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Japanese

An Honest Review of Living Language Online Course With Image of Man on Computer

Living Language Online Course Review – Not Very Good

Living Language Online Course

Rating 0.0
★★★★★

Summary

UPDATE – it appears that the online course Living Language no longer exists. This review covers the old course when it did exist. You can however find a series of books with this name available on amazon.

Quality 3.0
★★★★★

Though the information itself is useful, Living Language’s presentation reads more like a database than an educational/interactive tool.

Thoroughness 3.0
★★★★★

Again, a lot of the information is there, but it’s scattered. Additionally, some of that information appears incorrect.

Value 2.0
★★★★★

Cheaper options offer the same amount of content with more interactive features.

I Like
  • You can hop around between levels and topics, including Beginner and Advanced materials.
  • The subscription comes with a grammar guide, glossary, and forum access.
  • There’s a decent variety of games, including some games I hadn’t played before.
I Don’t Like
  • Although the games are fun, they get stale pretty quickly. It’s easy to guess at answers, thereby completing levels without really having learned.
  • The system doesn’t keep track of your mistakes, so it’s hard to know what areas you need to improve in.
  • I found several translation and presentation errors that made me question the rest of the material.
Price

An annual plan costs $150, and half a year costs $75. Three months is $50 and 1 month is $39.

Visit Living Language

An Overview of Living Language

Living Language offers you the opportunity to choose between over 20 languages. Once you pick your language, you’re taken to the home screen which has options for Essential, Intermediate, and Advanced categories. You can start with any of these options and jump back and forth between them.

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Living Language Online Course Review – Not Very Good Read More »

An Honest Review of Drops App With Image of Woman on Phone

Drops App Review – Decent As A Supplementary Resource

Drops App

Rating 3.9
★★★
★
★★

Summary

Drops is a phone app for iPhone and Android that covers 33 languages. Daily games test the user on thousands of vocabulary words, and many of these words are ideal for everyday use. Drops has an entertaining, user-friendly interface, but it also lacks grammar lessons, and it works better for some languages than others. For anyone looking to supplement their vocab lessons, this app is worth considering; however, the free version might be more worthwhile than the paid version.

Quality 4.0
★★★★★

Though cute and easy to use, some visuals are hard to distinguish.

Thoroughness 3.0
★★★★★

Drops will teach you thousands of words and phrases, from transport and hobbies to astronomy and spices. Some languages, such as Japanese, have extra modules for culturally specific vocabulary.

Value 3.0
★★★★★

The free app is a great supplementary tool to help round out your vocabulary, but the paid app doesn’t offer many useful extras.

I Like
  • The daily reminders keep me accountable.
  • If you already know a word, you have the option of swiping up and removing it from your lessons.
  • Though the app works better for some languages, the sheer amount of languages is a plus.
I Don’t Like
  • It can be difficult to tell certain images apart, which means you’ll likely identify them incorrectly during your review.
  • Some of the categories seem to include random, unrelated words.
  • In languages where a noun’s grammatical gender or case isn’t obvious from the article, you won’t learn that information.
  • Drops only teaches you vocabulary, not grammar.
Price

A monthly subscription costs $9.99, a yearly subscription is $69.99, and a lifetime subscription is $159.99. You can use the app up to five minutes every ten hours for free.

Visit Drops

I’d previously heard about Drops on Reddit, where it achieved rave reviews and some pointed criticism.

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An Honest Review of Wanikani With Image of Japanese Architecture

Wanikani Review – A Useful Supplementary Tool For Studying Japanese

Wanikani

Rating 4.2
★★★★
★
★

Summary

Wanikani is an innovative, useful site for beginning learners of Japanese kanji. The site provides mnemonic devices and a spaced repetition system (SRS) to teach radicals, kanji, and vocabulary. Although it offers a phenomenal foundation in kanji, it doesn’t provide everything you’ll need to learn the language. Still, if you’re willing to put in the time and effort, Wanikani is an excellent supplementary program.

Quality 4.5
★★★★
★
★

Easy and fun to use, so long as you don’t fall behind on your lessons.

Thoroughness 4.0
★★★★★

It won’t teach you stroke order or too much grammatically, but it provides over 2000 kanji and 6000 vocabulary words.

Value 4.0
★★★★★

Wanikani is constantly adding new material, so even if you finish all the kanji, there’ll be more to learn. If you put in the effort, it’s more than worth your money.

I Like
  • The mnemonic devices/stories are hilarious and make learning fun and memorable.
  • Wanikani keeps track of which radicals, kanji, and vocab you’re struggling with in its “critical condition items” feature. You can easily look at this resource to figure out your strengths and weaknesses, and you can restart a level if you’re having trouble with the new material.
  • Each kanji and vocab provides an audio reading by a native speaker. These recordings help you get an ear for the sound of the word, alongside the written form.
I Don’t Like
  • If you skip a day, it adds up. Wanikani does allow you to pause via vacation mode, but if you forget, or if you need more time, you’ll potentially have hundreds of lessons to catch up on.
  • Some of the mnemonics are hard to remember.
  • Wanikani is great for reading, but if you’re trying to speak or write the language, this site doesn’t offer much. And while example sentences are provided, the actual process of learning grammar is left to each individual.
Price

A monthly subscription costs $9, a yearly subscription is $89, and a lifetime subscription is $299. The first three levels are available for free.

