5 comments about Fluenz Version F2: Mandarin 1+2 (Win/Mac) with software DVDs, audio CDs, podcasts, and Navigator. Learn Chinese with the latest upgrade..

1. I loved this product. I bought both Rosetta and this and I prefer Fluenz.
   It was just easier for me to learn the language. Don't know if it was just easier for me as an adult. It was also cheaper...yet I didn't feel like I got cheated.
   There are only two disks and if you want more after the basics, I don't think there is much out there...I would like to see a Disk 3 and maybe even 4....but for now I am happy with my 40 lessons.....
   I am hopeful that I sound like a native would sound...or at least will be understood.



2. I first tried the immersion route and found that it was not working for me. When using an immersion technique, it is really quite easy to jump to the wrong conclusion on what a word means and how to use it. I truly became fearful that I might have to unlearn some bad habits after trying the immersion route for too long.
   
   I tried Fluenz and have been very impressed. The instructional approach and the tutorials have helped me understand and retain what I have learned. Additionally, I know it's right because the tutor is guiding my efforts in the right direction.
   
   I highly recommend.



3. Bought Fluenz Mandarin v1 (along with Spanish and Italian programs) in Summer 2008 from Amazon for myself and family. I am an intermediate Mandarian speaker/student. I was impressed by the teaching methodology and production quality of the language program. Have used other language learning programs (including Rosetta Stone, which I enjoyed and do not disparage) but for myself and the way I learn a foreign language I prefer the Fluenz methodology.
   
   I was further impressed by Fluenz when I was contacted by the company in October 2009 and sent an unsolicited, full upgrade for v2 of Mandarin, Spanish and Italian free of charge. You don't see that kind of customer service and value added very often. I thought that was an extremely classy act on the part of the Fluenz company.



4. So I just finished all of the lessons in the software. That alone should give this product a couple of stars....I have previously tried many different ways to learn Chinese (books, CDs etc), but each time, I have given up within 3 weeks.
   
   This product really kept me motivated, because it helped me retain the material! As other reviewers have mentioned, there are a ton of exercises to drill the new vocabulary in, which is so helpful. As background, I am a person who has a really tough time retaining languages....I took 5yrs of French back in High School, but the material just went in one ear and out the other. So the fact that I retained so much due to this product speaks volumes about its effectiveness.
   
   I attempted each lesson twice....one time, I'd take the full lesson, trying all of the exercises, and typing out all of the answers. The 2nd time, I'd skip some of the questions which I knew well. Now that I am done, I plan on trying all the lessons one more time, just to become a little quicker at translating the spoken Chinese (there are 2 really nice lessons at the end which have long sections of dialogue....its a good way to test how much you have progressed).
   
   So what have I learned? My wife, who is Chinese born and speaks fluent Mandarin can understand most of the phrases that I say now, which is nice. I haven't learned enough to carry out a 1min + conversation with her yet, but that's to be expected, since this product is an introduction to Mandarin. I can basically just ask her a few random questions. I'll need to move on to a different product now to further my education. If you just want to be able to survive in China on a short vacation, you should be okay (eg you do learn how to order at a restaurant, give instructions to a cab driver, etc).
   
   PROS (keeping this short, because many other pros mentioned in other reviews)
   -As I stated above, this product really works. I am pleasantly surprised with my progress.....not to mention the fact that it kept me motivated to stick with it all the way to the end.
   -There are several exercises that concentrate on pronunciation. The exercises where you tape yourself speaking are especially useful.
   -The podcasts are great! Hopefully they are making more of them. It was a great idea to combine the guy who was just learning Mandarin, with the expert. His mistakes combined with her tips were so helpful (IMO this section is more helpful that the tips given by the main instructor in the software piece).
   -There are 2 exercises which are devoted to tones. These are probably two of the most useful. As you may know, Mandarin is heavily dependent on tones. These exercises say several different words, and you need to figure out which tone is being used. I found this extremely difficult in some cases (maybe its just me?).
   -As you progress further into the product, you are tested on words that you learned a couple of sessions back. It's a good way to keep everything fresh.
   -The customer service is great. They answered my emails within the hour.
   
   CONS
   -Here's why I didn't give this product 5 stars: the lessons Vs cost. For the price I paid, I would have liked a few more lessons (maybe 10 or so more). I guess I would be satisfied with more podcasts instead. Alternatively, given the current number of lessons, I think a price approx $100 cheaper would be more fair. I guess this product is still priced cheaper than Rosetta, so I can't complain too much.
   -At the start of each lesson, Sonia takes us through the passage, and gives some comments. While I did like the concept of having an instructor taking us through the dialogue, I do have some complaints about this section. First, and most important, Sonia's pronunciation is not great (as my Mandarin speaking wife pointed out... she actually started laughing when she heard Sonia's words in a number of cases). I don't know why they just didn't get someone who speaks both Chinese and English fluently to teach this (there are many people who could do this, for example the girl in the podcasts). That said, the exercises are spoken by someone else, and therefore have the correct pronunciation. Also, I didn't really think the comments offered by Sonia about her experiences added that much value at all (although her trick to remember the word for restaurant was nice).
   -In the exercises where you need to type in the pinyin, and there are multiple ways of saying things which have been taught, the software only accepts the 1 answer. This can get frustrating when you think you have made a mistake, but indeed you are correct. Fortunately, I had someone to ask when I was unsure. But it would have been nice if they programmed 2-3 answers, particularly because they taught 2-3 options in those cases.
   -When you get an answer incorrect, and you press on the answer button, your original response disappears. Sometimes it becomes difficult to remember where you made the error (particularly when your mistake was to use the wrong tone), because you have nothing available to compare to the correct answer.



