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Editor's picks

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  Rosetta Stone Japanese Level 1-3 Set

  Software (Rosetta Stone)
  

  Rating (58 reviews):

  (3.2/5)

  

  In Defense of Rosetta Stone Japanese

  I have learned a lot of useful and coherent Japanese from this program. The Rosetta Stone method works well when it comes to learning the foundations of the language and engaging in intermediate level conversations. I also think that the Japanese version is one of their better offerings.The most important thing is that Rosetta Stone is geared toward audial learning and feedback for your own pronunciation and comprehension. While I have had some issues with the Italian version of Rosetta Stone accurately recognizing and grading my accent, this has not been the case with this course. As you may know, the Japanese language is composed of phonetic particles which are highly regular, but need to be emphasized and articulated precisely. Rosetta Stone excells at this, because there is simply one clear, right way to say the word, and they get you to say it just right.As mentioned previously, I took Italian in college, and my teacher from Florence said my accent was my... 4/5 C.J. Hustwick (Riverside, CA) - See all my reviews, February 22, 2011

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  To Truly Get a Feel For Spoken Japanese - Worth It!

  Before I start my review I want to give you a little background. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Japanese Language and Literature from the University of Washington. I've taught English to Japanese students in Japan from grade 6 through 12, then college age students from Nagasaki University. I've also taught American English speakers Beginning Japanese classes at the local community college for two semesters, with students ranging in age from about 18 to age 60.I'm reviewing Rosetta Stone Japanese based on my experience as a Japanese language learner, a Japanese language teacher and an English language teacher for Japanese people.There are three parts to learning with Rosetta Stone included with the cost of this set:Rosetta Course - Select images and text on the screen by speaking, clicking or typing the answer.Rosetta Studio (online for 9 months) - Converse and interact online with a native Japanese speaker using the same vocabulary and... 4/5 Roxanne Mchenry "eBook Publishing Expert, Wri... (Montana) - See all my reviews, March 12, 2011

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  Overpriced. Has problems, but does what it says it will do.

  I bought this item directly from Rosetta Stone, paying, unfortunately, more than I would have had I bought it directly from Amazon. Live, learn, and expect a (usually) better buy from Amazon! Apart from my negative feelings on the price, I have the following comments on the program: it is very slow to load and run. It does, as other reviewers have said, freeze without warning. When that happens, I can only go to another section of the lesson I am on to get it back to responding again. And, it usually freezes at the same place in the program. So, the program has bugs in it. Yes, as one reviewer has said, the pictures of some activities are too small to determine what response the program expects of me. Fine differences make for drastically different expected responses. The program is, as advertised, total immersion; there is no English language help available in the program, and all questions, answers, and expected responses are all in Japanese. So, anyone expecting any hand holding... 3/5 John Brady (LA) - See all my reviews, January 14, 2011

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  List Price: $399.00
  

  Audio Companion for CD or MP3 player; learning application for iPhone or iPod Touch device

  Interactive language software with proprietary speech-recognition technology

  Build vocabulary; spell and write accurately; speak without a script

  Develop language skills to enjoy social interactions; share ideas and opinions

  Language-enhancing games; live online lessons; includes headset with microphone

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  Human Japanese

  Software (Brak Software)
  

  Rating (55 reviews):

  (4.7/5)

  

  Learning a foreign language with a human touch

  Human Japanese has an elegant, yet simple user interface that walks users through a storybook of learning Japanese. The lessons are simple, yet effective, and contain lots of cultural and lingual information one could only discover by living in Japan. I'm teaching English in Japan, and I even learned things I hadn't realized yet.The style of writing is warm and has a conversational tone that keeps me reading. That's something I think is really important when learning by book or even software. It reads like a really knowledgable and interesting....friend. The easy-access reference on the side let's you look up translations without jumping out of the lesson. That's really convenient.I've tried the declan software and the rosetta stone software and it's all about vocab and phrases or trying to make you remember the words through pictures. Just reading the introduction chapter of Human Japanese really shows how much the makers of this software care... 5/5 Lee W. Hericks "culture lover" (Japan) - See all my reviews, January 19, 2008

