My Japanese Coach Review

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(More customer reviews)Let me start by saying that I have been studying Japanese off and on for many years now. I learned some of the basic words and simple sentence structures as well as to read and write Katakana. However, I've never made a serious attempt to go beyond that, until now.

I have used many computer Japanese learning programs and found all of them to be totally inadequate. I was cautiously optimistic about this DS title, but for under $[...] I decided to give it a try. Wow, I am impressed! The lessons are well structured and introduce around 10 words per lesson (from what I've seen so far), unlike books which want you to remember dozens and dozens of words right from the start. The voice quality is superb and (unlike most other recordings I have heard) does not speak so fast that you can't follow it. I love the feature where you can record your voice and compare it to the native speaker's, including comparing the wave forms. This helps you learn the correct timing and pace when speaking. The games are fun, but you need pretty fast reflexes for the whack-a-mole game unless you set it on easy.

This program does have a few flaws. The stroke order for a few of the kanas is off (stroke order is VERY important in writing Japanese correctly). Also, hiragana is introduced too slowly in my opinion, but this is probably intentional as to not scare off people who have never written in Japenese. That being said, if you are serious about learning Japanese this shouldn't be your only resource anyways. I highly recommend Easy Hiragana: First Steps to Basic Japanese Writing (Passport Books) and especially Easy Katakana.

Despite these minor issues, I think that any serious student of Japanese will benefit immensely from using this program. Motivation and determination are required to learn any language since it takes a huge investment of time and study. Using something that is as engaging as this will keep you interested. Plus, it is a game system after all, so if you need a break you can always pop in Zelda for a while! ;)

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My Chinese Coach Review

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(More customer reviews)...I have to compromise with "4".

*******
NOV. 8, 2009 EDITED TO ADD:Just noted the price drop! Wow. I thought it was a great value at $[...] but its now under $[...]. My recommendation: "Buy, buy!" if you are at all interested in Chinese or in going to China (where this really -could- be helpful, if used properly). And...if you're an educator teaching Chinese at ANY level, I'd strongly urge you to buy a class set! This is a fantastic deal now. What a learning opportunity!

******I've had some Chinese classes in the past so...I think I understand the strengths and weaknesses of "My Chinese Coach" for the variety of people who might try it.

First, the excellent. Spoken Chinese is difficult because of the tones of words. "My Chinese Coach" lets you practice tones and train your ear. A great feature is that you can listen to a word or phrase read in Mandarin, then record yourself saying it, then--if you want to--play both together to see how close you sound. This is a terrific feature, especially practicing tones.

Another good thing is the vocabulary unfolds just like it would in a class--not a lot of words in each lesson, grouped by themes, and with a cute gimmick of advancing you through landmarks in Beijing (Nintendo tried to get it out during the Olympics but just..couldn't quite do it.)

So...you have good vocabulary, practice with tones and recording yourself if you want, many different games to get through the lessons (you start with 4, but unlock 12--I think--I've only got to 5)..

The written Chinese language has characters--no alphabet--and one of the games gives you practice with writing. They're very picky, but it's still fun to practice (and people will recognize it if you come close enough--the game is pretty exacting, though, so don't be discouraged).

The phrasebook and dictionary are great! Even if you feel insecure about pronouncing and using Chinese in conversation, these two features would be a great help to someone traveling in China.Just find what you want to say and let the native Chinese speaker hear it from the DS! It's a great idea. (You could also use characters to communicate, if their spoken Chinese is something other than Mandarin).

So...why not give the game five stars?The reason, for me, is the lack of pinyin. Usually you learn Chinese with the alphabet ("pinyin") system first--then gradually learn characters later. This game incorporates written Chinese much too fast, imo, and cuts back on the pinyin (from what I've seen so far) much too soon. (There is a game where you type answers in pinyin, but I'm not sure how a beginner would have become good enough to be able to do this).