5. I tried Rosetta and Fluenz; and I firmly believe Fluenz is the way to got when learning Mandarin. The best thing about the software though is the customer support. I recently switched from a pc to a mac and Fluenz simply sent me a new disc at no charge! Can't say I expected that, and they always send updated software free of charge. Fluenz never forgets about its customers, and that's the way it should be.

5 comments about Rosetta Stone V2: Thai, Level 1.

1. The Rosetta Stone software is easy to install and get started with. It is easy to start learning words & phrases in the immersive environment it creates, however for situations where the written alphabet of the language under study is not common with the Student's language, it does have some drawbacks.
   
   I'm an English-speaker attempting to learn Thai. In written Thai, breaks between words evidently are optional, and the Rosetta Stone software does not employ them, making it much more difficult to associate individual spoken words with their written counterpart. There is also apparently no tutorial provided as to the complex Thai alphabet, though perhaps that's a subject for the next level yet to be released.
   
   I think it would be very useful for the next version of this software to employ word breaks (spaces between the words written in Thai) along with English subtitles in some of the exercises in order to speed the Students' grasp of the grammar and more quickly associate words. An alternative may be to include lesson-by-lesson word & sentence reference cards.
   
   The language disks are copy-protected, making it impossible to create a backup copy for use on the road. This is a shame since I travel a lot and don't want to risk carrying my $200 originals around.
   
   In spite of the mentioned shortcomings, I am making slow but steady progress in learning the spoken language, although I think that at this price range Rosetta Stone should work hard to fill in the obvious gaps.



2. I just received my Thai Rosetta Stone yesturday and have emersed myself in it.
   The program is phenominal. It basiaclly breaks the language down "Barney style" in that it teaches as you would learn had you been born in Thailand. You learn "ball, cow, man, woman, inside, outside on top" and then you learn how to put them together like "the boy is under the plane" and thats just the first section. There are 8 sections with around 10 subsections to each CD-ROM. There is a lot of information for those who wish to speak more than just casual Thai i.e. "hello, how much and where is a resturant." This program is for people who actually want to LEARN a Language. Those who give bad reviews I fear have a small attention span and cannot or will not give time to learn. It's an entire new language, of course it will be hard. I speak English, Russian and Thai. For all intent and purpose English is by far the most confusing to a non native speaker. Thai is easily grasped if you put forth the effort. I awoke this morning with Thai phrases running through my head with a clear understanding of what they meant without having to relate it to my native tongue before understanding it. And thats what Rosetta Stone does, it shows a picture with native writing and says the word or senetece in the language specified. I.e. it will not give for example the following "poo chai, a picture of a man and then say in English, "a man". This is the only proper way to learn a language, and with this program, one is well on his way to doing so. A+



3. This product, in my opinion, is wonderful! My family is from Thailand and my dad never taught me the language. So, never really had conversations with my family without translation. I have been to Thailand a couple of times and am definitely familiar with the language and alphabet. This course is very involved and deep. It is not for the person who just wants to learn a few 'key' phrases to get them by on a brief visit. This, in my opinion, is for the person who wants to learn a new language. If that's you... I highly recommend it!



4. I am a life-long student of languages and have been living in Thailand for several years. I have tried to study Thai on my own and with language tapes and language CDs over the years, even before I came here to live. I am finishing Unit I of the Rosetta Stone V2: Thai Level One language course, and I find it very helpful to me--but with one very serious consideration: the program's use of the Thai alphabet throughout with no explanation of how to read it would be highly frustrating to someone who can't read Thai. Fortunately, I took the trouble some years ago to learn to read Thai. I think it is essential to be able to read the Thai writing system BEFORE getting the Rosetta Stone Thai. You don't have to know Thai vocabularly before getting this course, but you certainly do need to know how to read that writing system. Once you can read the Thai alphabet, the Rosetta Stone program will be beneficial in learning vocabulary and how to speak the language. Thai is a tonal language in which every syllable must be spoken on one of five different tones. The writing system makes it clear which tone goes with each syllable.
   
   Several years ago, after trying two other books on how to read Thai, I came across "Thai for Beginners", by Benjawan Poomsan Becker. The course includes a CD,which is helpful. She made learning to read Thai almost a joy. She makes a steadily progressive and logical presentation of the writing system in easy stages. By the end of the book, you will be able to read Thai and have a good head start to make the Rosetta Stone Thai course work its best for you. That is my experience. When I bought Benjawan Poomsan Becker's "Thai for Beginners", I also bought her handy and easy-to-read "Thai-Englilsh English-Thai Dictionary". I strongly recommend both her books as prerequisites to the Rosetta Stone Thai course. I find the ability to read Thai and the occasional use of this dictionary essential for me to get the most out of the Rosetta Stone course. I hope there will be a Rosetta Stone Thai Level Two course available, soon. Note: "Thai for Beginners" and the dictionary are available at amazon.com.