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  Revolutionary

  About me: a freshman in college, took three years of Japanese in high school and now am taking it at my university.If you're just getting into Japanese, this is the best $24.95 you'll ever spend in your learning endeavors. It's essentially a sensei-in-a-box. The format is like how I was taught--you learn the writing while learning grammar while learning culture, but in a fluid, logical way. Short of taking a class or getting a tutor, this is the best way to learn Japanese. I even suggest it to those in beginning Japanese classes. It is an excellent supplement.The writing style is genuine and interesting, and it almost feels like the conversation of a close friend. It compels one to read further and takes away any sense of learning as a chore.Rosetta Stone is a poor excuse for a language-learning program. It's essentially a vocabulary building program with no actual thought to teaching the workings of a language. Not to mention that the aesthetics of... 5/5 J. L. Ross "N Igmatic" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews, December 19, 2008

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  Better than the Human Japanese 1...but not much changed.

  My first experience with Human Japanese was the very first version released. It was a simple program that, while not very attractive to look at, presented Japanese in a simple way that anyone could really understand.When I heard that there was a Human Japanese 2.0, I rushed to get the demo and eventually the full version.Well, first let me talk about Human Japanese in general. As the name implies, the program tries to teach you Japanese in a "Human" way. Without fancy terminology or complicated explanations, but rather doing it in a way that a tutor might teach you. Giving you little hints to remember writing, or making silly acronyms to remember concepts, this program tries to do things like that. It certainly is refreshing to see that kind of teaching being used in a computer program.Human Japanese 2.0 is broken up into 40 lessons, some focused on grammar while others try to steer the reader towards learning new words and expressions along with writing. At... 4/5 piepiepie75 - See all my reviews My first experience with Human Japanese was the very first version released. It was a simple program that, while not very attractive to look at, presented Japanese in a simple way that anyone could really understand.When I heard that there was a Human Japanese 2.0, I rushed to get the demo and eventually the full version.Well, first let me talk about Human Japanese in general. As the name implies, the program tries to teach you Japanese in a "Human" way. Without fancy terminology or complicated explanations, but rather doing it in a way that a tutor might teach you. Giving you little hints to remember writing, or making silly acronyms to remember concepts, this program tries to do things like that. It certainly is refreshing to see that kind of teaching being used in a computer program.Human Japanese 2.0 is broken up into 40 lessons, some focused on grammar while others try to steer the reader towards learning new words and expressions along with writing. At... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , April 8, 2008

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  List Price: $24.95
  

  Instantly searchable dictionary of vocabulary words and grammar terms

  Teaches the core engine of the Japanese language, not just vocabulary

  Over 1800 recordings of example words and sentences by native speakers

  Animations of every Hiragana and Katakana character

  Review quizzes and games

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  Rosetta Stone Japanese Level 1

  Software (Rosetta Stone)
  

  Rating (10 reviews):

  (2.8/5)

  

  Rosetta Stone has problems

  I want to learn Japanese to travel to Japan and read signs/menus/media and speak with native speakers (of Japanese and Spanish); so I purchased both Rosetta Stone Spanish (1.5 years ago) and Japanese (last month). The Japanese tool provides some basics but has much room for improvement. The same difficulties exist with both.(1) The milestones frustrate learners greatly. Only a SINGULAR programmed response is acceptable; there is far too little information to discern it exactly (or even guess something close sometime); and as unacceptable responses mount negativity towards the product grows. This terrible feature (Milestone) should be eliminated or vastly improved.(2) The allowable pronunciation of some runes (boht Japanese and SPanish) is VERY tight, while it is quite loose on others. It is irritating & frustrating. The pronunciation aid screen provides additional insight, but there are a few letters I cannot produce acceptably. In Japanese Shi, Chi, and Sa are far too... 3/5 George - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Rosetta Stone Japanese Level 1 (CD-ROM) I want to learn Japanese to travel to Japan and read signs/menus/media and speak with native speakers (of Japanese and Spanish); so I purchased both Rosetta Stone Spanish (1.5 years ago) and Japanese (last month). The Japanese tool provides some basics but has much room for improvement. The same difficulties exist with both.(1) The milestones frustrate learners greatly. Only a SINGULAR programmed response is acceptable; there is far too little information to discern it exactly (or even guess something close sometime); and as unacceptable responses mount negativity towards the product grows. This terrible feature (Milestone) should be eliminated or vastly improved.(2) The allowable pronunciation of some runes (boht Japanese and SPanish) is VERY tight, while it is quite loose on others. It is irritating & frustrating. The pronunciation aid screen provides additional insight, but there are a few letters I cannot produce acceptably. In Japanese Shi, Chi, and Sa are far too... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , January 23, 2011

