Thursday, January 23rd
2025 Language Learning Program Reviews
Rocket Languages
- Pricing: $149.95 per level or $75 per month for all levels
- Offers 13 languages with advanced courses for some available
- Downloadable MP3 and PDF materials for offline learning
- Podcast-style audio lessons for listening and speaking practice
- Free trial lessons in the first few modules
- Language & Culture lessons with pronunciation practice
- Detailed writing lessons for languages with their own alphabets
- Pronunciation tool with voice recognition
- Survival Kit lessons for travel or business vocabulary
- Leaderboard to compete with other users
Rocket Languages believes in the power of language to connect people and broaden horizons. Founded in 2004 by Jason and Mark Ling, the company started with Rocket Spanish and Rocket French after recognizing the struggles people faced with traditional language learning methods. Their approach was well-received, leading to global recognition in online language education. The company remains dedicated to their mission of fostering connections through language learning and also supports educational initiatives, like sponsoring a school in Cambodia.
13 languages offered
Rocket Languages offers courses in Spanish, Sign Language, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Italian, Hindi, German, French, Chinese, Arabic, and ESL. If you're not a beginner, don't worry. Rocket Languages has advanced courses available for Spanish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Japanese, and Mandarin Chinese. Whether you're starting from scratch or looking to perfect your skills, you can progress through beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.
Downloadable as MP3 and PDF
Got a long flight coming up and want to make the best use of your time? You can download your course materials - and keep them forever. Rocket Languages lets you save their Audio lessons as MP3s to your phone or computer, so you can keep learning without Wi-Fi. You can even print their lessons or save as a PDF with a simple right-click. (However, their voice recognition tool for perfecting pronunciation needs an internet connection.) Rocket Language is available for Android, iOS, and on desktop.
Podcast-style audio lessons for listening and speaking practice
You can try some lessons in the first few modules for free before needing a paid account. These scripted, podcast-style audio lessons last 15-40 minutes and are meant to expose you to as much spoken target language as possible. You are meant to listen and repeat aloud when prompted, so make sure you've got someplace you can practice without being interrupted. An English speaker will translate and provide context for the two speakers of your target language, including cultural information. For example, in the first audio lesson for the Korean course, you hear an interaction between two Korean speakers meeting each other. The English voice explains that the first speaker must know the second one well because she used his name. She tells us that in Korea, it's considered rude to say someone's name to their face unless you already know them.
Rocket should consider recasting some of their audio lesson speakers
Unfortunately, the quality of the audio lessons varies depending on the language you're looking at. For example, the German audio lessons aren't very good - one of the speakers is an American living in Germany who works for Rocket, and he often stumbles over or skips words and doesn't seem to fully understand the script he's reading. Knowing that, it's hard for us to trust the quality of other languages because we don't speak them well enough to judge their accuracy. Your best bet is to read the experiences of people who have completed the course you're interested in, or check out one of our detailed reviews here at TopConsumerReviews to see how courses specifically for your target language compare across different platforms.
Language & Culture lessons to cover all your bases
The Language & Culture lessons found in each unit are mainly text-based with some audio for pronunciation practice. For example, in the Korean course, you'll learn that Korean has no tones, syllable blocks always have at least two characters, and you'll get familiar with the Korean writing system, Hangul. You'll also find out that vowel sounds are always consistent, no matter where they appear in a word, and listen to some basic consonant and vowel combinations. Additionally, there's an interesting story about how Korean writing came to be. These lessons are our favorite part of any Rocket Languages course.
Writing lessons are helpful for languages with their own alphabet
If you're learning a lesson like Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or any language with characters not found in the Latin alphabet, Rocket is a good choice. Their bite-sized writing lessons are clear and walk you through the correct way to construct each character. We only wish there was a practice tool that let you draw or trace them with your cursor, but a piece of paper and a pen will always work.
Practice speaking, useful vocabulary, and compete on the leaderboard
Additional features include a pronunciation tool with voice recognition, Survival Kit lessons (topic-specific lessons useful for travel or business vocabulary), flashcards, and a leaderboard to compete with other users.