5. I've been living in Thailand for more than six years and have a decent grasp of Thai, but not great. I wanted to learn more using the much-touted Rosetta Stone approach. What a nightmare.
   
   I was constantly asking my wife what this meant and what that meant. I understood a lot of what was said thanks to my current level of Thai, but many parts of each sentence I had no idea what they were talking about. If you are learning on your own without the constant help of a native Thai speaker, this will not work for you. Take it from someone who has knack for languages.
   
   Other readers have also commented on the lack of attention the importance of tones in the language. Someone who does not know this won't understand that there are five different tones in the language (hi, mid, low, rising and falling). Don't waste your money.

1 comments about Rosetta Stone Korean Level 1 with Audio Companion.

1. During my tour in the Army I spent a year in Korea. I learned a little Korean and was impressed by how easy the language was.
   I wanted to learn another language but didn't want to do it the conventional way or go back to school to do it. Then I saw the Rosetta Stone program and tried their demo out. I was impressed at how easily their process worked.
   
   Don't get me wrong, this still involves work, you can't learn it a couple of times thru but the way it's presented with pictures, spoken word and your interaction with voice print recognition makes it a really fun way to work. I enjoy every session I have with it and find myself saying words at work or around the house and to the dog. He seems to think I'm nuts! Anyway, I also realized how badly I was mispronouncing the words. The pronunciation lab (at least that's what I call it) shows voice prints and inflections. Once you can master the voice print and inflection you are saying the words the way they should be pronounced. They have even made this part of it fun. The Korean ideograms are also show atop the pictures and with all the lessons.
   
   I just bought the first level to see if I liked the program. I do so I'll get the rest of the programs as I need them.
   
   I believe you really can learn any language this way. It sure beats any other process in schools that I've used.
   
   Dave P

5 comments about Rosetta Stone Korean Level 1, 2 & 3 Set with Audio Companion.

1. Ok so I was really hoping to get to learn korean and I thought this was going to be a great way. I got it and I was feeling good about how things were going and then when I finaly moved to korea I was told my many korean friends I made, that the pronunciation was all wrong. I even show them Rosetta Stoe and they told me that is was flat out wrong in many ways. Rosetta Stone seems like it would be a great way to learn but it just really dropped the ball with korean.
   
   Hope this help you out!



2. I have been living in South Korea for just over 4 years, and I have tried different ways to learn Korean. Self-study with books, classroom study at a university, and Rosetta Stone.
   
   I think it goes without saying that studying at a university was the most effective way to study Korean. However, it isn't the most useful for me because it doesn't work with my schedule. Most Korean courses offered in Seoul are intensive and classes are often (not always) offered in a 9am-1pm schedule, Mon~Fri. I've known friends who tried to manage this while working full time here, and I haven't met anyone who didn't give up after a certain amount of time because they kept falling behind with their homework (due to working 8+ hours a day after 1pm). There are some universities which offer weekend courses, but again, for anyone who has ever worked a job with long working hours, sometimes the last thing you want to do on the weekend is drag yourself out of bed to get to class. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it definitely isn't for everyone.
   
   When it comes to studying alone with textbooks, this can be good for learning grammar, vocabulary, and writing. On the other hand, it's good for those things in written form. Studying alone with a book doesn't really help you speak the language very much. It's abnormal to jump to writing in terms of a acquistion cycle. We learned our first language by first listening+repeating (babbling), then speaking, next reading, and finally writing. Jumping to the final stage isn't altogether helpful outside of a classroom.
   
   As such, for people who have a busy schedule and know how to read and write Korean, have a basic understanding of the grammar and vocabulary, I totally recommend Rosetta Stone Version 3. I find it very helpful for myself. The early units are presented in a very formal way of speaking Korean, which may not be used everyday with people of young own age here, but it is still important to learn that language. Better to be too formal than too informal. Also, if you're busy, you caqn study when you want. Obviously, studying frequently is the best way to go, but people get busy and sometimes it's just not possible. With RS, if you don't use the program for awhile (a few weeks) when you open it next you are offered refresher lessons to remind you of what you may have forgotten. But the best part is, you're speaking. Not writing everything. I think that is what makes this program one of the best options for people who are studying alone, and who have a base knowledge of the language, and who want to improve at their own pace.
   
   For any of you who have read this far along, thanks for the time. I really think this product is worth it if you're willing to put in the effort, but most of all, you should know how to read and write Korean before you get started (which is very easy to lear. Hangeul is one of the most accessible written languages I've ever seen). Good luck to all in their language endeavors.



3. Look, Korean is a very hard language for Westerners to learn (though, once you get the hang of it, it is far more logical than English) - if you don't have time to take classes (and I think classes are frequently the worst way to learn a language) you are going to need all the help you can get.
   
   This package has been a real blessing. I'm moving to Korea soon with my wife. She is Korean and has pointed out the grammar errors that others have mentioned. The thing is, if you are going to start to get a handle on the sentence structure and vocabulary and the funny little idiosyncrasies that make the language a challenge, you are going to need something and there really isn't anything else out there. I have found it to be imperfect but well worth the cost.
   