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  Ok- this works but needs a dictionary

  Ok, Rosetta Stone has potential like the commercials say. You learn by total immersion. No english translations, no dictionaries, no workbooks.It shows pictures and gives you words- this is ok but some words get a little tricky. (Its not easy to figure out "not" from a picture.)I recommend keeping a notebook to write down all the words and sentences and any notes.Also for this program to work- don't guess. Its very easy to get through most of the course by guessing but you won't learn that way.Rosetta Stone works by introducing a new word(s) or a new piece of grammar by showing a set of 4 pictures then you infer the new word(s) from the pictures. If there are other words also shown its ok because those words were shown earlier. But the pictures are simple, you can get pretty far in the program by guessing- you just won't get more money's worth.Example. Onnanohito wa nete imasu. "The woman is sleeping"The program shows you 4... 3/5 sunnyleo - See all my reviews This review is from: Rosetta Stone Japanese Level 1 (CD-ROM) Ok, Rosetta Stone has potential like the commercials say. You learn by total immersion. No english translations, no dictionaries, no workbooks.It shows pictures and gives you words- this is ok but some words get a little tricky. (Its not easy to figure out "not" from a picture.)I recommend keeping a notebook to write down all the words and sentences and any notes.Also for this program to work- don't guess. Its very easy to get through most of the course by guessing but you won't learn that way.Rosetta Stone works by introducing a new word(s) or a new piece of grammar by showing a set of 4 pictures then you infer the new word(s) from the pictures. If there are other words also shown its ok because those words were shown earlier. But the pictures are simple, you can get pretty far in the program by guessing- you just won't get more money's worth.Example. Onnanohito wa nete imasu. "The woman is sleeping"The program shows you 4... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , August 23, 2011

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  Ineffective for Auditory Learners or Anyone Else Really

  After months of struggling with Rosetta Stone and learning next to nothing I picked up a Pimsleur Japanese course and in half an hour I had learned more and retained more than in all the months of using Rosetta Stone. I am an auditory learner, not a visual learner so Rosetta Stone was useless for me. I will stick with Pimsleur all the way, I have learned more in just a few half hour sessions than I ever dreamed possible. Too bad both programs are ridiculously expensive, I don't think either program is worth the price. Rosetta stone is worthless and I would only consider paying for a used copy of Pimsleur because a new one costs ten times what I would pay to learn the language. The price for both is about the same. A great program that is worth the price is Human Japanese, it is more structured than the other two and gives you a better grasp of the grammar than either of the others as well. Personally I use both Pimsleur and Human Japanese, Rosetta Stone is overpriced garbage. 1/5 Rosetta Success, December 2, 2010

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  List Price: $179.00
  

  Language-enhancing games; live online lessons; includes headset with microphone

  Audio Companion for CD or MP3 player; learning application for iPhone or iPod Touch device

  Master basic conversational skills; receive immediate and ongoing speech assessments

  Build a foundation of fundamental vocabulary and essential language structure

  Interactive language software with proprietary speech-recognition technology

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  Rosetta Stone Japanese Level 1-2 Set

  Software (Rosetta Stone)
  

  Rating (1 reviews):

