Rocket Languages Reviews

Unfortunately I am one of the Rocket Languages failures. I spent my first few months doing what I believed the course asked me to do -- one lesson per day with extra study. After 4 months I had finished the first level of Spanish. I could say hello to folks, order a simple meal in a restaurant -- check in to a hotel, etc., but when I met with my Spanish speaking friends I could not understand what they were saying . So following the recommended learning path was not working for me.

I also noted that the course admins reward points as an indication of learning. Yet, in my case, I could not see any relationship between points and my knowledge of the material. Also a glaring weakness is that one can earn points by repeatedly answering the same questions. I found that I was memorizing the answers to all of the questions. I then thought if I could present the materials to myself in a different way, I could learn the materials better. I began pulling down many of the lessons at one time -- taking them into a little program I developed that would then present the material to me in various ways. My hope in doing this is that by so doing, I would more effectively learn the materials.

Read More

Voice recognition is very variable with certain short words. eg un, deux trois. The rest of the numbers appear fine. How do you get better than 35% on a one word answer eg être?
Overall I think the programme is very good

Not as structured as I'd like. Some of the lessons seem unnecessary, as I wouldn't use them in everyday life. I have previously used Pimsleur but thought this was a better deal. I prefer the lessons with the interactive audio kind of like Pimsleur. the other lessons aren't super helpful, but I guess they are nice to have... I wish there was more repetition of phrases instead of single words. Interface on both app and browser are outdated and could use some major updates (especially the app). Kinda buggy, but that is forgiven. I also use the hellochinese app, and it is great. Might go back to Pimsleur if it wasn't so overpriced.

The course is fine and the french lessons are in good taste but for a developing country like Brazil the prices are absurdly high and literally makes it impossible for me to actually buy the course.

Although I like the system employed, and it is certainly better than the so called market leader, there are some elements which could be improved.

The most frustrating thing for me is the translation facility which is sooooooo slow. How much better it would be if the translation could be downloaded somehow instead of relying on a live connection.

The other obvious point is that it is not possible to use Rocket Language if there is no internet connection

Rocket italian is not bad, but it could be so much better.

I'm still studying Level 1 - Unit 3 but I have noticed several issues:
- The audio tracks are a bit long for my taste. They take from 20 to 30 minutes and are spoken very slowly. The website and the app don't allow you to speed it up, so you have to download the tracks in order to do it;
- The conversations are between a native italian and a heavily accented american. I am not a native english speaker and several of the rocket students also aren't so I don't see why not using only native italian speakers on the audio tracks
- There are several small translation mistakes and inadequacies, over time they start being annoying;
- Some audios should be reviewed/updated, the other day I heard one that made reference to the year 2008.

Also, Rocket Languages is oblivious to the existence of potential students in developing countries (as in my case) when establishing their pricing strategy. These courses are way more expensive for me, for instance, as they are for my american or european counterparts, when purchase power is concerned.

Rocket languages also does not give meaningful discounts when you enroll in more than one language.

I agree with several reviewers that the narrator, Sarah is possibly the most monotone person on the planet. I mean, she gives Ben Stein a run for his money. The product idea is great and when it's working properly, it's the best on the market. Unfortunately, I can't gove it five or even four stars as it's just too buggy (sometimes the audio doesn't play or double plays - sounds like there are two Sayakas or Kennys competing for my attention - or the mic doesn't work at times). Hopefully, those are fixed soon!

I am now working on the 3rd module of the Hindi course, so I've tested the programme a fair bit. Hindi must be about the 20th language I study, so I have some idea of what learning a language is about.

While I enjoy the app, the format, the light-heartedness of the dialogues and voice actors, I am frustrated by a number of things.

First of all, there are too many typos for a language course. As a learner, I shouldn't be left wondering what's going on, only to realize later that it was a typo. There are too many weird things happening, like odd or irregular translations, plurals instead of singulars, the female voice actor reading a first-person response in the masculine, etc. All this gets in the way of the otherwise fun topics and voice actors. It adds confusion to an already difficult process.

Second, I disagree with the general principle that the student should just repeat without understanding. I'm fine with putting emphasis on the carelessness of "just repeat and you'll eventually get it", and it does remove pressure from the student to perform, but there are grammatical questions that need to be explained (even with some simple additional written material), and to leave it to chance, frankly, just feels lazy.

Read More

The customer service is completely non existent. I have tried a few language courses over the years and this is by far the worst. It would be helpful to get a response but even that basic service eludes this company. The product offered might be useful if you could only get to it. Finding answers is like pulling your own teeth out. The company offers to learn a language fast ........yeah ok but it takes three days of waiting for.......... Nothing no response. Disgusting

Note from Rocket Languages: Hi Nicholas, thanks for your feedback. We are very sorry to hear you aren't happy with our courses. Our Customer Support Team has sent you a follow-up message to solve any issues you might have. All the best with your language learning! Your Rocket Languages Team

Italian, it started off great but the guy's voice has become tired and boring. In fact I can't bring myself to listen to it anymore simply because his voice depresses me. Maria is great, energetic and up beat, but the dude, o' maron! Lui e molto stanco.