   One thing - if you are doing to it, don't mess around - do it every day, devote at least an hour per session and don't listen to anything else while you are doing it. If you take breaks you are going to get frustrated and give up. I suspect many here who are complaining fall into this category. Also, run through the Core Lessons at least a couple of times for each section then mark the most challenging questions and return to those sets repeatedly as you move forward. Finally, take notes and carry them around with you - it will help.
   
   Also, don't use the free headset they give - they should never have included it. It is absolute garbage (for the cost of the software, they should really provide a better mic) and it will make the pronunciation section torture.



4. My Korean girlfriend bought the whole 1,2,& 3 for me, so I can't complain about the price, but I have other issues with it. Yes, the headset is crap and I don't use it. Also, I have had to restart my computer multiple times, because the program is slow and freezes up quite a lot, problems I never had with the older version of Chinese. As for the quality or method of instruction it has some value, but it goes from teaching easy stuff to testing harder stuff it never prepared you for. It's like they skip teaching levels, or the steps needed to learn and you are not able to advance unless you seek outside help or cheat your way through the program, which doesn't really help to learn it.



5. I bought Korean Levels 1-3 directly from Rosetta Stone. Straight out of the new package one of the ear pieces of the headset that Rosetta Stone supplies had broken off, leaving only bare wires. I called for a replacement headset, which was sent right away. The replacement came today intact, but both the original and the replacement share another problem: they do not fit well in my USB port(s). My Windows XP can detect either that there is a speaker that is malfunctioning or an unidentified device that is malfunctioning. So, give the program a try -- it's pretty good -- but if you want to take advantage of the speaking practice/feedback features without indulging yourself in a lot of needless headaches you should find another headset and not rely on the one that Rosetta Stone provides. Given the price -- and last year's big price jump -- you would think they could do a little better. (PS--Everything else USB that I use fits into those slots on my computer -- and works -- just fine.)

5 comments about Fluenz Version F2: Mandarin 1+2+3 (Win/Mac) with software DVDs, audio CDs, podcasts, and Navigator. Learn Chinese with the latest upgrade..

1. Many of the products and services available for learning Mandarin are audio-focused without a visual component. As a visual learner, I find audio products like podcasts and compact discs challenging and frustrating. For me to know a word or phrase, I have to see it. Fluenz fits that need nicely by integrating pinyin text throughout the application in ways that help me lock in new vocabulary. Even though Fluenz won't make you fluent, it will provide you with a solid foundation in tones, pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar so that you can use more general tools like dictionaries, flash cards, and language exchange to move to the next level.



2. at how great FLUENZ is. I'm currently in South Korea, and I placed my order last week Friday and got it today! Not only is their customer service top-of-the-line, but the product itself is fantastic. I seriously wish they had FLUENZ Korean and Japanese. I would have bought them in a heartbeat. I'm sure they will in the near future. Nevertheless, the program lives up to its name, and I can't thank them enough. Their customer service actually called me to make sure that everything with the order went okay.
   
   I own the original FLUENZ and have now upgraded. Again, take my word for it, they're great!



3. I did my research and found that Fluenz actually delivers. I thought learning Chinese would be hard, but I have found that it is easier than I thought. It could be because of the many, many ways you are taught that helps you retain new information. I really enjoy my sessions as it is fun and interactive. My nephew, who speaks Mandarin, is really impressed by how much I have learned in such a short amount of time. I recommend this product over the "other" big name because it delivers it's training at the adult level.



4. Great software and amazing customer support. While they don't have as many language choices as Rosetta Stone, for what they have, they are definitely superior. Good price too. I'm trying their French cds in addition to Mandarin, since I think it's worth it.



5. This program has helped me to stay motivated in my mandarin studies. I would also recommend using an intro book like New Practical Reader along with this program. The part I get the most benefit from in Fluenz is listening to phrases and typing them back in pinyin.

5 comments about Rosetta Stone Chinese (Mandarin), Level 1 with Audio Companion.

1. This is by far the best language software on the market. You will be speaking and understanding Chinese in no time. Several of the other reviewers have done a wonderful job of listing all of the outstanding qualities this program has to offer, but you really do have to see it to believe it. If you have ever wanted to learn another language, Rosetta Stone is the way to go.



2. wonderful product with spoken words, user can monitor his/her own speech compared to actual chinese speaker. many opportunities for review and test your own knowledge/progress.



3. I bought this product with great expectations. I have been trying off and on for years to learn to be mildly conversant in Mandarin Chinese. I completed two semesters of college level Chinese, but that has been some time ago. My interest rekindled by the Rosetta Stone ads persuaded me to try the product.
   
   The first course shows you a series of pictures with captions in Chinese along with a spoken description in Mandarin of what you are seeing. Later you are shown four pictures simultaneously on one screen with a query in Mandarin as to what you are seeing. The problem for me was that it was not always clear in the single photo series as to what I was seeing. For instance there is a picture of a chef cooking in a wok. Was this depicting cooking, a chef, a restaurant, or something else? There is no English subtitle or "cheat sheet" to help. When the quiz portion showed various pictures with a spoken query it was very hard for me to answer, because I wasn't sure as to what I had seen in the first place.
   
