Rosetta Stone [JAPANESE]

[efpierce]

Has anyone had experience with the Rosetta Stone course? Particularly Japanese? I would like to learn and Rosetta Stone seems like a very good way.

[BWL]

I've never done it myself but have heard pretty good reviews about it. The course seems to be structured into 3 levels, but the contents are actually quite simplistic, you may have difficulty passing JLPT level N5 if you complete even all three levels.

There is a lot of dialogue but according to a friend who bought the course, it is all spoken and pronounced extremely slowly, meaning that you can learn a lot of vocabulary but will have problems getting used to ordinary Japanese spoken at normal speeds in everyday situations.

[bluesatoshi]

I've been using Rosetta Stone at school, and I've found it was a little tough to use at first, but I managed to catch on after taking a break for several days. From there I found a good strategy is to use it for a couple days, then leave it alone until next week, and then try and recall whatever was introduced the previous week because I guess that allows you some time to take in all that new information and make sense of it.

Overall it's pretty good.

[seville009]

I've seen it in use but I haven't tried used it. In my opinion, and that's all it is, I think Rosetta Stone is great with certain languages like Spanish and French. But with Japanese, the structure seems different and easier to learn by learning the syllabaries (?) first. To each their own but I'm not sure that Rosetta Stone would work best for me to learn Japanese. Now that I think about it, I should probably give it an honest effort first before  get too critical about it.   

[sillylucy]

I ordered their free trial a few years ago. I asked for a French sample and they sent me one in Polish. I think they were just trying to prove a point by saying "You can learn any language with this software," but it was disappointing that they didn't send me a French one. Anyway, it was very quick and you do pick up on terms quickly, but I didn't see any benefit more than my $20 Berlitz program.

[13vinylinfants]

I started studying Japanese with Rosetta Stone. Honestly, I couldn't recommend it. It's supposed to teach you the target language the way you learned your first language, i.e. purely through exposure and immersion. I think Japanese grammar is complex enough that it really requires proper explanation. I learned very little using Rosetta Stone compared to what I learned with Tae Kim's guide (which is free online, by the way. Google it.)

[apexa1]

It's helpful but should only be a tool in your toolbox of learning Japanese. It doesn't cover a whole lot so while you might learn some basic things, often you'll find you have no idea what something else means. it's worth a try though to see if you like it.

[Banianna]

Rosetta Stone is a fun starting point for learning basic pronunciation and some spoken vocabulary. Is not going to take you very far and is not even the best method of software. Pimsleur has much better materials, both written and in video and audio forms. It tries to cover most bases of learning. It is very expensive though and Rosetta Stone is sometimes available for free at colleges.

[extrafancyganza]

I've heard people talking about Rosetta Stone like it's the eighth wonder of the world, but I don't know. I haven't tried it. Judging from what people have written above it might not be worth the money, though. You'll probably find better free programs online.

[Sputnikops]

I use Rosetta Stone, but I have to say it's not perfect.

Like some people have already said, Rosetta Stone's method is based on immersion and learning through exercises, and while that is a good method of teaching something, it is not enough.

In my view, I think that it is best if you complement the use of Rosetta Stone with some other methods, mainly some more formal way of learning grammar and, in the particular case of Japanese, Kana and Kanji.