Visit Wanikani
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Wanikani Review – A Useful Supplementary Tool For Studying Japanese Read More »

LingoDeer Review

Lingodeer Review – A Better Alternative To Duolingo, Busuu, Rosetta Stone, etc.

Last Updated on December 12, 2023.

Lingodeer

Rating 4.3
★★★★
★
★

Summary

Lingodeer may not be as well known as other language learning apps, but it’s actually better and cheaper than most of them. You’ll practice the language by completing lots of different types of exercises. They also include plenty of grammar explanations and opportunities to review what you’ve studied. All in all, it’s one of the better options for getting started learning a language.

Quality 4.5
★★★★
★
★

It has a great design and everything works well with only a few minor issues.

Thoroughness 4.0
★★★★★

Not as thorough as some other courses but it’s good for what it is.

Value 4.5
★★★★
★
★

Quite a bit of content is free and the premium plan is very affordable.

I Like
  • Lots of different exercise types in the lessons.
  • Detailed grammar explanations.
  • Clear audio recordings.
  • Inexpensive!
I Don’t Like
  • The content isn’t always ordered well with some unusual words thrown in too early.
  • Not sufficient for developing oral communication skills.
Price

$14.99/mo, $39.99 for 3 months, $150.99 for a year. There’s also a lifetime option for $299.99. You may also occasionally find sales, such as the yearly rate dropping by 50% to $79.99.

Visit Lingodeer
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Lingodeer Review – A Better Alternative To Duolingo, Busuu, Rosetta Stone, etc. Read More »

Transparent Language Review

Transparent Language Review – Not Exciting, But Language Offering Is So Vast That You May Need It

Last Updated on December 13, 2023.

Transparent Language

Rating 2.3
★★
★
★★★

Summary

Transparent Language markets itself as “the most complete language-learning system for independent learners.” While there are lots of different exercises for you to work through in their Essentials Course, I thought that the material wasn’t all that helpful and that it got very repetitive. Although the courses might not be all that useful or in-depth, with over a hundred languages on offer it might be worth checking out if you want to learn the very basics of a more obscure language such as Buriat, Kazakh or Turkmen.

Quality 2.5
★★
★
★★★

While the exercises are for the most part well-designed, diverse and easy to use, it is the core material itself that I found lacking.

Thoroughness 2.0
★★★★★

I hardly came across any explanations at all; practice was almost exclusively memorizing words and phrases.

Value 2.5
★★
★
★★★

I would only consider using if I was studying a very rare language.

I Like
  • I really like the fact that they offer up courses in languages that are usually overlooked.
  • It’s pretty well-designed, easy to use and has lots of different activities to work through.
I Don’t Like
  • The core material is severely lacking in my opinion; it’s hard for me to imagine you’ll learn much grammar or how to form even a basic sentence yourself.
  • It gets very repetitive and so I didn’t find it that fun to work through.
  • You learn virtually nothing about the different cultural contexts of the languages you’re learning.
  • Their teaching methodology was the biggest issue for me, leaving you memorizing lots of words and phrases in isolation.
Price

There is a free two-week trial period for you to try it out. Otherwise, it is $24.95 per month or $149.95 for a whole year if you just select one language. If you want access to all of the languages it is then $49.95 per month and $249.95 a year.

Visit Transparent Language
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Transparent Language Review – Not Exciting, But Language Offering Is So Vast That You May Need It Read More »

Michel Thomas Method Review – Avoid At All Costs

Michel Thomas Method

Rating 1.7
★
★
★★★★

Summary

One of the most famous language teaching courses out there, Michel Thomas is a household name. The platform advertises itself as “The method that works with your brain” and boasts a teaching method “with no books, exercises, memorizing or homework” in several of its course descriptions. It’s available in 18 languages with courses that have material suitable for absolute beginners. I tried out the French foundation course and found it to be severely lacking and as such cannot recommend it at all. You may, however, have more luck with the other language courses that they offer.

Quality 2.0
★★★★★

Very easy to use, and the audios are decent quality, but I found that Michel Thomas’ discouraging manner flustered students, which detracted from the content’s quality in my experience.

Thoroughness 2.0
★★★★★

In my opinion, Michel Thomas doesn’t go into much depth and any explanations he offers up are just at a surface level.

Value 1.0
★★★★★

I wouldn’t use these even if they were free due to Michel Thomas’ teaching style which ruined the material for me.

I Like
  • Um…in all honesty I’m not sure if I enjoyed any of it!
I Don’t Like
  • Michel Thomas never praises the students, often interrupts them and creates a negative learning environment.
  • The pacing of the lessons often seems off to me and in certain places they feel very hurried.
  • I thought all of the lessons were almost identical and so it got quite monotonous working through them.
Price

There are several different courses available with prices ranging from $11.99 to $100.

Visit Michel Thomas

Before working my way through the French foundation course, I had never tried a Michel Thomas course despite hearing so much about it.