   I don't think I would have made it through the first three lessons had I not had previous experience with Mandarin Chinese. By the end of the third lesson, I was so frustrated; I couldn't continue and returned the product.
   
   There is one feature that I thought was good, but also appears in other software products of this ilk. Since Mandarin is a tonal language, the software matches your tones to the correct tone and alerts you as to whether you are correct or not. For Chinese this is a must have feature.
   
   Some people may benefit from this product if they are more visually attuned to what they are seeing. It reminds me of the icons used by many software products; many make no sense to me but seem obvious to others (which is why flyovers were invented).



4. The instructions on how to use the product were confusing and inadequate. I quickly decided that it was much too difficult
   for me to attempt to learn. The immersion method might be improved if the system offered translations as it was especially confusing. I could not figure out how the interactive portion worked as the User's Guide didn't explain.



5. Based upon all the marketing that Rosetta Stone does you would think that their software was really novel and far superior to other language learning methods, but after some time with the software I am not so sure. The software starts by having the user presented with various pictures and the software speaks the words for you for the phrases that you are practicing that particular unit. At no point even in the "grammar" sessions is the concept of even basic word order ever even presented. They basically presume that one is going to learn by trial and error, which given enough time will work, but without some basic understanding of grammar one is mindlessly repeating phrases until one discovers a pattern, which isn't exactly the most efficient means of learning. While that is obviously the *only* way people learn an L1 language (ie. your first language, mother tongue, etc.) with L2 language learning it is sometimes helpful in cases where grammar of the language that one is learning is substantially different from one's native language to have some direct instruction on grammar sense without knowing grammar you can't really understand or use the language. Since Mandarin Chinese isn't even in the same general language group it isn't too surprising that the grammar rules are a bit different than English and hence even a little background might be helpful.
   
   A few other criticisms that I see are that such obviously useful concepts such as cardinal numbers don't get presented early. In most language courses I'm familiar with such concepts get introduced fairly early. One thing that gets a bit monotonous is that there isn't much variety whereas voices. As far as I can tell there are two female voices and two male voices that simply get shuffled around. Another criticism I notice is the lack of authentic texts. In the traditional courses I've taken for a foreign language there has always been various authentic real world uses of the language in question (eg. newspapers, advertisements, cartoons, etc.) that are used in exercises. Despite the cost of the program so far as I can tell Rosetta Stone didn't bother to license the use of any actual authentic content. Obviously licensing content costs money, but it seems exceedingly lazy to not even try to spend the time to make up some content. If one were learning a language via immersion in a country where said language was the primary language one obviously would obviously see the language all around them in various non-contrived uses. Therefore, Rosetta Stone's boast of immersion seems to be a bit of marketing hype in my opinion. Heck, they don't even seem to teach anything about culture. In the absence of understanding a bit of the culture one misses out on certain cultural references or phrases that would be useful in conversations.
   
   Based upon the sample phrases I believe that I figured out a lot, but I ironically found "cheating" and looking up the definitions to a couple of the words in the canned phrases helpful insofar as that I wasn't guessing wrong repeatedly from the context of the sentence. The marketing claims that one can build confidence to use one's vocabulary in real situations, but I don't see any opportunity to actually create one's own sentences and have the software grade your grammar. As anyone who has ever used a grammar checker in Microsoft Word or similar application knows designing one that has perfect comprehension of grammatical rules can be difficult so expecting software to be able to grade your mini essays in a language that you are learning may be a bit of a tall order. This is one area that would find in a traditional classroom environment that doesn't really get duplicated well in this software. The "writing" sections are little more than picking 2-3 options. To make matters worse often times the answers are basically verbatim of what one had seen in the opening section of a lesson. Sure, I may have remembered the brief sentence from the opening lesson, but that doesn't mean I really understand the grammar rules or even understand what is being said. The rather repetitive near verbatim followup lessons make the lessons boring at times insofar as that one is merely reviewing existing material without learning anything new.
   
   While I think that the product clearly has some value for the cost of the product I am a bit disappointed. I could see this as more of benefit towards students as a supplement to more traditional foreign language instruction, but I could hardly recommend this as a replacement for traditional language instruction.

5 comments about Rosetta Stone Japanese Level 1 with Audio Companion.

1. I bought this for my husband as a birthday gift. He loves it! The teaching style is more of a language immersion than merely textbook reading.



2. I purchased this program for my grandson, a sophomore high school student, after I realized he was teaching himself Japanese by making his own flash cards. I titled this review as I did because the program arrived with broken head phones. He is using a pair of his own. Most disappointing was that there was no sound from the CDs. He had to clean off the CDs several times and with the help of his father several times tried to download the program. After those multiple attempts, my grandson is enjoying the immersion manner of teaching. Is this a problem of quality control?



3. My daughter was on this so fast and she quickly picked up the routine. The only con is if you have an eager student they are finished with level one very quickly but I don't think there is another system of learning a language that is as good with feedback.



4. Never could use the product, as it wouldn't load on the laptop. CDs were scratched and dirty. Waiting on Amazon to make it right. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM Lanara_27.