$75 a month or $149.95 per level
Rocket Languages uses a one-time payment structure for their language courses. The pricing seems to be consistent across all of their languages, but you'll want to double check the one you're interested in. For your reference and as an example, Rocket French offers three levels: Levels 1, 2, and 3 for $449.85, Levels 1 and 2 for $299.90, and Level 1 for $149.95. (They don't seem to sell levels 2 or 3 individually, so it seems like you might be forced to pay for Level 1 again if you first buy Level 1 and then decide you want to continue.) You can also opt to pay $75 per month for all three levels - but frankly, we find this price to be way too high.
Good, not great
Rocket Languages is a decent app with genuine value in its lessons, but it might not be worth $75 a month. They don't offer as many languages as some competitors, and they lack a lot of customer reviews. Your trust in their accuracy might be shaken by issues like the ones in their German course. Overall, you might want to pick a different service unless you really love Rocket's format and have the budget for it.
More Language Learning Program Reviews
What is the Best Language Learning Program?
Language learning programs are great for all kinds of people. Students often find them useful for supplementary learning in tandem with their school coursework. Professionals might use them to gain an edge in the global job market, where knowing more than one language can be a big advantage. Travelers can use these programs to learn the basics of a language before visiting a new country.
Online language learning programs can solve several problems. Traditional classes can be expensive, time-consuming, and inflexible, with fixed schedules that can be hard to fit into a busy life. Language learning programs, on the other hand, are often more affordable and can be used anytime and anywhere you have an internet connection. They offer different ways to learn, such as interactive exercises, games, and conversation practice, making learning more engaging and effective.
Language Learning Program FAQ
Continued from above...
Imagine this: In high school, you struggled through Spanish class, barely passing and feeling frustrated every step of the way. The rigid schedule and overwhelming, boring homework of the traditional classroom setting just didn't work for you. Years later, as an adult, you find yourself wishing you could speak another language fluently.
Maybe you want to try again with Spanish, or branch out to something new, like French, German, Italian, or even Arabic. You realize there must be a better way to learn than those old high school methods, and you start exploring language learning programs designed to fit into your busy life.
Language enthusiasts and lifelong learners can use these tools to explore new languages and cultures. There are many types of language learning programs, each with its own strengths. Some focus on "immersive” learning, using pictures and audio to teach you in a way similar to how babies acquire their first languages. Others use games and competition with other students to make learning fun. Some programs offer audio-based instruction, which is great if you prefer to listen and practice speaking while on the go.
There are a handful of things to keep in mind when choosing the best language learning program for you:
- Learning style. Think about how you learn best. Do you prefer seeing, hearing, or interacting with what you are learning? Pick a program that matches your learning style to help you stay interested and retain more information.
- Language focus. Not all programs offer every language. Make sure the program you choose has good resources for the language you want to learn, including conversation practice, grammar lessons, and cultural insights.
- Cost. Language programs can be free, paid, or a combination of both. Consider what you can afford and compare the cost with the features and benefits. Free programs can be great, but paid services often offer more comprehensive and structured content.
- Flexibility. Look for programs that fit into your schedule. Mobile apps are good for learning on the go, while desktop versions might offer more detailed resources. Some platforms offer a combination of both. Whatever you choose, you want to make sure the program's format works with your lifestyle, or you won't use it.
- Difficulty. Some language learning programs are so much fun that you don't find it difficult to get some practice in every day. However, that doesn't necessarily mean you're actually learning to speak the language. Look for a program that challenges you to step outside of your comfort zone and provides you with opportunities to test how much you really know.
- User experience. A user-friendly interface can make learning a new language much easier and more enjoyable. Read reviews and, if possible, try a demo.
The language-loving experts at Top Consumer Reviews have evaluated and ranked the best language learning programs available. We hope this information helps you find the right service for you, making your journey to fluency in a second (or third, or fourth) language enjoyable and successful.
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