Rosetta Stone vs Fluenz

[randarchy]

I feel like I learned quite a bit from Rosetta Stone. I had the korean version. I had an old copy which was super confusing, but then I updated to the new one and loved it. However, it often had a hard time recognizing my voice on the microphone.

[JonnyBG]

I like worldwordexchange.com but it doesn't have South Korean on it, its a lot cheaper then Rosetta Stone etc

[sunshiningschool]

Rosetta Stone usually gets a lot of hate, but I used it before I came to Korea and I thought it was a cool way to start to learn some of the language. I thought it was kind of fun to do and liked the immersion aspect of it. They say you have to do it at least 3 hours a week for it to be effective though.

[Estelio]

In my experience both Rosetta Stone and Fluenz are inferior to Pimsleur.

I was going to say this exactly. I have been using Pimsleur to learn Korean and I am picking things up very quickly.

Read reviews of language programs, try to find a language buddy, and immerse yourself in that language (watch their tv shows/films and listen to the music). Practice forcing yourself to THINK in that language and really understand it's evolution.

Learning a new language can be tough, good luck!

[TheKidDoog]

I was looking up Pimsleur online and was brought to http://www.pimsleurapproach.com/ which seems like just their American site.  When I tried to look at where to get it in Canada I was seeing packages costing around $500???  Clearly I'm missing something here...  Anybody know what the legit site is where I can look at this stuff in Canada?

[Zzyzx]

I was looking up Pimsleur online and was brought to http://www.pimsleurapproach.com/ which seems like just their American site.  When I tried to look at where to get it in Canada I was seeing packages costing around $500???  Clearly I'm missing something here...  Anybody know what the legit site is where I can look at this stuff in Canada?

Korean "Phases" 1 & 2 together in CD format costs $500 USD on the American site. You can get it cheaper in MP3 format ($230 USD), or--what I would do--buy Phase 1 MP3 format for $119 USD and decide whether you want to buy Phase 2 afterward.

Of course, there is always Somalian Computing if you haven't any moral qualms about it.

[TheKidDoog]

So is that $20 dollar website mp3 thing just a demo or something?  Or maybe just a fake website?

[Zzyzx]

I don't know what website you're referring to, but you can purchase Korean Quick and Simple on CD for $20 USD, which is the first 8 of 30 units in the Korean Phase 1.,

[overdrive2023x]

I used Rosetta Stone for about a year before coming to Korea. In fact, I'm still on Level 3 of the program. I think it's a fine program if you utilize it with other material. Standing on its own, it might not be worth the price.

When I go through Rosetta Stone, I keep one page in a notebook for all the new vocab/grammar points in that lesson. Then I slowly write down each and every sentence/word that is presented and I make an English translation next to it. I make sure I understand all grammar (by referencing other books and/or asking Korean friends) before moving on.

Rosetta Stone works as a self-paced program. It's not a video game like some people treat it, where you speed-click through the screens because you recognize a word like "MAN" (mentioned in a previous post).

One of the complaints I always hear about Rosetta Stone is that it teaches you senseless phrases. I don't agree with this criticism. For example, there might be a picture of a boy laying down with a rubber toy ball on top of him. The sentence is: "The ball is on the boy." The critics say they will never have to say that sentence in real life. True. But, they learn the word for boy, ball, and the preposition "on". Rosetta Stone isn't about learning stock phrases, but about opening your vocabulary and constructing your own.

Since you're in Korea, I recommend taking actual classes. Use the native resource while you're here. Save the computer programs for supplemental study (what I do now with Rosetta) or for when you go back home.

That aside, I have heard great things about Pimsleur, but have never looked at it.

Also, have any of you seen this new Rosetta Stone? It's a fully-interactive, online version. $1000. Yikes!

--BMV

I 100% agree. Learn to read and write Hangul before you start Rosetta Stone Korean. Otherwise, you're just trying to learn phonetically, and will get mixed up when trying to sound out words later.

When I first learned "Thank You" in Korean, I thought it was "kom-som-mida." I didn't even hear the "ham-nida" in it, and Rosetta Stone accepted it. It wasn't till I learned Hangul, that I saw the sounds I was missing.

[JahRhythm]

True, but relying on the hangul alone would have you pronouncing 감사합니다 with 5 distinct syllables when it's really only 4.