5. I've been using Rosetta Stone Japanese Level 1 for a few weeks now. It's a lot of fun and is addictive. You actually want to fire it up each day, not because you have to, but you want to!
   
   A couple tips I would offer:
   
   First, for Japanese, it's a very good idea to learn the Kana alphabets first. This is Hiragana and Katakana, the first is used for native words, the second for loan words. The characters represent vowels or consonant/vowel pairings that make up all the sounds in the Japanese language. Rosetta Stone provides some rudimentary teaching of Kana in the program, but it would be much more useful as a tool to solidify your grasp of the Kana, rather than for learning from scratch. Once you have the basics down (I recommend pairing a flash card product with an online audio/video source to get the pronunciation right), learning to pronounce words in Japanese will be much easier. Rosetta Stone lets you switch how the words are displayed, Romaji, which uses the western alphabet to spell out the words; Kana, which I just discussed, Kanji, which is the much more complex writing system based on Chinese characters and Kanji using Furigana, which displays the kana to pronounce the kanji above each kanji character.
   
   Romaji is a crutch that is best left unused as much as possible. What's great about Rosetta Stone is that after having learned the basics of the kana before hand, this software has greatly improved the speed at which I can read Kana and I am starting to recognize words at a glance, rather than having to sound out everything. I'm also learning to recognize a lot of the Kanji characters by using the product mostly in the setting to show Kanji with the furigana. Previously, learning the Kanji just seems way too daunting.
   
   Second tip is to power through as much as you can, even if you don't understand everything at first. The way the software helps you learn, it's easy to puzzle out an answer even if you don't really understand all the words in the sentence. Over time, your brain starts to figure out the pieces you are missing. The software will schedule reviews of previously learned materials, but I would recommend not waiting...
   
   What I did was create two user profiles for myself. I pushed through all of Unit one, doing a half hour to an hour each day. I was able to get scores mostly in the 90s as I went, even if I didn't really understand everything. It was when I hit the end of Unit Milestone, that I quickly identified my strong points and my weak points. That's when I started over again with a second profile. I was amazed that at the second way through, the elements I wasn't really grasping were now much more obvious and the holes in my knowledge started to fill in. I also found that repeating full sentences was much easier and much more fluid the second time through.
   
   I plan to alternate this way as I progress, a unit at a time. I'll do unit two with my first profile next, then repeat unit two with the second profile, etc... When I finish all four units this way, I plan on repeating all four units from the start before moving onto level 2.
   
   Third tip, speak the language as much as you can. Listen to the audio companion and repeat the words and phrases, even if with out the context of the images the software provides, you aren't sure what you are saying. Also, when you encounter something in your daily life that you can describe or address with what you've learned in Japanese, do so, even if it's just to yourself. Is someone running? Are you drinking juice? Is a girl walking? Is a dog eating? Is a woman wearing a skirt? Use the Japanese phrases you've learned to describe what you are seeing. It helps a lot to solidify your knowledge by using the language this way. If you have a patient and supportive friend, family member or even pet that doesn't mind you telling them what things are in Japanese, (even if it goes in one ear and out the other), do so!
   
   In addition to staggered review, as I mentioned in tip two, if you find yourself completely lost, take a day off, then go back to earlier lessons and work forward again. The entire program is building a foundation for your understanding of the language a brick at a time and you will be amazed how lessons that had you scratching your head a week ago will be so much more clear if you back track and repeat the journey. :) However, don't obsess about knowing everything 100% before you move to the next lesson. You'll just burn out if you take that approach. It really is best to push your limits before going back and working through a stretch a second time through.
   
   I've tried to learn Japanese with other methods and Rosetta stone has been by far the best. I've learned more in the last month than in the previous year of sporadic self study using books and CDs. Stick with it, backtrack when you need to, or for review and it really will build an understanding of the language over time.

5 comments about Rosetta Stone Japanese Level 1, 2 & 3 Set with Audio Companion.

1. I'm been using Rosetta for a while now. I'm suprised how well it works for learning a language. I did have to buy other books to advance my learning. The one thing I would like them to add is a translate button. They often give out sentences in their exercises. I know some of the words from the exercises, but I had to guess at the others. I bought a dictionary to look up the words I didn't know, which is also a good way to learn.



2. Rosetta Stone Japanese is the strongest part of my multi-faceted approach to learning Japanese.
   
   I don't think there's a perfect single system to learning Japanese. Although, as been pointed out in other reviews, people learn a language in different ways, in my opinion one way that's going to work well with almost everyone is to use a number of sources more or less simultaneously. Even true immersion, meaning going to Japan and staying away from English speakers, is going to leave the learner guessing on many, many points. The use of textbooks and a dictionary normally will be needed to round out the true immersion experience.
   
   I am finding that with Rosetta Stone as my centerpiece I am learning Japanese much better and more quickly than I expected. In addition I have a lexicon, a number of textbooks, Rocket Japanese (for the car), a friend who is native Japanese, and I make regular visits to the internet and specifically to international chat rooms where I practice making up Japanese sentences ("dare mo ocha o ikaga desu ka" -- would anyone like tea?).
   
