Rocket Languages Reviews

On the plus side, the website is attractive and functions well. The interactive lessons are well-structured and nicely done. I appreciate that they make continued improvements, such as the addition of Write It in the testing sections. Also appreciate that both sound and text are downloadable and the website allows you to listen to only the parts of the lessons you want. I haven't taken advantage of any "social" features like the Forum but I appreciate that Rocket tries to foster a community. The "points" system is an interesting idea.

On the downside, I think there's too much repetition of non-essential vocabulary in the testing sections (I really don't think lesson or unit are words to keep hammering me with). I also think built-in flashcards linked to My Vocabulary would be nice or perhaps automated flashcards for each section. It's also not clear the sequencing of the lessons. This is partially intentional but you'll find yourself tested on material you haven't seen if you don't move across all the lesson types. That said, I've given feedback to the team on many points and they've nearly always been responsive and eager to help and take feedback.

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I am just restarting to learn Mandarin using Rocket Chinese because I had been too busy teaching and building new courses at my current school in China.

Positive:
1. Listening, Reading (in pinyin - latin script and Simplified - chinese script), Writing (initially in pinyin) and speaking is available from the very first lesson.
2. Step by step in a logical fashion based on what would seem to be logical needs of a person new to learning the language.
3. Clear and colourful interface that is easy to follow.
4. There are now cute little incentive badges that give you a sense of your progress. These complement the already colourful interface, but I think this is helpful for both younger and older learners

While I like the course layout very much, there are just a couple of tiny problems that I suspect will be addressed quite quickly on the technical side.

1. I haven't yet figured out how to prevent my browser (Firefox) from asking permission everytime RocketChinese wants to use the camera/microphone. Because I am used to the 7/24 customer service, email is obviously slower, but their responses are usually within 24 hours... so, not intolerable.
2.

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I'm new to Chinese. Since I'll be taking a teaching position in Shanghai over the summer I've been researching, practicing, and learning how to speak Chinese and about the Chinese culture.

After three days with the Rocket Chinese trial, I decided to become a full member. Although, I use other Chinese lessons too, I find myself coming back to Rocket Chinese for reinforcement and to build new vocabulary.

As an educator I know that keeping learning fun and enjoyable is as important as the content.

Thank you for creating such a great learning tool.

Dan

I've been trying lots of systems to learn chinese. None of them got so amezed as the Rocket Languanges. My chinese skills got a lot better only by using well (I mean every day, for about two hours) the trial version.

Great value for price! I like the browser but was really impressed with the app on IOS. Since I am on the go quite often, it is nice to learn Mandarin and check things off right on my phone. The more exposure to the language the better, and now I don't have to just sit at a computer all day and learn. Despite a few little bugs it has been more than I expected and I would recommend Rocket over Rosetta Stone anytime.

I've tried a number of other courses, including the big names and found them very disconnected from real world experiences. I did have a basic understanding of French previously, but the Rocket Languages course was an excellent way to brush up and lean more.

It's the easiest, fastest way I have found to learn. Step by step, lots of reviewing, which is ultimately the way to learn languages. I am really enjoying the lessons and the audio files - easy to navigate. Thanks Rocket.

Very thorough review of each lesson but it starts to move too quick and shove too much in each lesson one you hit the 2.0's. It is hard to add up to 20 new words in one lesson instead of building a few at a time.

This program is awesome as it allows you to adjust to different learning styles and discover which is best for you! Right now I am living in China and this program is very accurate compared to the real thing. I bought this program because of its many styles of teaching but also because of its accountability!

So far I like that method better then the pervious I have tried. It is simple and interactive. I like the voice recording revision. I would suggest to give a choice of traditional Chinese as well.