High Cost vs. Free

[seville009]

Okay so over the past couple of hours I have been scouring the web looking for different language courses and the cost of them. Rosetta Stone as everyone knows is somewhat expensive for a lot of people. I understand that not many people want to spend that much on a language course but Rosetta Stone gives you a lot of value for your money and that is how they justify their price. Yet still I would not spend that much money へ へ. And I wouldn't do so because there are so many different websites where you can learn for free. Just go through the forum and you will find them. I suggest you look at every single one you can until you find something that works for.

Now I have no doubt that you can learn a good foundation for Japanese from any of these different sites or courses but if you were going to pay your hard earned money to learn a new language. How would you determine the value a course will give you? What would you look for from a course? What should you look out for that should raise red flags and make you put it back immediately? How important is a guarantee?

Finally, when is $695 US worth spending on a language course? I'm looking at you Pimsleur!

http://www.pimsleur.com/Learn-Japanese#cd

Or a $335 for a download of the same

http://www.pimsleur.com/Learn-Japanese#mp3

I'm sure that it is a wonderful course but how do they justify it costing so damn much?

[viciosomundial]

Well, if a course costs then you can view that as a motivation to not back down when you are in the process of learning! I know because I started learning Portuguese for free but stopped because I got lazy. 

Also, I would not personally pay for an online course. Just go to the nearest language school and get a teacher. I mean, it might be a little more pricey, but it is better to learn with a real person. The teacher can correct your mistakes and help you advance much faster.

$700 dollars....I would never pay for that hahaha, you are better off hiring someone else.

[seville009]

I understand  what you mean when you talk about paying as being a motivation. If you paid for it then you are more likely to follow through. Something doesn't seem to have as much value when it's free. I went ahead and purchased some books that totaled around $30. I'll let you guys know how they work out!

[pandandesign]

I would say it depends on how useful it is and how much do you actually need. I would say the one you have to pay money will likely be the one that's useful for you. On the other hand, free doesn't mean it's not as useful or helpful as the one that costs money. I would say you better go with the one that costs money as long as it's not too expensive.

[Czarownica]

Well, they know they can ask for such a high price, because some people are ready to pay that much. In my opinion, learning a language will always cost money, sometimes a lot, but I don't think self-study language courses are worth that much. It's better to invest in a good textbook or a language course with a teacher, even.

[seville009]

Well, they know they can ask for such a high price, because some people are ready to pay that much. In my opinion, learning a language will always cost money, sometimes a lot, but I don't think self-study language courses are worth that much. It's better to invest in a good textbook or a language course with a teacher, even.

I'm going to have to agree with you here. I mean even if you had the "best" program in the world and it DIDN'T cost you one penny, you still have to invest your time. Either way you're going to pay.

So can anyone think of something a program might have that would raise a red flag in your book?