   The great thing about Rosetta Stone is it uses a sort of limited immersion. From the first lesson there's not one word of English or any language other than Japanese (I imagine this has the happy effect for Rosetta Stone of permitting them to market equally to speakers of any language). The photos are, in the main, perfectly understandable. Occasionally it's hard to tell what they're talking about. In a lesson about household places, we see a boy and his grandfather at a garden gate. What does "ie no soto" mean -- garden, gate, back yard? If, like me, you drop out of Rosetta Stone and head for the wider internet or consult the lexicon, you'll discover it means "outside the house." However, it works well most of the time.
   
   There are also, as has been said elsewhere, a few minor problems with the voice recognition software. I will occasionally have the program tell me I'm pronouncing something wrong the first two times and right the third time when I've pronounced it identically all three times. This, again, is far from the norm.
   
   Starting with pictures of "onnanoko" (girl) and "otokonoko" (boy) and proceeding through complex sentences and sets of sentences, this program truly helps me understand the language. The problem with a lot of tourism-based programs is that they teach you well how to parrot set phrases, but you'd better not stray off the path or you have no idea what's going on. If you're really interested in being able to converse with Japanese people (and this is why I'm learning Japanese), you have to understand what words are used for.
   
   As I've pointed out above, I think any single language learning method is going to leave large gaps, but for people who learn language from a combination of seeing, hearing, reading and speaking, Rosetta Stone is my best recommendation for the central feature of a group of complementary methods.
   
   Ganbatte!



3. I was rather skeptical when I decided to give this product a try, thinking it might just be too boring to sit in front of the computer to learn a language. However, this product really did impress me. I am actually addicted to learning the language. Although there are a lot of repetitive tasks, but it makes the words or phrase stick to you like a glue. Though I did find that there are certain words/phrases that the furikana is not in tune with the program, and thus become confusing, as I am not sure whether it's pronounced incorrectly or written incorrectly (I had to look up in Japanese book to find that it was written incorrectly in RS). The microphone that came with the program does not seem to work that well, although I did find that you have to wait a second before speaking into the mic, otherwise it will not recognize your pronouciation. Overall I think this product works for me, however it is overpriced. I would consider getting another language program through RS if it wasn't priced so high. I will most likely consider Fluenz product for my next language learning tool of French and Italian.



4. Konichiwa
   
   That's the correct way to spell hello in Japan.
   
   Let me tell you what I really love the way this program works,
   
   I've recently purchased this program from a Kiosk on the 13th and on the first day I got half of lesson 1 done and I've stopped for the day, I got frustrated with Rosetta stone and I thought I wasn't learning anything at all, because I couldn't remember half the words they were teaching me.
   
   Well day 2 came around which was 15 and I've tried again but I've actually started comprehending what I was seeing & learning with kanji, However I still got frustrated and I've stopped again. I noticed the pronunciation started to sound familiar to me and I could get a lot more right and understand it so so. Ok so it's Jan 19th and I had to go to the big city to look for a sushi making kit & some nori which I've found at the asain / japanese store, and the Kanji lettering started to look like letters & words forming in front of my face and I was totally blown away I can see that early in this program.
   
   I'm very excited to what I can do in the 6 months time frame and after 6 months, I will give this program 1 billion stars & A++++++++++++, It's WORTH THE $589 that I've borrowed from my wonderful and grateful folks.



5. Someone clearly put a lot of time into creating the Rosetta Stone program. The production values are pretty good. But, the purpose of the program is to learn Japanese, and the amount of Japanese you can learn from all three programs is very limited. Better to spend the money on covering more material, and skip the bells and whistles.
   
   In my estimation, all three programs are insufficient to equal even one full year of college Japanese. I'm not saying that the program is bad, just that it is limited in the amount of material covered. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but given the shockingly high price, I think I had a right to have those kinds of expectations. I would have returned it if I could, but I foolishly bought it on sale when it cannot be returned.

5 comments about Rosetta Stone Chinese (Mandarin), Level 1,2 & 3 Set with Audio Companion.

1. Quite some time ago, I was able to obtain Rosetta Stone v.3 (Mandarin) through the Amazon Vine program. I then immediately sent it to my daughter in China for a real-world evaluation. She had found herself suddenly plunked in the middle of China (in Xi'an, to be precise) due to a series of unexpected and wonderful events in her life. As she had never dreamed that someday she would be living in China, she had no prior preparation in the Chinese language. Rosetta Stone helped her get a feel for the logic of the language, which then helped her learn how to form her own sentences. She had some Chinese friends help with vocabulary and practice with tones in keeping with the local accent. (Chinese is a tonal language.)
   
   Her favorite feature of Rosetta Stone was the interactive software. The software is able to recognize tones and provide feedback. She said that was the most helpful aspect of the product. The vocabulary was less helpful. She was on the staff at a Chinese university, and Rosetta's lessons were focused more on the needs of a tourist. So learning sentences like "I'd like to go swimming in the pool" did not help too much with her real life situation.
   
   She lived in China for a total of three years, and by the time she left she was doing quite well with Chinese. She credits Rosetta Stone with helping her to learn basic Chinese quickly, and that knowledge provided her with a framework upon which she could build increased fluency. She recommends Rosetta Stone Mandarin for anyone wishing to learn Chinese from the ground up.



