Best Japanese Language Courses for You

 

Lots of Japanese language courses

 

If you are anything like me, when you first decide to start learning a foreign language you begin searching for a book, program, or software to help you learn the foreign language in question, in my case, Japanese. And if you are like me you also very quickly get overwhelmed by the sheer number of options for language learning aids and the mixed reviews that almost all of them seem to carry. It appears that every book, program, and piece of software has its diehard fans and its adamant detractors. So what’s a language student to do?

 

Choosing styles of Japanese language courses

 

One important thing to choose early on is how you want to learn your foreign language. Many people are more comfortable with a typical class style language course, and for them this helps to simplify things a lot. But what if you don’t have the time or inclination to take a class? Then you have to make a choice between different styles of Japanese language courses. More and more people are opting for the computer route now, either taking online courses or buying a program for their pc. But there are still plenty of good programs out there in book/CD format (and the best format for most people and most foreign languages is a book and a CD, not just a book, because early on you will need lots of help with pronunciation). So the first thing you need to do is decide between the many different formats in with your language learning course is available.

 

Choosing brands of Japanese language courses

 

The next step is the most bewildering and overwhelming one, and that is the step of choosing one particular program or series with which to begin your studies. If you are taking a class this is simplified for you because the class or instructor will often recommend or require a particular text or program. For the rest of us what do we do? There are a couple of options. One is to go with the most heard-of brands, like Rosetta Stone. Often popularity and word-of-mouth recommendations are the most reliable indicators of a programs quality. But what if, like me, you decide that the $500-$600 for the Rosetta Stone program is just too much? Then you have to choose between all the other contenders in a vast market of options. I chose a pc program based on a combination of price, awards, online reviews, and recommendations, but this is an awful lot of research for the average person to put into a program. So the most helpful thing to do is to chose which feature is most valuable to you (price, ease of use, amount of information, reputation of company, etc.) and you will probably find it much quicker and easier to select a program based on your one most valuable feature. Be warned, however, that you may end up compromising on other features using this method.

 

What about non-pc Japanese language courses like books?

 

My method of selecting the Japanese books that I am currently studying with was quite simple, easy, and cost-effective, but it is a method that many others may not be comfortable duplicating and may not achieve the same effect. I bought books on sale at thrift stores, book sales, yard sales, and otherwise cheap and readily available. And it has worked out surprisingly well for me thus far. I also like to comparison shop on sites like Amazon.com for books that give me the greatest quantity of information for the best price (I’m currently planning on ordering a three dollar Japanese-English dictionary and a five dollar Kanji coursebook). While this method may not work for you, hopefully you will be able to figure out which features are most important for you in a language course (like cost or quantity versus ease of use or reputation). Good luck!

Japanese language lesson online