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Michel Thomas Method Review – Avoid At All Costs Read More »

An Honest Review of JapanesePod101 With Image of Japanese Architecture

JapanesePod101 Review – It Works Well As A Supplemental Resource

JapanesePod101

Rating 4.0
★★★★★

Summary

JapanesePod101 has thousands of lessons going back over a decade. It’s best used as a supplemental resource to improve your listening comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary. I wouldn’t advise trying to use it as a standalone course because the lessons don’t always follow a clear and suitable path. While very much imperfect, it’s a useful resource and available at an affordable price.

Quality 4.0
★★★★★

Some lessons are great and others leave a lot to be desired.

Thoroughness 4.0
★★★★★

A lot of content but it’s not always structured well.

Value 4.0
★★★★★

One of the more affordable tools around.

I Like
  • Probably the best tool to improve your Japanese listening comprehension.
  • Tons of content for everyone from the absolute beginner level up to the intermediate level, though advanced learners would be disappointed.
  • Very detailed lesson notes give lots of good information.
I Don’t Like
  • The chaotic course structure makes it hard to rely on as your only resource.
  • Many of the extra features aren’t useful or very well-made.
  • The older lessons can be a lot lower quality.
Price

There are three subscription plans with lengths available from 1 month to 2 years, with many options in between.

Basic – $4/month with Premium $10/month and Premium Plus – $23/month.

Use the coupon code “ALLLANGUAGERESOURCES” to save 25% on a subscription.

Visit JapanesePod101

JapanesePod101 is one of the better ways to learn Japanese. They have thousands of lessons, from the absolute beginner level, up to an advanced level.

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StoryLeaning Spanish Uncovered In-depth Review: One-of-a-kind and Surprisingly Effective & Enjoyable

StoryLearning Uncovered Courses

Rating 4.0
★★★★★

Summary

StoryLeaning Spanish Uncovered (and the similar German, French, Italian and Japanese courses) come from Olly Richards, the creator of the super popular blog I Will Teach You A Language. It’s quite a bit different than most courses as it revolves around a story. It can be a bit more challenging than other courses, as you begin reading somewhat long texts right off the bat. Overall, I found it to be a more fun way to approach language learning that will be great for some but not ideal for others.

Quality 4.0
★★★★★

The instruction is clear but can have too much information crammed into a single lesson.

Thoroughness 4.0
★★★★★

You’ll practice every aspect of the language.

Value 4.0
★★★★★

It has a pretty high price, but if you stick with it, you’ll get good value from it.

I Like
  • Centering the lessons around a story makes learning more fun.
  • Good clear instruction with lots of opportunities to practive what you’ve learned.
  • Gets students to actively participate and take control of their own learning.
I Don’t Like
  • Too many unrelated grammar points are included in the grammar lessons.
  • The review quiz is too short.
Price

A one-time purchase costs $297, or for Japanese, $397. There’s also a 7-day free trial.

StoryLearning Uncovered 7-Day Free Trial

Olly Richards, the creator of the popular blog I Will Teach You A Language has also created several language learning courses.

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StoryLeaning Spanish Uncovered In-depth Review: One-of-a-kind and Surprisingly Effective & Enjoyable Read More »

LinguaLift Review – You’d Be Better Off Using A Textbook

LinguaLift

Rating 2.7
★★
★
★★★

Summary

LinguaLift currently offers courses in Japanese, Russian and Hebrew. I chose Japanese and working my way through the lessons was very much like going through an online textbook. Very text-based, the material is best suited to beginners although the slow pace and heavy use of English means that it takes a while to make progress. While it’s nicely designed and includes lots of interesting content about Japanese culture, you don’t learn how to speak or understand conversations as the focus is on learning how to read (which it does very well).

Quality 3.5
★★★
★
★★

Very easy to use and nicely produced but all lessons look the same.

Thoroughness 2.5
★★
★
★★★

Great for teaching reading and the cultural context of a language but not communication skills.

Value 2.0
★★★★★

The material is comparable to a textbook but much more expensive.

I Like
  • LinguaLift is one of the best resources out there when it comes to teaching you about the cultural context surrounding the language.
  • The texts are quite humorous to read and each lesson concludes with a reward which usually comes in the form of a video about some part of the culture.
  • It really succeeds at teaching you how to read Japanese and the course is easy to follow.
  • Don’t have to pay extra to access courses in more than one language.
I Don’t Like
  • All of the lessons look almost identical which gets monotonous.
  • The course is mostly in English and it takes a while for you to actually encounter all that much Japanese.
  • Other courses will almost certainly have you speaking and learning the language at a quicker pace.
  • The focus on reading means you don’t get to listen to much Japanese and there is no way to practice speaking or holding a conversation.
Price

$19.99 a month or one year is $156.00. Languages: Japanese, Russian, and Spanish

Visit LinguaLift

In order to write this review, I subscribed to LinguaLift for one month. And, although they have courses available in Japanese, Hebrew, and Russian, I decided to focus this review on their Japanese course.

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LinguaLift Review – You’d Be Better Off Using A Textbook Read More »