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 Inaccurate and Overpriced Jun 20, 2010
It's true that the Rosetta Stone Method is a very good way to learn, but They clearly did not spend enough time with native speakers. I used this program to communicate with my girlfriend's family in Korea and they couldn't understand what I was saying. My pronunciation was on but the grammar was completely incorrect.
Good program; shoddy equipment Feb 17, 2010
I bought Korean Levels 1-3 directly from Rosetta Stone. Straight out of the new package one of the ear pieces of the headset that Rosetta Stone supplies had broken off, leaving only bare wires. I called for a replacement headset, which was sent right away. The replacement came today intact, but both the original and the replacement share another problem: they do not fit well in my USB port(s). My Windows XP can detect either that there is a speaker that is malfunctioning or an unidentified device that is malfunctioning. So, give the program a try -- it's pretty good -- but if you want to take advantage of the speaking practice/feedback features without indulging yourself in a lot of needless headaches you should find another headset and not rely on the one that Rosetta Stone provides. Given the price -- and last year's big price jump -- you would think they could do a little better. (PS--Everything else USB that I use fits into those slots on my computer -- and works -- just fine.)
2 stars, I don't like it! Dec 03, 2009
My Korean girlfriend bought the whole 1,2,& 3 for me, so I can't complain about the price, but I have other issues with it. Yes, the headset is crap and I don't use it. Also, I have had to restart my computer multiple times, because the program is slow and freezes up quite a lot, problems I never had with the older version of Chinese. As for the quality or method of instruction it has some value, but it goes from teaching easy stuff to testing harder stuff it never prepared you for. It's like they skip teaching levels, or the steps needed to learn and you are not able to advance unless you seek outside help or cheat your way through the program, which doesn't really help to learn it.
3 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Don't listen to the complaining - but ditch the free mic Nov 25, 2009
Look, Korean is a very hard language for Westerners to learn (though, once you get the hang of it, it is far more logical than English) - if you don't have time to take classes (and I think classes are frequently the worst way to learn a language) you are going to need all the help you can get.
This package has been a real blessing. I'm moving to Korea soon with my wife. She is Korean and has pointed out the grammar errors that others have mentioned. The thing is, if you are going to start to get a handle on the sentence structure and vocabulary and the funny little idiosyncrasies that make the language a challenge, you are going to need something and there really isn't anything else out there. I have found it to be imperfect but well worth the cost.
One thing - if you are doing to it, don't mess around - do it every day, devote at least an hour per session and don't listen to anything else while you are doing it. If you take breaks you are going to get frustrated and give up. I suspect many here who are complaining fall into this category. Also, run through the Core Lessons at least a couple of times for each section then mark the most challenging questions and return to those sets repeatedly as you move forward. Finally, take notes and carry them around with you - it will help.
Also, don't use the free headset they give - they should never have included it. It is absolute garbage (for the cost of the software, they should really provide a better mic) and it will make the pronunciation section torture.
6 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 Great, but not for the inexperienced. Nov 01, 2009
I have been living in South Korea for just over 4 years, and I have tried different ways to learn Korean. Self-study with books, classroom study at a university, and Rosetta Stone.
I think it goes without saying that studying at a university was the most effective way to study Korean. However, it isn't the most useful for me because it doesn't work with my schedule. Most Korean courses offered in Seoul are intensive and classes are often (not always) offered in a 9am-1pm schedule, Mon~Fri. I've known friends who tried to manage this while working full time here, and I haven't met anyone who didn't give up after a certain amount of time because they kept falling behind with their homework (due to working 8+ hours a day after 1pm). There are some universities which offer weekend courses, but again, for anyone who has ever worked a job with long working hours, sometimes the last thing you want to do on the weekend is drag yourself out of bed to get to class. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it definitely isn't for everyone.
When it comes to studying alone with textbooks, this can be good for learning grammar, vocabulary, and writing. On the other hand, it's good for those things in written form. Studying alone with a book doesn't really help you speak the language very much. It's abnormal to jump to writing in terms of a acquistion cycle. We learned our first language by first listening+repeating (babbling), then speaking, next reading, and finally writing. Jumping to the final stage isn't altogether helpful outside of a classroom.
As such, for people who have a busy schedule and know how to read and write Korean, have a basic understanding of the grammar and vocabulary, I totally recommend Rosetta Stone Version 3. I find it very helpful for myself. The early units are presented in a very formal way of speaking Korean, which may not be used everyday with people of young own age here, but it is still important to learn that language. Better to be too formal than too informal. Also, if you're busy, you caqn study when you want. Obviously, studying frequently is the best way to go, but people get busy and sometimes it's just not possible. With RS, if you don't use the program for awhile (a few weeks) when you open it next you are offered refresher lessons to remind you of what you may have forgotten. But the best part is, you're speaking. Not writing everything. I think that is what makes this program one of the best options for people who are studying alone, and who have a base knowledge of the language, and who want to improve at their own pace.
For any of you who have read this far along, thanks for the time. I really think this product is worth it if you're willing to put in the effort, but most of all, you should know how to read and write Korean before you get started (which is very easy to lear. Hangeul is one of the most accessible written languages I've ever seen). Good luck to all in their language endeavors.
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