Question about Rosetta Stone
 

Hello everybody! I've been checking threats of this nice forum for a while, but this is my first post =D Hajimemashite.

I don't know if this is the correct place to ask this (if it isn't, i'm really sorry...!!). I've heard great things about a software called "Rosetta stone", which they say is good to learn Japanese. I've been studying Japanese for a while and I'm starting to have a good level, but I think it might still do some good to me that software.

Any of you have used it? Is it really worth to pay more than 100 $ for it?

こたえはありがとうございます!! :)

I have never used it, but the Rosetta Stone system is different from whatever language learning system you are using now, because they apply the same system to all languages.

I have heard it works well for Italian and Spanish, but not so well for Asian languages...but, like I said, I have never used it myself.

I would stick with what you are doing now.

I think if you aren't completely sure if you will find Rosetta stone useful or not i would always recommend iKnow! - The Social Learning Platform. - iKnow! over it.
Mainly because it's free, but also from my own experience with Rosetta stone, iknow does a better job.

Yes, iKnow is pretty good, but keep in mind that it only focuses on vocabulary (you can learn Kana from it, too).

As for grammer, I might suggest Tae Kim's Guide to Japanese Grammer.

I'm not sure how it works but I've heard it wasn't very good since it uses pictures and stuff and is like a multiple choice quiz, where you can just pick one until you get it right. But who knows....

I know someone who likes Rosetta Stone so well they ended up going to work for them, but the price is steep for investing in something you know so little about.

One I am familiar with is Pimsleur. And at least for Korean, I do not recommend it. I liked the format, but before the even the introductory lesson was done, I had found several vocabulary and grammatical mistakes. Pretty bad when a 1st semester student can spot errors!

=O Maybe it was trying to test you with those mistakes! You passed! :mtongue:

I have it, but like anything you have to put a lot of time into it. If you need to learn some useful phrases quickly this is not the program for you. I believe you can get a demo for the software for free from their website as well.

Look champ I've never used Rosetta Stone, but if you're getting lessons some other way stick to it, if it's not broke don't fix it. They might have totally different teaching styles which could conflict with what you have learned already and ultimately confuse you. Just hang in there.

I've used it. It's not so great with Asian languages, like MMM said, especially if you don't have a plug-in mic or headset to use.

They teach you words and everything as if you were growing up, as in conversational. I don't know if that's your goal, but I hated it. In my opinion, taking a formal course is better than not knowing grammar and just spewing out stuff you're supposed to listen and repeat.

hi :ywave:

I have used Rosetta Stone, It's good but not for beginners (like me :D ).. it will enrich your vocabulary, it includes several words sorted by categories with pictures, pronunciation, and text.

[Rosetta Stone Japanese screenshot]


picture from: TopTenREVIEWS Expert Product Reviews

I tried Rosetta stone. The voice/accent recognition is real fun, but in general the lessons are very lacking. Even at the highest lessons (at least on level 1) you're still only learning how to say "the horse is running" in a little more advanced way.

Rosetta Stone isn't really worth the money for asian languages, I've used it up to lvl 1 > Unit 2 > Lesson 3. Its nice for vocab and stuff but it doesn't take you indepth with the language. Try it, maybe you will like it. (You will find all three levels for free on the internet if you know where to look...). I currently use pimsleur and find it a lot more effective, almost like your talking with your own personal trainer. Although I am not too far in pimsleur yet, so I am still not sure weather I will stick with it. But so far, it is working very well.

Rosetta stone is good for western languages like Spanish, French, or German but not so much for Japanese. I personally tried it and didn't like it because all you learn is vocabulary, not grammar. I think the reason why Rosetta works so well for western languages is because it doesn't have to teach the grammar because we already have a good knowledge of it.

I tried Rosetta Stone for Japanese, and it failed. I felt like it treated me like a fool that knew nothing and was a slow learner.

Yes. That's how I felt too.

I tried level 1 just for reviewing purposes and it made me feel like I was still three years old.

^ Is this guy one of Shadow's characters or something? xD

Hello everybody.

Thanks a lot for your answers!!

Let me explain you a bit more about myself.

I've been learning Japanese for about 4 month by myself, without any teacher nor a course either (I think I would go too slow with one).

I'm actually pretty good at grammar (I'm already advanced enough), and I writte and read kana's and about 30 kanjis (I've been learning them just for some days now).

So I would like this program for vocabulary and a bit to see how the sentences are done (not the grammar rules, but the aplications). So by what you say, I think it might be good for me.

Thanks to all for your comments =D You've been so helpful. And sorry about my English. I'm not native speaker and I don't use to practice it so it's a bit rusty :)

be sure, it will be useful for you ;)

i want to ask you :rolleyes: , whith what you started for learning japanese? i am fascinated by japanese culture, so I decided to learn the language to understund more.;)

:vsign: :)

If vocabulary is what you're looking for, I'd go with the iKnow website mentioned before. That's what it is for the most part, and is made for long-term memorization. That is, you'll build up proficiency with a word over time, and you'll continually come across it in your lessons until you've mastered it.

Thanks to all for your answers. And yes, the !know seems to be really useful. I've learned a couple of new words with it on lvl 3 :) Thanks.

I wanted to put in my two cents for Rosetta Stone.

I've been attempting to learn languages for the past 6 years and have gone through German, French, Spanish, American Sign Language, and now Japanese. I find it extremely difficult for me to learn anything about any language despite my love of them. My inability to retain the information seems to have no bearing on whether or not I am taking college classes, self taught, or using a program/web page.

I found Rosetta Stone perfect for me BECAUSE it treats you like a child. I learn better visually so the program works perfect for me. I also tend to learn best when things are really dumbed down.

So in short I guess im saying that i think everyone learns differntly and the best way to find out if something works for you is to just try it out.

I agree with what most people said above though. If you have something that already works for you, stick with it.

~Nik

Maybe one reason you're not retaining stuff is because you can't really learn five languages in six years and retain it. It takes years just to learn one language. I don't think an adult brain can take learning more than two languages simultaneously. And only then, just barely.

To retain vocab, you have to use it every day. I don't know how you can do that with five languages simultaneously.