Customer Reviews

Japanese: 2nd Ed. (Pimsleur Language Program)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am about halfway through this traveler's edition, and have learned a great deal. I have taken a classroom course in basic Japanese, and this tape series has taught me more about the "real" way to speak Japanese. My friend in Tokyo says that my Japanese is very good, and has improved a lot. A perfect way to spend my half-hour commute (each way) to and from work every day.

My only concern is what the unabridged "Japanese I: Pimsleur Comprehensive" version may be like. I hear that the Traveler's edition is the first half of the unabridged Japanese I. I would like to buy "Japanese I," but...a trade-up would be nice, or "Traveler's Edition 2."

I highly recommend this set of tapes.

I am taking a beginners level Japanese course and I found the Pimsleur Japanese tapes a great supplement to the classroom work. I think it does a great job in providing positive feedback and confidence for a beginner. In contrast with some of the critical reviews I've read, I found the tapes to be very good. Sure, after the four tapes you're not going to be a native speaker. You will be familiar with the sentence structure and some verb use in a very painless manner. It's actually fun! I'd like to do the entire course, but the price of the complete course is high.

I found the tapes to be quite helpful, and have but one complaint. The Compact Japanese set seems to cover the first half of the Traveler's Edition Japanese. I assume that the Traveler's Edition subsequently covers the first half of Japanese Level 1. It would be nice if one could purchase the second half of Japanese Level 1 alone, to complement the Traveler's Edition. I bought and used the Traveler's Edition, but hesitate to buy the Japanese Level 1, when the entire first half is a duplicate of the Traveler's Edition! Does anyone else have this complaint?

The "product" itself arrived as expected, sixteen 30-minute lessons. Those turned out to be on tape, but I must have overlooked the details when ordering. It is OK, I want to learn and I can play tapes.
I have not started using it yet before I've completed another course for beginning (that is why I give this course the 3-star rating meaning a neutral opinion).
However, the strangest thing that caught my eye upon opening this box was a booklet about Pimsleur's Language Programs. I am Russian by origin and I was pleased to see that Pimsleur offered courses in Russian language. However, the bizarre thing is that on the page that says "Russian" I see a reproduction of some old traditional painting showing two Georgian men in traditional Georgian robes drinking (most definitely Georgian) wine at a table...
I do understand that for many people living in America the difference between Russia and Georgia is as faint as the difference between Georgia and Maryland... However, for the purpose of learning a language, there is nothing at all in common. I would not understand a single word in Georgian.
Being a native Russian (and having grown up in the Ukraine) I can understand, to a different degree, texts in Bulgarian, Polish, Chech, Slovak, Slovenian, Croatian and some other Slavic or close languages.
But not Georgian. That is a totally different language and history and culture as well.
It is just a shame that the language lesson you buy has such a glitch even in its visual content. I remain only wondering what could be shown on the package of Pimsleur's "Georgian" course :)