  (4.0/5)

  

  Rosetta Stone Japanese 1-2

  Rosetta Stone is a great program, though it wasn't what i thought it would be. When you open it, they jump you right into a sentence, not teaching you how to pronounce the characters or grammar until after this first course. For me, it wasn't too bad because I have already studied Japanese in school, so I know a lot. It's great for me though because I get to review things and help solidify my vocabulary. 4/5 Siobhan - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Rosetta Stone Japanese Level 1-2 Set (CD-ROM) Rosetta Stone is a great program, though it wasn't what i thought it would be. When you open it, they jump you right into a sentence, not teaching you how to pronounce the characters or grammar until after this first course. For me, it wasn't too bad because I have already studied Japanese in school, so I know a lot. It's great for me though because I get to review things and help solidify my vocabulary. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , January 27, 2011

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  List Price: $299.00
  

  Build intermediate-level conversational skills; spell and write accurately; speak without a script

  Audio Companion for CD or MP3 player; learning application for iPhone or iPod Touch device

  Learn fundamental vocabulary and essential language structure; navigate your surroundings

  Interactive language software with proprietary speech-recognition technology

  Language-enhancing games; live online lessons; includes headset with microphone

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  Rosetta Stone Homeschool Japanese Level 1-3 Set including Audio Companion

  Software (Rosetta Stone)
  List Price: $379.00
  

  Rosetta Stone Homeschool teaches your student a new language naturally, the same way they mastered their first language.

  Rosetta Stone Homeschool moves forward only when your student is ready--you set the schedule and your student drives the pace.

  Parent Administrative Tools allow you to formulate lesson plans, manage your student's progress and track their success.

  Audio Companion CDs let them reinforce the Rosetta Stone experience anytime, anywhere.

  Innovative solutions get them speaking new words, right from the start.

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  Instant Immersion Japanese Levels 1, 2 & 3

  Software (Topics Entertainment)
  

  Rating (7 reviews):

  (2.7/5)

  

  Better Things Available

  The Instant Immersion program is not so great, and left me wanting a lot more. Shortly after I bought this program, I discovered JapanesePod101.com. I would definitely it out before you buy any programs (they offer a seven day free trial and some free podcasts). JapanesePod's podcasts are a lot more interesting, informative, and are easier to follow than Instant Immersion's audio CD, and they come with pdf files of the lessons in romanized language (great for visual people like me), and also offer the vocabulary in kana and kanji for those of you who want to read Japanese as well as speak it. I wish I had found it before I bought this program. 2/5 Aglaya Karenina (CA) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Instant Immersion Japanese Levels 1, 2 & 3 (CD-ROM) The Instant Immersion program is not so great, and left me wanting a lot more. Shortly after I bought this program, I discovered JapanesePod101.com. I would definitely it out before you buy any programs (they offer a seven day free trial and some free podcasts). JapanesePod's podcasts are a lot more interesting, informative, and are easier to follow than Instant Immersion's audio CD, and they come with pdf files of the lessons in romanized language (great for visual people like me), and also offer the vocabulary in kana and kanji for those of you who want to read Japanese as well as speak it. I wish I had found it before I bought this program. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , January 20, 2012

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  It's okay I guess

  I think it's good for teaching you how to say quick phrases and vocabulary, but it doesn't really teach you how to put sentences together or anything like that so it's not good if you actually want to learn the language. Right on the inside of the box it says "What's the difference between us and Rosetta Stone? About $400" which is perfectly correct because Rosetta stone also just teaches vocabulary from what I've heard. Vocabulary doesn't even include verbs. I don't want to know how to say Restaurant or store or bicycle, I want to say I have a bicycle, Where is the store, and meet me at the restaurant at 6! So I guess it's okay then for tourists maybe. 2/5 William Cole "bjcoco" (Colorado Springs) - See all my reviews, January 2, 2012

