Fewer options for learning the Japanese language exist than other languages such as French and Spanish, and it is refreshing to find a full-featured online course for Japanese like Rocket Japanese. The Rocket suite is designed to bombard you with the language in a number of ways, the main being the audio lessons. Over 11 hours of Japanese conversational audio take you from initial greetings, up to quite complex conversations such as getting help or travelling around town. The audio lessons cut out a lot of talking about grammar that some other audio courses insist on confusing the new learner with.

Rocket Japanese – being an online course – has a lot of backup to the audio material, in a few different forms. Firstly there are transcripts of the audio, with more detail on the grammar points. Secondly, there are games that help you memorize both the spoken and written language. This interactive form of learning has been proven to be effective. Lastly, there are active forums to discuss any problems one is having with learning Japanese.

Rocket Japanese is a viable choice for those who want to learn Japanese at their own pace, in a modern and fun way.

There are a few famous courses for learning Spanish, many who have used Rosetta Stone swear by it, and Pimsleur is perhaps the comprehensive Spanish audio course for beginners. However these courses come with a heavy price tag, and their methods are beginning to look a little dated.

Synergy Spanish is an alternative, cheaper option. Synergy Spanish works by teaching a number of patterns. The claim is that with Synergy Spanish one only needs to learn 138 words to get by in the Spanish language. The approach is very different from the main online courses – the focus is very much on ‘getting by’ in Spanish, and getting there in as short a time as possible. Only Mexican Spanish is covered and only words which are deemed to be useful for travel. There is no forum support like some other online courses.

All in all, Synergy Spanish is an interesting product as it claims to be able to teach passable Spanish in a very short period of time, but the number of features and ways to learn cannot compare to those of the more expensive online courses. It may be a good option for those who have tried other methods and found memorization of vocabulary to be difficult.

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Fed up with not getting results with your Italian language learning? Rocket Italian is designed to be a one-stop-shop for boosting your Italian language skills. Rocket Italian is an online language course designed to immerse you in the language. The main part of the course are the audio language lessons – hours and hours of Italian language that you can listen to online or download onto your Ipod for offline listening. These interactive lessons begin with the basics of the language, and continue into conversations and situations you will find useful if you travel to an Italian speaking country.

Further to this, Rocket Italian backs up the audio course with detailed transcripts and notes on each of the grammar points from the lessons. If you are having any problems with the audio lessons you can refer to these notes, or go online to the Rocket Italian forums for guidance.

Thirdly, Rocket Italian includes a suite of games that help you remember the vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar rules of the audio lessons. This has been proven to be a much quicker way to learn a language than simply listening to tapes. Rocket Italian is a good choice for those looking to use the latest modern techniques to learn a new language.

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Mandarin Chinese is one of the most ubiquitous languages in the world, rivaled only by English in terms of its speakers. Unfortunately for us native English speakers, it is also one of the hardest languages to learn. Mandarin Chinese has four different tones, which must be spoken correctly to be understood well. On top of this, the written language bears little relation to what is being said, so it’s hard to take a traditional route of reading the writing to learn the language. One usually uses a third writing ‘language’ called Pinyin, to be able to memorize how Chinese words are said.

This is where Rocket Chinese comes in, being an online course with audio lessons, written translations in Chinese text, and also written in pinyin. Focusing on speaking the basics of Chinese, the course includes a suite of games that helps you memorize the exact pronunciation and written versions of the language. More than just listening to tapes and trying to absorb some of the language, this online course is interactive, meaning you will pick up the language faster and easier than in traditional language learning.

Rocket Chinese is also significantly cheaper than the better known Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur courses, making it a good choice all round for a new Chinese learner.

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Are you planning a trip to Germany or a German speaking country? Perhaps you have a German speaking partner, and you would like to converse with them in their native tongue. The German language is an interesting and diverse one, and shares much in common with English. It is therefore possible to learn the language relatively quickly with an online course such as Rocket German.

Rocket German covers over 11 hours of audio lessons, from the most basic phrases, to conversational pieces that will impress the native German speaker. Divided into 31 20-minute tracks, the audio lessons are designed to be bite-size and really focus on the important language to learn in the right order. The technique works better than simply listening to tapes of German, as the course is backed up with interactive online lessons and games. Play ‘MegaVocab’, a game with over 1,000 German words that helps you remember what you have learned. You can even add your own words and pictures.

With comprehensive online support, well thought out audio lessons, written transcripts and a suite of games, Rocket German is a fast and effective way to learn the basics of the German language in as short a time as possible.

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French is one of the most prevalent languages in the world, and is the first language in a huge number of countries. It shares many similarities with English, and this allows one to get a running start by using an online language course like Rocket French. More than just rote repeating of phrases on a cassette, the online course is a four part interactive system that is designed to teach you the basics of French in less than three months. The interactive audio course focuses on conversational French, including grammar and vocabulary exercises. The audio course is more interactive than other French language courses, making them more fun and engaging. This in turn helps one learn and remember much quicker.

Paired with each audio lesson is a written chapter which allows you to go deeper into the language behind the lesson. Rocket French also comes with a complete software platform of games – MegaFrench – which help one remember the lessons.

Whilst the “learn fluent French in three months” is perhaps an exaggeration, one could expect to learn passable French within this timescale. With Rocket French being one of the cheaper courses of its type, it is a good choice for those looking to get to grips with French.

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For a more affordable choice to Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur, Rocket Spanish is an online Spanish course to be reckoned with. It is designed to aid you to speak natural and confident Spanish within three months. Well enounced audio lessons, carefully thought out reading materials and fun games make it a viable option for those in a hurry to speak Spanish. Two options are available – a digital download version and a more expensive physical version which is shipped to your door.

