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tottenhamtaipeinick
Joined: 05 Sep 2010
Location: Canada
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 Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 4:25 pm Post subject: Rosetta Stone Korean review help |
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I finally worked out how to use Rosetta Stone, I had to download the setup.exe file again.
Well for a beginner I can not understand what the hell this program is aimed at with level one. The activities jump right in the deep end. I can understand what they say as it is fairly obvious but does this strategy work???
I mean the start by saying 'the boy is running' 'the girls are eating' etc. Yeah I can understand it but knowing what every part of the sentence means is too much. Does any find this course seems to be like a crash course of learning Korean in 2 weeks?
It is fun but will it help me in the 2 mths left before I go to Korea or should I just use pimsleur??? I have both atm |
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Chet Wautlands
Joined: 11 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 5:03 pm Post subject: |
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Use both, but also make sure you are reading and writing.
Rosetta Stone is interesting, but I'm not sure how well it works... But I've also never heard of anyone saying that they relied on only one source for their Korean learning. Use many sources and self-assess regularly. Are you learning practical Korean? If so, keep going. |
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Riker
Joined: 28 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 5:43 pm Post subject: |
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Rosetta stone is terrible. It routinely gets low marks on reviews. I personally dislike it as well.
Good marketing though. |
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wormholes101
Joined: 11 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 6:32 pm Post subject: |
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| I wouldn't use RS for learning practical Korean. In 8 years here, I've never had to say the "The boys are running". |
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comm
Joined: 22 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 7:05 pm Post subject: |
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Rosetta Stone is very good for becoming familiar with the language. Once you start listening/speaking/clicking pictures, it gets kind of addictive (for me at least) and you spend an hour with it without getting bored.
There isn't much explanation, but it's great for spending time with the language that doesn't require actively memorizing.
Think of it as a system for flashcards with sound (plus a pronunciation check). Sure you'll need more explanation, such as which particles do what, but it's still useful  |
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crossmr
Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Location: Hwayangdong, Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 7:05 pm Post subject: |
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are you using the latest version?
the 2nd version was terrible, just rapid fire images with text and nothing else.
The third version is quite good. There are multiple activities per section that go into the various aspects from vocab to a little grammar focus, etc.
Make sure you expend the menu below if you're using the third version and do each activity for each level. |
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tottenhamtaipeinick
Joined: 05 Sep 2010
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 7:22 pm Post subject: |
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I am using V3.3.5 I think it says. Yeah it said the boys and girls are running or eating or drinking bloody juice for 35 of the first units which was strange.....
I just finding reading korean extremely boring as the characters look nearly the same though I think thats because I learnt Chinese with traditional characters. So i want something interactive as I am always so busy and like to learn korean while relaxing.
Does anyone know any other interactive courses or is this it? |
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crossmr
Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Location: Hwayangdong, Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 7:26 pm Post subject: |
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| tottenhamtaipeinick wrote: |
I am using V3.3.5 I think it says. Yeah it said the boys and girls are running or eating or drinking bloody juice for 35 of the first units which was strange.....
I just finding reading korean extremely boring as the characters look nearly the same though I think thats because I learnt Chinese with traditional characters. So i want something interactive as I am always so busy and like to learn korean while relaxing.
Does anyone know any other interactive courses or is this it? |
Check the other lessons there are lessons which involve speaking with the MIC, matching words, filling in the blanks etc, there. |
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mimi belle
Joined: 11 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 10:31 pm Post subject: |
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The program is a bit repetitive. Some of that is built-in but the other problem is that Rosetta Stone & Pimsleur have formulas which work better for European languages like Spanish, French, Italian or even German. Of course, you should still use them if you have access to them, but there are problems when using them for Korean (or Japanese or Chinese). For example, in Korean, there is usually no difference between conjugating he vs she vs it. So learning all the variations of: "he is running/she is running/they are running" is silly. In Spanish or French, these would be all conjugated differently. There's also stuff that isn't clear in Rosetta, like politeness levels.
I've heard the language in the Pimsleur series is a bit too formal. I haven't used the Korean series but I've used it for other languages and liked it. The listen-and-repeat method is nice and makes languages easy.
I think Rosetta works well when combined with a traditional grammar book. A lot of people recommend Korean Made Easy (Darakwon) or Integrated Korean (Klear/U Hawaii). Also, you can focus more on certain exercises. The writing or reading ones for example.
Since you know Chinese, you'll move through Korean pretty quickly and you might find some of the logic similar, although the grammar isn't. Sino-korean numbers should be a breeze for you and the concept of counters. Try to pick up a Hanja book at some point. Might be interesting for you. http://www.koreanwikiproject.com/wiki/index.php?title=Hanja
Livemocha.com is a lot like Rosetta Stone, but it's free and it moves quicker. There are mistakes though and the language is a bit too formal but good for simple words.