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  Great Product for the $$$

  For the money, this is a great product. I've never used Rosetta Stone or any other language learning products, but I think its fun & effective. The games are all so much fun & it does help you learn Japanese. 4/5 daniegrrrl - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Instant Immersion Japanese Levels 1, 2 & 3 (CD-ROM) For the money, this is a great product. I've never used Rosetta Stone or any other language learning products, but I think its fun & effective. The games are all so much fun & it does help you learn Japanese. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , September 2, 2011

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  List Price: $49.99
  Price: $31.35
  You Save: $18.64 (37%)

  Build your vocabulary, get around with confidence, converse with ease

  Includes: DVD-ROM, audio course for MP3, interactive DVD that plays on your TV, and a printable dictionary

  Fun and effective exercises; interactive activities and challenging quizzes

  Perfect for travel, business or school

  The world?s most popular language learning software

  Language-learning software with natural image-association techniques

  Transfer lessons to iPod or other MP3 player for on-the-go learning

  Fun and easy to use!

  Windows & Mac compatible

  Recordable voice technology for perfecting your pronunciation

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  Rosetta Stone Japanese Level 2

  Software (Rosetta Stone)
  List Price: $179.00
  

  Learn intermediate-level conversational skills; spell and write accurately; speak without a script

  Language-enhancing games; live online lessons; includes headset with microphone

  Interactive language software with proprietary speech-recognition technology

  Audio Companion for CD or MP3 player; learning application for iPhone or iPod Touch device

  Build on the vocabulary and essential language structure in Level 1; navigate your surroundings

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  Rosetta Stone Homeschool Japanese Level 1 including Audio Companion

  Software (Rosetta Stone)
  

  Rating (3 reviews):

  (3.3/5)

  

  Excellent for home education

  I am happy with this product, and am using it with my 3 home educated children who are 6, 8, and 11yo. On the whole, I think this is a great product, but I do have a few gripes....The learner needs to rely on the picture to demonstrate that they can understand what is being said in Japanese. I have seen a few examples where the pictures are not perfectly matched to what is being said, and this is confusing for the learner. One such example was when the recording said that the girls are drinking water, but in the picture they are drinking from tea cups. For such a steep price, I think that this kind of ambiguity should have been edited out of the product.The voice recognition feature is an excellent idea, but I think that sometimes it is too tough. I am a teacher of Japanese and have lived in Japan for years. At times I have thought that my child's pronunciation was fine, but the program would not let her proceed. She finds this very discouraging.The software allows... 4/5 K. L. Whittingham (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews, September 29, 2010

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  Great language learning program

  I've used Rosetta Stone in the past (French and Russian), but I'm impressed with some of the upgrades to the product that we received with the Japanese program (microphone and headset included, with the ability to see how you're doing with pronunciation). My daughter is actually using the program and likes the improvements to the curriculum, as well. 5/5 love to teach - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Rosetta Stone Homeschool Japanese Level 1 including Audio Companion (CD-ROM) I've used Rosetta Stone in the past (French and Russian), but I'm impressed with some of the upgrades to the product that we received with the Japanese program (microphone and headset included, with the ability to see how you're doing with pronunciation). My daughter is actually using the program and likes the improvements to the curriculum, as well. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , February 12, 2011

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  Give me a break. What a joke.