One benefit of an online audio course is that they allow you to go at your own pace. Rocket Spanish’s audio lessons are short and cut out a lot of the fluff of language courses – you get straight into the meat of the language. You can download the audio files to be played on your MP3 player while out jogging, or just relaxing away from the computer.

Rocket Spanish also includes over 500 pages of material, which is comprehensive but broken down into easily manageable chunks. It is easy to print them out and use them away from the computer. When on the computer you can do memory exercises that really drill the language.

Rocket Spanish is a fast and easy way to learn Spanish quickly, and rivals the much more expensive products on the market.

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Editors’ Choice #1 in Learn Russian Software

Looking for a fantastic way to learn Russian? Look no farther than Rosetta Stone Russian Level Reviewers found that Rosetta Stone Russian Level 1 far surpassed other language learning software. Hands down, they were impressed with not only getting the vocabulary and grammar skills but also the reading and writing skills necessary to learn Russian in an immersive environment that would allow true success.

Reviewers were skeptical about the Rosetta Stone brand, thinking that all those television commercials added up to nothing more than marketing hype. But even though they went into the reviews feeling this way, Rosetta Stone came out ahead of other Russian language software options. They felt the image and word association, a classic method of learning new languages, was executed effectively and to its full advantage.

Even reviewers that have tried other software programs and failed found that Rosetta Stone gave them the ability to begin retaining and using language information they felt they’d never have.

Our Sources

TopTenReviews.com This reviewer found that the best part of the Russian Level 1 was the format: easy-to-use and well-designed. It gives the learner the language skills plus valuable reading and writing skills necessary to truly start the path to mastering a new language. View Source

Amazon.com The most skeptical Amazon.com reviewer worried Rosetta Stone was nothing but hype, but was happily surprised to find it was a great product. Although it is a fantastic program, this reviewer urges not to stop with Level 1, because once you get the basics down you still need to go further to be totally proficient. View Source

Language-Learning-Advisor.com This reviewer felt, “Rosetta Stone is for building a good foundation in your target language. For that, it is one of the best methods available.” Some favorite aspects were the flexibility of the system with both text and audio options. The guarantee is also seen as a great benefit to buying the Rosetta Stone Russian Level 1 program. View Source

Editors’ Choice #1 in Learn Spanish Software

The reviewers’ overall favorite for learning Spanish was the Tell Me More Spanish Performance software by Auralog Inc. (Performance version). It covers the basics as well as providing some amazing features and functions. At first it might seem overwhelming because there are so many features available to use while learning, but once you get the hang of it you’ll find yourself speaking Spanish much faster than you thought you could.

Additions that have been made from previous versions include a Tell Me More button so you can choose to learn more or skip over a piece if you already have the knowledge. This gives a much more personalized experience as well as being able to tailor the program to your learning needs instead of having to go over things you may already know.

Our Sources

TopTenReviews.com A reviewer over at TopTenReviews.com thinks, “This software covers all of the core curriculum areas for learning the Spanish language thoroughly.” It gives the learner basic knowledge that will get him to a point of being able to function quickly. If you’re in a time crunch for learning, this program will be the one that helps you get up and running. View Source

Amazon.com If you are looking to learn more than basic words and sentences, even if you have not been successful with other programs, the Tell Me More system will engage you and keep you entertained. Staying engaged will help you learn more quickly. This reviewer also felt it is a great value compared to other Spanish language learning software on the market today. View Source

LearningSpanishPrograms.com “If you’re willing to spend 30-60 minutes a day on learning Spanish then Tell Me More Spanish is a great product to get,” says the reviewer from LearningSpanishPrograms.com. Of course, if you’re looking into an immersion program you will need to devote that kind of time to almost any program if your goal is to be able to speak a second or third language. The reviewer’s favorite feature is the speech recognition, with the program’s ability to tell you where you need to make improvements as a close second. View Source

Editors’ Choice #1 in Learn Portuguese Software

A plethora of reviewers found the best software to learn the Portuguese language is the Portuguese Complete Edition by Transparent Language. One of the main reasons this software came out on top is the iTunes upload capability, allowing users to learn Portuguese anywhere and at any time that is convenient. They found they were listening and learning more on the train or during a wait before a doctor appointment. This gave users more time to study and immerse themselves in the language — they therefore progressed even faster toward having a usable vocabulary.

While the scope is not complete and some reviewers felt it could have covered more language that is actually used rather than learning “by the book” – it still came through with flying colors as being effective language software that covers more than just the basics of the Portuguese language. Another favorite among reviewers was the clear and easy-to-follow success charts that let you know just how far you’d come at any given time.

Our Sources

iSoftwareReviews.com The reviewers felt the ability to build a vocabulary base rapidly while also being able to retain that learning was a great feature of the software. The full-motion immersion video was also a big selling point. Overall, the reviewer gave it the highest rating and felt it was accessible, kept track of progress well, and gave an immersion experience that would make him confident in the language quickly. View Source

Amazon.com Reviewers said the Portuguese Complete Course by Living Language is a first rate language course, calling the teaching method is sound and effective. One reviewer, a frequent traveler to Brazil and Portugual found the course to be somewhat limited in its scope, lacking idioms, sentence building techniques, tenses, and such. View Source

HelpMeToLearnPortuguese.com Overall, reviewers felt the enjoyment factor from the software. Learning vocabulary and grammar can be boring, but Transparent Language Complete Portuguese makes it fun as well as comprehensive. One downside was the program was not intuitive right from the start, but once they got the hang of it there were no problems. Reviewers loved the little extras that help keep track of progress and make sure you retain what you have already learned. View Source