Rocket Japanese vs Rosetta Stone Japanese – Which Learn Japanese Course Should You Go For ?

With a good amount of learn Japanese language programs on the market it can often be tricky to determine what to go for plus what actually fits your studying style. This short article will contrast Rocket Japanese to Rosetta Stone Japanese. With any luck, you will then be able to make a better judgment about whether one of these programs is for you.

The very first thing to mention is that Rosetta Stone is predominantly a software program. It is one of the better learn Japanese software programs in reality but if you don’t have time to sit down at a computer or prefer to study  in another way then it might not be for you. They do have an audio companion guide now – (CD’s you may load on your ipod and play each time you feel like it).

Rocket Japanese also needs you to spend a fair amount of time at the computer. As an illustration the three games (which are similar in style to Rosetta Stone) have got to be played from a PC or Mac computer.

If you are looking to use the feedback features of Rocket Japanese then you also need to be logged onto their website.

Rosetta Stone makes use of their unique ‘Dynamic Immersion’ method to show you Japanese. Chiefly this calls for no conscious thinking on your part. You are immersed in the Japanese speaking world and pick up words owing to practice and repetition.

It does this through saying a word or sentence (or showing a word or sentence) and showing you four pictures. One corresponds to the word or sentence. You need to guess which one. You undergo a number of questions – 20-25 for each lesson/module. If you receive a high score for the lesson it is possible to go to the next lesson.

This is the same manner which you used to master your native tongue – seeing a picture and relating a word or sentence to it. You don’t have to consciously learn what the word means. It simply sticks with sufficient repetition of the image/word grouping. This could even be done with difficult sentences. And is how we learn a language as a youngster.

Rosetta Stone also has a program which will scrutinize your pronunciation and a headset comes supplied these days.

Rocket Japanese is more traditional in that it is predominantly an audio program with added reading material that teaches the grammar of the language and introduces vocabulary. There is a Rosetta Stone style series of games that employ the same picture/word association instruction that is used with Rosetta Stone however it is not as complete.

It also has plenty of multiple choice testing that is good to give a student comment on how he/she is doing.

Rocket Japanese is more aware of students as they have a community forum and the program seems to have changed in style over the past few years, indicating that they are taking note of their students regarding how to improve the program.

Rocket Japanese can be downloaded from the web for $99. Rosetta Stone Japanese level 1 can be purchased for approximately $229 (depending on where you purchase it online). Nonetheless, you have to get the other 2 levels to complete the set so it is much costlier than Rocket Japanese (you can bundle the 3 levels together for approximately $540).

Rosetta Stone Overview

On the plus side -

Simple teaching style, no need to learn by heart or jot things down – pick up language like a newborn does.

Can teach pronunciation through voice analyzer software

Negative points -

High-priced, if you choose to have all the levels but may be cheaper than employing a tutor or going to a face to face course

Requires plenty of repetition and practice if you wish to remember what you learn. Better still, make use of what you learn immediately by chatting with a Japanese speaking person and it ought to stick.

Check out Rosetta Stone Japanese here >>>

Rocket Japanese Overview

On the plus side –

Get a little of everything – comprehensive audio course, three Rosetta Stone style games and a good grammar/vocabulary written guide which has embedded audio components.

Good price point – less expensive than most study Japanese courses of this type

Aware of students requirements and queries – reasonably active forum where it is possible to ask questions. They also send out follow up lessons to your email address.

Negative points -

No pronunciation instruction, you must repeat the words after they are spoken in the audio subsequently no real feedback.

Check out Rocket Japanese here >>>

Verdict

You can’t fault the production values of the Rosetta Stone program. It is a professional looking and working piece of software. Uses immersion technique and analyzes pronunciation. It is expensive and requires plenty of time in front of the computer.

Rocket Japanese is well produced. More traditional than Rosetta Stone. It has a bit of everything as far as teaching techniques go (pseudo immersion, mp3 audio course, games). Considerably cheaper than Rosetta Stone if purchasing the downloadable version.

Rocket Japanese represents better value for me.

Check out Rocket Japanese and how to get a free 3 day trial here >>>