Review by Steffan Piper

Having been a user of Rosetta Stone products for some time I was off and running very quickly with the Chinese language course. The software is easy to install and interesting to set up and get immersed into.

A word to the wise though. Some people may approach this process very casually and try to either blast through it or not take it very serious. I can only say that any user, regardless of their background, needs to take it slow and pace themselves.

1. Approaching learning Chinese with this program should be like taking any college course.n2. You should take notes and keep a journal of your progress.n3. After the first three days you should start to chart your progress.n4. You should practice with the system at least an hour a day for the first five days.n5. You should speak aloud as many of the phrases as you can after every period once you’ve stepped away from your computer.

You don’t have to be a native speaker to stay on course and progress, but please don’t think that you’ll be disappearing into the crowd or ordering deftly from the menus of out-of-the-way dim sum restaurants any time soon.

I recommend this program for people who have a serious yen, no pun intended, to get a jump start on taking Chinese. Some folks like to think that taking a foreign language is about memorization and repetition. But that just isn’t the case, if it was, we’d probably all be home schooled via VCR.

Listen to me, nothing can compare to learning Chinese in a classroom, under pressure and under the gun of requirements and deadlines. The benefit and the beauty is participating with other classmates and going over the material in a setting that can also build your confidence. Learning at home alone, with a set of headphones doesn’t really give you this, even though you may walk away with some sound basics. If you’re going to study this over the summer and then concentrate on a double semester course in Chinese, you’ll probably excel and be the star student. In this scenario, I cannot recommend it enough. If you’re going to lock yourself in a dark room and try to learn Chinese with this, don’t get your hopes up. You’ll discover that the moment you open your mouth.

Best of luck, kind regards and don’t forget your local Community College or State University.