Talktomeinkorean.com is free. If you start with the beginning episodes, you'll learn some basic things like how "yes" and "no" are different than in English. You can download their lessons as mp3s or pdfs. The dialogue is more casual and everyday than Rosetta or Pimsleur.
On youtube, check out Let's Speak Korean. It's a program from Arirang tv.
http://www.youtube.com/user/ruthnp75#p/a/u/0/aRkCvr_m0sI |
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young_clinton
Joined: 09 Sep 2009
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| Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 1:17 am Post subject: Re: Rosetta Stone Korean review help |
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| I would advice doing Pimsleur comprehensive I and II first including practicing the readings. Get it all down real well, then jump into RS. Pimsleur is a much better intro to Korean than RS. |
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samd
Joined: 03 Jan 2007
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| Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 6:00 am Post subject: |
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I posted this in your other thread on downloading RS but it got deleted and you must have missed it.
RS is questionable in general, but RS Korean is the worst of all!
Pimsleur Korean is almost as bad!
Don't use either one!
If you want an interactive computer based course, use this instead:
http://korean.sogang.ac.kr |
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zhanknight
Joined: 24 Mar 2010
Location: Yangsan
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| Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 12:02 pm Post subject: |
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| samd wrote: |
I posted this in your other thread on downloading RS but it got deleted and you must have missed it.
RS is questionable in general, but RS Korean is the worst of all!
Pimsleur Korean is almost as bad!
Don't use either one!
If you want an interactive computer based course, use this instead:
http://korean.sogang.ac.kr |
I came here to recommend this. |
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some waygug-in
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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sirius black
Joined: 04 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 2:53 pm Post subject: |
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| mimi belle wrote: |
The program is a bit repetitive. Some of that is built-in but the other problem is that Rosetta Stone & Pimsleur have formulas which work better for European languages like Spanish, French, Italian or even German. Of course, you should still use them if you have access to them, but there are problems when using them for Korean (or Japanese or Chinese). For example, in Korean, there is usually no difference between conjugating he vs she vs it. So learning all the variations of: "he is running/she is running/they are running" is silly. In Spanish or French, these would be all conjugated differently. There's also stuff that isn't clear in Rosetta, like politeness levels.
I've heard the language in the Pimsleur series is a bit too formal. I haven't used the Korean series but I've used it for other languages and liked it. The listen-and-repeat method is nice and makes languages easy.
I think Rosetta works well when combined with a traditional grammar book. A lot of people recommend Korean Made Easy (Darakwon) or Integrated Korean (Klear/U Hawaii). Also, you can focus more on certain exercises. The writing or reading ones for example.
Since you know Chinese, you'll move through Korean pretty quickly and you might find some of the logic similar, although the grammar isn't. Sino-korean numbers should be a breeze for you and the concept of counters. Try to pick up a Hanja book at some point. Might be interesting for you. http://www.koreanwikiproject.com/wiki/index.php?title=Hanja
Livemocha.com is a lot like Rosetta Stone, but it's free and it moves quicker. There are mistakes though and the language is a bit too formal but good for simple words.
Talktomeinkorean.com is free. If you start with the beginning episodes, you'll learn some basic things like how "yes" and "no" are different than in English. You can download their lessons as mp3s or pdfs. The dialogue is more casual and everyday than Rosetta or Pimsleur.
On youtube, check out Let's Speak Korean. It's a program from Arirang tv.
http://www.youtube.com/user/ruthnp75#p/a/u/0/aRkCvr_m0sI |
Agree with a lot of this post. I'd also like to add that learning any language is also about each person's aptitude. Some people pick up languages faster than others, just like how some people's brains seem to have a knack for numbers and others for more creative things.
That said, from what I've seen, generally speaking, a combination of things gets you to learn a language, formal learning from a book or class as well as actually talking to native speakers on a regular, consistent basis. I've traveled a little bit and tried to learn different languages and for me, it seems that books and tapes are not the same as every day talk. Even english is like that. We teach english in our schools and although technically correct, most of us don't speak that way. Its the same with almost all languages one learns off cds, etc. Learn the correct way but also speak to natives for every day speach. I still use korean that is technically right but not what's used every day and koreans can tell immediately I learned from a book or cd or online somewhere. They can also tell the words I've learned from my kids at school or slang in general. |
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tottenhamtaipeinick
Joined: 05 Sep 2010
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 3:58 pm Post subject: |
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Wow thanks for the heads up on nearly every avenue on learning korean.
I tried again after work last night to go through Rosetta Stone and yeah it is addictive the activities I mean but I will use it after I read a beginner book or watch those youtube ones...
The Pimsleur I listened to content wise was great but whats with the monotone Korean. I never hear Koreans speak that dull haha...
I also found 'Talk to me in Korean' in itunes it sounds fun as there is a really cute sounding Korean girl on it  ....so maybe that will get me motivated.... but then again I dont think a 23 yr old male wants to sound like a cute korean girl when they speak Korean haha |
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