Many people who just want to learn conversational Chinese NEVER learn characters (real literacy will take...forever for most Americans).So Nintendo's choice to use characters in the drills--much, much more than pinyin-- in my opinion, would be a real problem for anyone who hadnt already studied Chinese a lot.

If they had used pinyin for the vocabulary practices far, far, into the game it would be SO much easier and approachable and helpful. With pinyin, even someone who knew NO Chinese would be able to learn quite a bit from this game.

Without much pinyin, I think it would be very very hard (unless you have a good enough ear to hear the words--use your own pinyin to memorize them--and then use "Flash Cards" to practice with the sounds, just ignoring the characters, for the most part).

It is also important to not freak out when you start being tested with the characters (written or spoken). Because the first game you unlock is "Flash Cards" and that is a much better way to learn the vocabulary than the other games before it. (I don't know what other games are unlocked later--hopefully, some with more pinyin used).

Pinyin IS used (as well as English) in the phrasebook and dictionary and that (plus the features above) still makes this a great deal in my opinion, for anyone who'd like to use Chinese--or who's planning to travel to China and wants a "translator" that will be much better than reading from a phrasebook yourself.

This is good for travelers, great for students, and fun for anyone who has interest in spoken and written Chinese (and a little patience with the learning curve, especially at the beginning).At $[...], I think it's a great bargain.

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My Chinese Coach DS

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My French Coach Review

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(More customer reviews)I moved to a French speaking part of Europe a few months ago and have been determined to learn French ever since.I enrolled in a university level course, hired a tutor, and try to practice at my local pub as much as possible.

I was doing "OK" but then I heard about this title.I ordered it from Amazon and I have to say I am IMPRESSED!This is exactly the type of study program I needed.Unlike listening to straight audio (Berlitz Rush Hour French) the DS makes the process interactive.You get ranked (from enfant on up) based on your completion of the levels.The title has an excellent recording feature to let you record a word or phrase and then either listen to it alone, or play it back in unison with the French audio.

The many games you must play to master words to unlock the levels are challenging, somewhat addictive, but fun.I try and play all of them on the DIFFICULT level as they make me work harder.

But, it's not perfect:

One glaring thing missing is they do not list the masculine or feminine identifiers for the verbs.That would have made this a perfect tool because the M Vs. F tense is still a killer for me as I try to weave sentences together.

Also, they make a very strange error in that "Tu" or informal version of "You" is listed as "Formal" and the formal version "Vous" is listed as "Informal."That's a very blatant error.

The dictionary is very limtied.For example, while it has the word for "puppy" there is no word for "dog."It also does not provide definitions, so you'll need a dictionary to ascertain the exact meaning of a word because as in English, a single word can have many different meanings.

The audio and visual "phrase book" for social situations and traveling is probably worth the price of the game alone.It came in very hand on a recent trip outside Paris.

I play this every morning for about between 10 - 15 minutes.It also helps pass time when I have to wait someplace, e.g., barber shop, car dealership, etc.My vocabulary is now over 500 words and even my French tutor (a very picky and precise Parisian) started recommending it to her other students.

No matter what your level, from don't-have-a-clue-about-French to advanced level people who want to brush up on vocabulary, this title will be a useful training tool and a quality way to practice and brush up on existing French skills.

I have to give UBI Soft and Nintendo credit for scoring another way to attract adults to the DS.Unlike a bulky laptop I can play this thing anywhere and that's what makes it so appealing.It really is a quality and inexpensive learning tool, but could be even better with a little tweaking in (hopefully) newer releases.
My rating for this should be four and not five stars.

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Product Description:
Playing My French Coach for 15 to 20 minutes a day is all you need to become fluent in French, no matter your age. The simple touch screen interface lets you spend less time learning the game and more time learning French. The game includes 8 touchpad mini-games to sharpen your skills at your own pace, and lets you track your progress with charts showing your performance learning the language. ESRB Rated E for Everyone.

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