I debated for quite some time before making this rather large purchase. I was delighted with the quality of the product and such when it arrived - no installation issues. For me, starting out with the software was not as painful as it might be for others because I could already read kana and a couple kanji. You do have the option to use the software in "romaji" mode, however I would recommend not learning this way, as it will simply cripple you as you move on to more advanced Japanese.
With that being said, the speech recognition portion of the software leaves something to be desired. In a strange way, it seems as though it starts off more accurate and gradually becomes worse as you progress through lessons, having to repeat yourself a number of times. To confirm that it wasn't my pronunciation, I had my wife listen in on a number of occasions (she speaks Japanese) and she indicated that I was saying things perfectly. For a while I started cranking down the speech accuracy setting but eventually simply turned the speech portion of the software off completely, as it truly became a burden.
The biggest strength RS has is the ability to stick the vocabulary words into your head over constant repetition in slightly different ways. As you answer something, the rest of the answer choices shuffle around so that you can't rely on remembering which positions you've clicked (process of elimination method). This makes it a bit more difficult to "cheat" the system per se.
It doesn't always do a great job in making things obvious when trying to convey distinctions between verbs or counters. It's biggest drawback is in grammar instruction. While it does have sections entitled "grammar", they really aren't all that challenging and don't truly teach full grammar structures. Another irritating issue is with written input. You have to type your answers in romaji. Considering Mac OS X supports native language input method out of the box and Windows XP / Vista basically does as well once you've installed a couple bits, this is pretty unacceptable. It is for these last few reasons stated above that I would highly recommend using this software in combination with other books. RS works great as a tool, but not as your one stop shop to Japanese.
As of this moment, I am almost finished with the 1st unit of level 1. If I had to guess how many hours I've spent so far with the software, I'd say roughly 8-10 hours over the span of the last few weeks. Should I ever finish all 3 levels, I will try and provide an update.
Rosetta Stone V3: Japanese Level 1-3 Set with Audio Companion [OLD VERSION]
3.3 | 57 ratings
Price:
Last update: 05-22-2024
About this item
Levels 1 - 2 - 3 - Connect with the world around you. Build a foundation of fundamental vocabulary and essential language structure. Quickly gain the confidence to enjoy social interactions such as greetings and introductions, travel, dining out, giving and getting directions, shopping and other recreational activities. Learn to share your ideas and opinions, express your feelings and talk about everyday life.
Top reviews from the United States
Christopher M. Ball
Effective in some areas, yet not so much in others.
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2009
Travis J Whalen
This product has been what I expected it to be and and it has been very useful for its purpose
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2013Guy M. Belleman
Too tight license control
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2009
Oliver
Not Nearly Worth the Price
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2010
TenaciousG
Difficult Language Needs Repetition
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2010
Flight_173
Works to an extent
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2011Karen E. Zeilman
Not much to say- everything was fine- no news is good news.
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2010