Rosetta Stone Version 3: Japanese Level 1, 2 & 3 Set with Audio Companion

Rosetta Stone Version 3: Japanese Level 1, 2 & 3 Set with Audio Companion | Makes Language Learning Fun, Really!

software:

Rosetta Stone Vers...

	Rosetta Stone Version 3: Japanese Level 1, 2 & 3 Set with Audio Companion Mac OS X, Windows \| Rosetta Stone, 2008 average customer review:based on 44 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Better than a college class

I took Japanese at my local university last year and did not learn nearly as much as I did using Rosetta Stone.

Here's what I love about this program:

1. What I really love about this Rosetta Stone is that you can wear headphones, listen to a word or phrase, and then repeat back what you heard. If you say it wrong, the program corrects you and has you say it again. We did not do that in my university class...it was all rote memorization and listening to our professor yammer on and on.

2. Rosetta Stone costs about the same as a university course, but allows you access to the "instructor" after you have completed the lessons. You can refresh your memory whenever you want.

3. Rosetta Stone is so easy to use, you literally plug and play.

4. The program tracks completed lessons.

5. Rosetta Stone has impressive photographs that help cement the word/phrase in your head.

6. The lessons are brief. My university class lasted 2 hours. By the end of the period, my head was swimming with unfamiliar words. I like that the lessons on Rosetta Stone are only 30 minutes long.

7. Rosetta Stone is so convenient. You can learn Japanese from the comfort of your home, before work, after dinner, in between your favorite tv shows.

for more information click here

Makes Language Learning Fun, Really!

The Rosetta Stone method tries to emulate native speakers by plunging you right into the language, not quite total immersion, but perhaps the next best thing. It accomplishes this with pictures and phrases, without taxing you by making you memorize vocabulary and making you conjugate countless verbs. You sort of assimilate the language by association as you look at a photo, hear a phrase and try to figure it all out. Does that sound difficult? Believe it or not, it's not.

One nice thing about Rosetta Stone is that you can move at your own pace, without worrying about being left behind. However, you have to be careful not to go too long before going back to the program. Like a child learning how to talk, you have to keep at it, but if you do (you can skip a day here and there) you'll find you really do pick up on the language.

I've been using both the Spanish and the Japanese courses for three weeks now and I haven't missed a day, save for one very hectic Sunday with either course. I had four semesters of Japanese in College and lived six months in Madrid, where I worked pretty hard at studying Spanish. but all of that was a long time ago. But I do think my experience with both languages helped me a lot, especially with the Japanese, as the grammar is so very different from English.

I am moving through the courses at a pretty good clip, but like I said, I've had prior experience in both languages and I'm pretty dedicated when I set my mind to something and I really like the challenge of studying two languages that are so different at the same time. It beats watching reruns of House and Boston Legal and with Rosetta Stone it's not nearly as difficult as you might think, in fact it's kind of fun.

for more information click here

What a Nice Way to Learn a Language

It seems to me that Americans are pretty much known world wide for their lack of languages skills. When we travel, we seem to expect everybody to speak English. If they can't understand eggs over easy, then we come home and tell any and everyone who will listen, how backward those people in Japan, Spain, France or Sweden are.

And am I any different? I'm an educated person, but not a word of Spanish, Japanese or any other language do I speak. Well, maybe I can rectify that. I got an opportunity to get the Rosetta Stone for those languages and I told myself this would be a good hobby, picking up a couple languages. Well, I don't know that I'll ever be fluent, but at least I'll be able to get by if I ever make it to Spain or Japan.

First off, I wondered if I could possibly learn two languages at once, but then I thought back to college and I certainly was able to learn more than one subject at a time, so why not give it a try, make it a challenge, make it a hobby, make it fun.

So I installed both languages on my computer, but I don't do them back to back. I do Japanese in the morning, before I go to work, let it percolate all day. And I do Spanish at night, let it drift through my dreams. Is it working? Been doing it for three weeks now and I know some words. Plus I've made little labels and stuck them on just about everything in my house. Below the glasses in my kitchen cupboard are the worlds "koppu" and "vaso". I don't wait for the words to come up in Rosetta Stone, I've got dictionaries. But when the words do come up, I've got a head start and they put a smile on my face.

