hardly spoke any English if they spoke at all. But through this video, I also acknowledged that Taishanese & Hoiping had died on my mother's side of the family. This realization was quite hard on me since my grandmother (Hu Hu) had a stroke and now struggles with speaking anything but Hoiping. It was then that I decided I would finally put my heart and soul into learning Cantonese. I have always had a fear that my (future) children would experience the same language barrier that I did if my father and my in-laws were to develop a medical condition that affected their ability to speak. I originally booked a coffee chat with Jade to assess which level to start with. At this time, I could barely speak any Cantonese. My sentence structure needed to be corrected. Sure, I knew a few words here or there, but I really couldn't say or understand much. Jade was so kind, though, and encouraged me to start at level 1 to get a foundation. I agreed and signed up a few weeks before the course was set to start. After watching Jade's video, I was impassioned. I decided to take it further and hire a private Cantonese tutor. Going into beginner level 1 was a breeze for me, but luckily, the class was quite dynamic. Nicole, the instructor, had a unique way of integrating new vocabulary into each class, even though most of the foundation topics were familiar to me. I started learning Cantonese about two months ago. At this time, I could barely speak any Cantonese. Now, I can understand A LOT more. I even performed part of my wedding vows and welcome speech in Cantonese, thanks to Jade's help! I addressed my grandparents, in-laws and my dad's sisters in Cantonese during my welcome speech. My in-laws and aunties were so happy; they kept telling me how glad they were, how good my Cantonese was, how pretty I looked. I owe this all to Jade and the team at Inspirlang. I never imagined I would reach this level so quickly, but your dedication and inspiration are what keep me going on my learning journey! I can't wait to take another Cantonese class one day, and I can't wait to take a Taishanese course eventually. Thank you, Jade. Thank you, Nicole. And thank you to the entire Inspirlang team! read more

Inspirlang's Taishanese Level 1 & 2 online classes have been such a gift and joy! My family immigrated to the US from Taishan (Toisan, Hoisan, 台山) in the early 20th century, but stopped speaking the language due to assimilation. I always wished I could learn it, but never saw any place that offered classes until I found Inspirlang. The instructors, Jade and Edmond, were so friendly, patient, and supportive. They both do amazing work creating and sharing Taishanese resources outside of the class, and their passion for the language really shows in their facilitation. Though there were various experience levels and dialect differences and many students (including myself) were very shy to practice, the instructors were always super encouraging and adaptable, and able to engage and validate everyones' knowledges and experiences. I appreciated that the classes were small (8-9 people), which allows for lots of question-asking and discussion, and seem designed for busy people with the very low stakes/manageable homework load. A bonus of the classes being on Zoom were that they drew in students from all over North America, and it was great getting to learn about Taishanese experiences outside of where I'm from. I definitely recommend the classes if you're a heritage speaker looking to learn or enhance your Taishanese, or for anyone interested in the language. They're fun and engaging, and have allowed me to connect with my culture and relatives in ways I never imagined. I'm so grateful to Inspirlang for making that possible! read more

I was introduced to INSPIRLANG from my sister who took the beginning level Cantonese class. Having an interest in learning Mandarin, I decided to try out the beginning Level 1 Mandarin class with Feng Liang. Previously, I had been listening to a Mandarin podcast in an attempt to self-educate, but felt that I was missing the interactive component necessary to progress. I was very happy that I made the decision to enroll in Feng Liang's class! Feng is patient and encouraging. He engages and challenges me to apply the new vocabulary to everyday conversations. He is helpful in answering questions, explaining cultural nuances, and defining aspects of the words/characters to help me remember them. His classes are highly interactive. I encourage anyone wanting to learn Mandarin to enroll in INSPIRLANG. In addition to the classes, they also offer helpful supplemental written and audio material. read more

Absolutely love it! Going to class has never been such a fun experience! The teacher always comes with a great attitude and is ready to answer any questions you may have had during the week. The teacher also usually doesn't shy away from going off curriculum if sees fit for the class' interest at that moment. You'll cover basic, medium and advanced grammar as you progress, great colloquial and everyday expressions and sayings as well as a plethora of vocabulary that you have time to study and revise in-between classes or semesters. I've taken Cantonese and it's improved tremendously since I've started the classes! Highly recommend to anyone who fancies learning Cantonese, Mandarin or Taishanese! read more

Great classes online. I've connected with some of the classmates as friends, and I learned how to speak comfortably and a bit confidently.

I have taken Inspirlang's Cantonese & Mandarin Zoom classes and had such a great experience! Wennie and Liang 老师 are both wonderful and incredibly knowledgeable. The small class sizes make it less intimidating for me to ask questions. Jade also puts out so many great free podcasts in Taishanese, Mandarin, and Cantonese! I have 3 of her books so far :) She is so dedicated to spreading more awareness about these languages and cultures and is such a warm, welcoming person. I highly recommend checking out Inspirlang's classes if you are looking to brush up on your Chinese or just to learn something new! read more

rose gaynor 1 review a year ago-Edit I just completed Inspirlang's Level 1 Beginning Cantonese class. Jade was a gifted instructor who enthusiastically engaged us students with detailed lessons, lively conversations, and very patient corrections in our pronunciations. Best of all, we laughed a lot during class. I have already signed up for her Level 2 Beginning Cantonese class. Update: 9/28/2022 I have taken all of Jade's Cantonese ZOOM classes and am currently enrolled in her Conversational Cantonese, Level 7! She has truly inspired me to continue learning my heritage language, guiding me through her excellent curriculum, encouraging and prompting me when I falter, and always positively reinforcing all efforts at conversing in Cantonese. read more

I've taken Jade's Heritage Taishanese courses level 1 and 2 and I would full-heartedly recommend it. Jade created an incredibly supportive and fun learning environment that actively encouraged us to keep practicing and expanding our vocabulary. Jade also artfully presented language learning materials in relation to Chinese American histories and culture. Taishanese is critical to the history and present of not only Chinese American communities but Chinese communities around the world, and as a historian of Chinese Canadian and Chinese American history and a 4th generation Chinese American, I truly applaud the work Jade is doing. This course not only helps to preserve and expand the use of Taishanese in the diaspora but also powerfully provides a good foundation to better and more deeply understand and engage with Chinese diasporic culture. Learning Taishanese also made me feel closer to my family history and encouraged new and fun conversations with my family, and in a time where connections have been strained I have been very grateful for that. read more

The advanced conversational Cantonese courses I have taken at Inspirlang with Jade have been excellent! I first came across Inspirlang when I found one of their podcasts on Spotify "Cantonese Diaspora" - it was my go to podcast while dishwashing at the start of the pandemic, and gave me a new framework to view the global Cantonese community. The conversations were conducted in such a way that felt so accessible and honestly refreshing! I reached out shortly to learn about classes and remember the 15 min virtual coffee chat I had with Jade to evaluate what level class I should take. I felt so seen in that short time span, and taken seriously as someone who wanted to really work on my Cantonese. The classes have exceeded my expectations! The amount of new vocabulary I've acquired and also all the opportunities to have continuous conversation and practice in a non-judgmental space with peers has been invaluable especially during the pandemic where virtual connection feels fatigued. Jade is a truly caring individual, community building, and very skilled educator & linguist. I love seeing all the pieces of Inspirlang she has built out across the Chinese dialects, books + podcasts, social media resources, and language classes. If you've been thinking about whether or not to take a class, I recommend just do it, you won't regret it! read more