  I hope you know, I spent $150 on your software, which is undeniably the worst decision I have ever made. I had to purchase your product because I am learning Japanese which is a language my school does not offer, so I was required to get your software. I bought the level one package. As soon as I opened it up and started using it, it was making me say full phrases and sentences. First of all, your system tries to "achieve" the goal of immersing the user into the language completely. Well, a child learns by doing that, BUT NOT BY MAKING A CHILD SAY PARAGRAPHS OF SOMETHING. I was getting everything wrong and failing the lessons because the whole time it is a guessing game! I had to click the repeat button at least twenty times to get SOME idea of what the person was saying. Your product is by far, the WORST of any language learning system in this world. I learned better on my own by using Japanese for Dummies in a week, then your product for a full 6 months. If your going to sell a... 1/5 Eurobaby "Eurobaby" (Saint Charles, IL United States) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Rosetta Stone Homeschool Japanese Level 1 including Audio Companion (CD-ROM) I hope you know, I spent $150 on your software, which is undeniably the worst decision I have ever made. I had to purchase your product because I am learning Japanese which is a language my school does not offer, so I was required to get your software. I bought the level one package. As soon as I opened it up and started using it, it was making me say full phrases and sentences. First of all, your system tries to "achieve" the goal of immersing the user into the language completely. Well, a child learns by doing that, BUT NOT BY MAKING A CHILD SAY PARAGRAPHS OF SOMETHING. I was getting everything wrong and failing the lessons because the whole time it is a guessing game! I had to click the repeat button at least twenty times to get SOME idea of what the person was saying. Your product is by far, the WORST of any language learning system in this world. I learned better on my own by using Japanese for Dummies in a week, then your product for a full 6 months. If your going to sell a... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , November 25, 2011

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  List Price: $159.00
  

  Rosetta Stone Homeschool moves forward only when your student is ready--you set the schedule and your student drives the pace.

  Rosetta Stone Homeschool teaches your student a new language naturally, the same way they mastered their first language.

  Audio Companion CDs let them reinforce the Rosetta Stone experience anytime, anywhere.

  Innovative solutions get them speaking new words, right from the start.

  Parent Administrative Tools allow you to formulate lesson plans, manage your student's progress and track their success.

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  Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America) Level 1-5 Set

  Software (Rosetta Stone)
  

  Rating (116 reviews):

  (3.3/5)

  

  A great program for enhancing Spanish fluency. But it still helps to crack a book, conjugate a few verbs, and study...

  Will using Rosetta Stone Spanish allow you to say: "Me sorprende que soy capaz de hablar un español fluido después de usar este programa sólo por un par de semanas!" ('I am amazed that I am able to speak fluent Spanish after using this program for only a few weeks')?Probably not. It is, however, a very useful and well thought out program.The Rosetta Stone line of language products all share the same basic design and interface. The key to the Rosetta Stone system is the presentation of word and action associations, influenced by context. This simulates the sort of cues that one would parse and process in speaking any language, even your own native language. Normally, you don't think about this as you speak your own language. But it's one of the hardest things to simulate outside of dealing with a second language in its own country and having the chance to deal with real life situations involving speakers of the second language... 5/5 APC Reviews "APC Reviews" (USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America) Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM) Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?) Will using Rosetta Stone Spanish allow you to say: "Me sorprende que soy capaz de hablar un español fluido después de usar este programa sólo por un par de semanas!" ('I am amazed that I am able to speak fluent Spanish after using this program for only a few weeks')?Probably not. It is, however, a very useful and well thought out program.The Rosetta Stone line of language products all share the same basic design and interface. The key to the Rosetta Stone system is the presentation of word and action associations, influenced by context. This simulates the sort of cues that one would parse and process in speaking any language, even your own native language. Normally, you don't think about this as you speak your own language. But it's one of the hardest things to simulate outside of dealing with a second language in its own country and having the chance to deal with real life situations involving speakers of the second language... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , August 23, 2010

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  Good product, could be better

  I am half way through level 2 in Rosetta Stone Spanish, course 1-5, totale 4. The product has a lot of very good features. They do an excellent job teaching you vocabulary. The online lessons are very useful.I think many of the reviews that are available on Amazon are from people that only have a brief experience with the product.This is what I think needs improvement:1. There needs to be translation into your native language. From the pictures, it is sometimes very difficult to figure out whtat they are trying to express. I wish I could click on the text and read it in English as well as Spanish.Here's a huge tip. Download the couse content guide for the English version of this course. It's almost the same content and you can read the script in English that cooresponds to your Spanish lessons. You can find the course content guides in the support-download section of the Rosetta Stone web site. The English lesson guide has the content of the... 3/5 Bob Zucker (Phoenix, Arizona) - See all my reviews This review is from: Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America) Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM) I am half way through level 2 in Rosetta Stone Spanish, course 1-5, totale 4. The product has a lot of very good features. They do an excellent job teaching you vocabulary. The online lessons are very useful.I think many of the reviews that are available on Amazon are from people that only have a brief experience with the product.This is what I think needs improvement:1. There needs to be translation into your native language. From the pictures, it is sometimes very difficult to figure out whtat they are trying to express. I wish I could click on the text and read it in English as well as Spanish.Here's a huge tip. Download the couse content guide for the English version of this course. It's almost the same content and you can read the script in English that cooresponds to your Spanish lessons. You can find the course content guides in the support-download section of the Rosetta Stone web site. The English lesson guide has the content of the... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , January 15, 2011