Back to the program. Level One is supposed to give you a foundation in essential vocabulary and it does, at least it seems from my point it gives you what you need to get around a bit. There is no translation, instead you learn by looking at pictures and hearing the words, much like a child growing up and let me tell you, sometimes I feel like a child as I work through the lessons.

Level two builds on the vocabulary, taking you from simple sentences to some that are a little more complex. That's where I am now and I have to admit, this isn't all that difficult. I do go back and repeat lessons and I've started tuning into some of those Mexican soap operas that seemed so funny when I didn't understand the words. I understand a few now and they're still funny. We don't have an Japanese TV, but even if we did, I think it would be much harder for me to pick out words and phases. The grammar is so different.

All in all I have to give Rosetta Stone five stars, because it's kept me occupied for a couple hours a day for three weeks and it looks like there's no end in sight. Well, let's hope there is an end someday.

for more information click here

Interactivity makes language immersion really work

Rosetta Stone's method is based on a technique called "Dynamic Immersion." You're immediately thrown into the language you want to learn -- there's no English allowed. This sounds daunting, but the software starts you off at such a rudimentary level it isn't intimidating.

Thankfully, the app employs a good variety of interactive methods (matching pictures to sentences, writing caption for photos, hearing words and phrases pronounced correctly by native speakers, etc.) so the "by rote" factor stays low. Rosetta Stone says its techniques are modeled on how native speakers actually learn their own languages, usually while still kids, and I think that's a good description for what the software delivers. You start with words and then move on to phrases, and then with level two you get to conversations. Level three kicks the conversational up a couple of notches. It's a natural progression.

I really like how the program keeps track of what areas I'm botching and pulls me back into those areas for more work. I also like the pronunciation practice via the included headset, although I can't verify it's always catching me when I'm mispronouncing things. To my ear I'm doing OK, but my ear isn't the best, hence my use of this program. If I'm pronouncing things badly and the program isn't always catching my errors, I'm not sure how I'd know, if you see what I mean. (I'm sure I'll find out once I begin practicing on real people.) My hope is that I can nail the rudiments of Japanese and get a good grip on simple conversations using Rosetta Stone before trying to find people to practice with/on, thus keeping my embarrassment factor low.

I think there are people who prefer a more standard "grammar-first" approach because they've found in the past that this is what works for them. I imagine there are also people who don't like looking at computer screens for lengthy periods. These are valid concerns. There are different pedagogical approaches for a reason -- not everyone learns in the same way. My guess is that Rosetta Stone would serve the majority of people very well, especially students who are comfortable with computer-based learning. Ideally, I think this program will work best for people who are studying a language using many "inputs" (text books, audio programs, computer apps, foreign-language media, Akira Kurosawa flicks, native speakers, etc.) All of these things will ultimately reinforce one another. The more immersion, the better.

Overall, I am very pleased with this product. The program's interface is well-designed, I've experienced no bugs or glitches, and I am making progress faster than I thought I would (or at least I think I am). I'd give the app five stars but I cringe just a little bit at the price. I don't think it is overpriced for what you get, mind you, but the cost -- well, it is what it is. There is a demo on the Rosetta Stone Web site that I encourage you to try before buying. It'll give you a good idea how well this program will work for you. If you like the approach, the price for all three levels is well worth it.

Keep in mind that learning any foreign tongue will realistically take a while, especially Japanese. Rosetta Stone shortens the learning period a good deal and makes sticking with the program easier, but it's only a foundation. Still, it's a pretty darn good one.

for more information click here

Great product but serious defect in the product needs to be addressed.

I was excited to get this set. When I opened it up I was amazed at how comprehensive it was. This was one of the most well put together language kits I've seen in a long time. Not only that, but it was easy to install and the lessons are so simply laid out. It literally does what it says. But, there was just one problem. When I installed the headset the way it said in the directions, I could only get one ear muff to work. Now, ordinarily if this were a cheap product I wouldn't expect too much for an included headset device, but when someone ordinarily pays hundreds of dollars for such a kit, you kinda expect it to work. I thought this was just my particular set, but when I did a search I came to find that hundreds of other people are having the same problem. There are also some issues with their customer support line. For a company that makes such a wonderful product, they need to get their act together. Rosetta Stone has the potential to be the best thing out there, but they for some reason ignore the little details that count the most.

for more information click here