2. I had high hopes for this software, as Rosetta Stone has a very high profile and is quite expensive. I evaluated it simply to see what the quality of the product was; I am already an intermediate level Mandarin speaker (native English speaker).
   
   Rosetta Stone has one core thing right: the principle that you learn a foreign language best by avoiding "translation" in your head. It is much better to learn Chinese by seeing a picture of an apple and saying/hearing "pingguo" than it is to look at it and think "apple" in English and trying to translate to Chinese. In this regard, their method is effective.
   
   Where this program is lacking, however, is in not teaching the Chinese characters. It sounds strange to English speakers, but it really is true that learning the characters is absolutely essential to learning to speak the language well. (I resisted this at first too, but luckily a college professor saved me from my wrong thinking). I would love to Rosetta add an option in the software that allows you to learn the characters as an intrinsic part of learning the language.
   
   If you're just trying to learn to be conversant, and don't want to learn the characters, and prefer not to be tied to your computer, I find the Pimsleur CDs to be a better option.
   
   Overall- good program - but don't fall for the hype that learning Chinese is going to be easy. It's a lot of hard work; this is a decent aide for starting that long journey.



3. bit pricey but i think if you are commited to learning mandarine then it will be worth it. if it were a computer chip that meant you could speak chinese and was 300 quid then you would most likely do it. this takes more time but i am sure the end product will be similar.
   i am teaching english to chinese children at the moment and the techniques are very similar.
   i believe it is the best program on the market.



4. I've had this for a few months now, and I thought I had been making good progress. I like how Rosetta Stone sort of immerses you in a new language and for the time that you are using the program, you feel like you are in a different world. You hear words and select pictures (you kind of feel like a little kid when you do this), and it really seems to work quite well (I am still only on Level 1).
   
   Here's the thing though. I have a few Chinese co-workers who speak Mandarin and they are telling me that I'm not saying the words correctly! I use the microphone when I'm saying these words and I seem to say them just fine (according to the program)! I was reading some of the other reviews here, and it seems like people are on to something. Since Mandarin is a tonal language (different tones of the same word mean different things), it is hard for the microphone to decipher differences in tones rather than differences in voices (i.e. how does the software know if the difference in tone is because a man speaking vs. a woman speaking or because someone is saying the word wrong?).
   
   I'll say one thing though, for any NON-tonal language, I think Rosetta Stone would totally ROCK! I took 4 years of Spanish in High School, including an Advanced Placement (AP) class, and while this would make it hard to really learn grammar, irregular verbs, etc., I really do believe Rosetta Stone would make it much easier to become conversational in Spanish than the boring/repetitive/etc exercises that we used to do in Spanish class!



5. 
   I'm born in Taiwan but brought up in Sweden. I've lost much of my Mandarin and the older I get the more I forget and the more I've regretted I didn't listen to my mum, who tried her best to maintain my Mandarin skills. But I'm finding out it's never to late to start a new, or to rediscover, a language.
   
   As I'm only using the program to learn vocabulary and speech, I can't accurately review the reading and writing part of the program. Also, my ears are still very sensitive to the different tones used in Mandarin but I'm not sure how sensitive the program is. It should be, as this is a very, very important part of speaking Mandarin.
   
   But overall, I'm pleased with the program and I'm finding it very enjoyable.

5 comments about Human Japanese.

1. This is a great CD software for someone who wants to learn the language or maybe to use to review the basics or vocabularies. It does show a fairly good details how the grammer works and explains brief culture of Japan along the way in the lessons. This way you get an idea what Japan life is like. The best feature I like this is option of listing to native japanese speaker speaks either a word or sentence. This will help tune your accent to sound like real japanese. Also I like how it explains the lesson in a simple and casual manner. Not very technical to the point your head hurts or needed a teacher to explain. If you cannot afford Rosette Stone yet (which I also recommend), this is software to start with. By the way, you need internet to use your program to verify verification.



2. This program is for beginners, but it is a lot of fun to use! I really enjoy this! I love the quizzes that it has. It is so fun!



3. I have not yet really mastered the Japanese language yet due to me being lazy and not having much time, but the time I have spent using "Human Japanese" has been well spent. The lessons seem to progress logically and are informative. All in all i am satisfied with this product and would buy it again. Now it should be noted that I only gave this product 4 out of 5 stars, but that is not saying there is anything wrong with this product. It is just that I do not give 5 star ratings unless the product I am reviewing exceeds my unreasonably high expectations. All in all I would say if you are on the fence about this product, I don't think you will find a better piece of software for the money and probably many that are not as good for more.
   
   Buy it.
   
   Otis



4. I really liked this program. it was simple and easy to understand. It covers speaking and writing very well, I would recommend for the beginner. Another cool thing is it installs on your computer so you don't have to use the CD everytime. Works great if you have a laptop with an external CD drive like I have. It also remembers where you left off from the last time.



5. I've taken a Japanese class (using the Genki text) and this software supplemented my previous knowledge almost from the very beginning. The interface is simple but elegant. The tone of the chapters is friendly and conversational. I like how it introduces Hiragana and Katakana immediately. Also, the verbal pronunciation of the terms, the cultural asides, and the games are great features. I highly recommend Human Japanese to anyone who is looking for an easy introduction to the Japanese language.