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  An amazing program, but not without its frustrations

  Without a doubt, Rosetta Stone V4 TOTALe is an amazing product. It is easy to install on your PC and puts a whole world of resources at your disposal to help you learn a new language. If I could have given it 4 1/4 or 4 1/2 stars, I would have, but since I had to decide between 4 or 5, I'm giving it a 4. 5 to me is perfect and my experience with RS was not perfect.Why? Because using RS can be very frustrating to a new user. This was my first time using RS but not my first time learning a new language. I learned French the "old-fashioned way" in school and taught myself sign language from a book. In both cases, I got to ask questions of the teacher or look up additional information in my NATIVE language to help me understand the nuances of the language and to clear up any points of confusion. But RS provides ZERO assistance to the student in their NATIVE language. I understand that the very basis of Rosetta Stone is total immersion, meaning you are totally immersed... 4/5 Sheri in Reho (Rehoboth Beach, DE) - See all my reviews, October 10, 2010

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  List Price: $499.00
  

  Language-enhancing games; live online lessons; includes headset with microphone

  Develop your command of the language--read, write, speak, and understand

  Interactive language software with proprietary speech-recognition technology

  Audio Companion for CD or MP3 player; learning application for iPhone or iPod Touch device

  Build vocabulary; negotiate complex situations; share ideas and opinions

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  Instant Immersion Japanese v3.0

  Software (Topics Entertainment)
  

  Rating (5 reviews):

  (3.4/5)

  

  Doesn't even work

  One thing about this software is that there is nothing to install. It simply runs from the disc. That being said, they should have better software quality inspection, because this is full of errors. Simply trying to hear sound playback, the only thing you are greeted with is "Invalid Floating Point Operation". This happens for everything that you try to play back. You can't even scroll down a word list without getting an error. If I simply wanted to read japanese, I could have bought a book instead of this software. This is a complete joke, save your money and spend it elsewhere. 1/5 B. Vick - See all my reviews, November 24, 2008

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  Worst Program Ever

  If I could give this half star rating I would. The program runs off of a CD which takes forever to load. Everytime you click on a word to hear it out loud there was a long delay before the sound even played. Also, there was no vocabulary book or other any other helpful tool to aid in learning. All that comes in the the box is a CD, and pretty terrible one at that. 1/5 Guppyfish (Utah.) - See all my reviews This review is from: Instant Immersion Japanese v3.0 (DVD-ROM) If I could give this half star rating I would. The program runs off of a CD which takes forever to load. Everytime you click on a word to hear it out loud there was a long delay before the sound even played. Also, there was no vocabulary book or other any other helpful tool to aid in learning. All that comes in the the box is a CD, and pretty terrible one at that. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , December 5, 2008

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  Instant Immersion Japanese is entertaining and instructive.

  I especially apprecially having both the male and female "instructors" sounding the words, one right after the other. 5/5 Danni Bayles-yeager (Antioch, CA USA) - See all my reviews, January 21, 2010

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  List Price: $29.99
  

  Extensive basic vocabulary & useful phrases for restaurants, navigation, telephone & more

  Fun language games including Out to Dinner & Lottery Numbers

  Adjustable speed stories for dictation & comprehension

  Learn On The Go with audio lessons for your iPod or MP3 player

  Recording feature allows you to compare your speech to native speakers

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