Has it felt like you’ve tried every language learning app out there that everyone’s talking about, but you are still looking for something better? Well, that’s exactly why we’ve created this blog post. Here, we’ll be going into all the details of another language app called Rocket Languages.
We’re so excited to share this Rocket Languages review with you, so let’s jump right in!
Rocket Languages Review
Rocket Languages Courses
Currently, Rocket Languages offers the following 14 language courses:
1. English
2. English (for Spanish Speakers)
3. Spanish
4. Portuguese
5. German
6. French
7. Italian
8. Chinese
9. Japanese
10. Korean
11. Arabic
12. Hindi
13. Russian
14. American Sign Language
In this review, we’ll be using the Spanish course to test the app. But, not to worry if you don’t want to learn Spanish! The lesson structures in all the courses are pretty much the same, so be sure to keep reading regardless of whether or not you want to learn Spanish.
Design & Interface
The overall design of Rocket Languages is minimalistic and functional, which is what makes it very easy to use. There are no distracting features, everything is straightforward, plain, and simple.
Teaching Approach
Rocket Languages follows an audio-based teaching method combined with the language exposure approach. Each lesson in a Rocket Languages course includes at least 15 minutes of audio in which you will learn the core vocabulary of that particular lesson.
So, if you’re interested in downloading Rocket Languages, remember that each part of a lesson always has a listening portion. This is to get language learners highly exposed to the new language and get used to hearing the correct pronunciation, accent, and sentence structure.
Lesson Structure
Each language course consists of three modules and a travelogue section. These modules reflect different proficiency levels, such as module 1 for beginner, module 2 for intermediate, and module 3 for upper-intermediate.
In each module, you will see two different sections, one of which is interactive audio lessons and the other is language and culture lessons.
Interactive audio lessons that focus on learning new vocabulary, practicing writing skills, and improving listening comprehension, and overall speaking ability.
Language and culture lessons, on the other hand, focus on giving grammar explanations as well as providing useful cultural knowledge.
When it comes to the lesson structure, each lesson in Rocket Languages consists of the following six parts:
- Play It!
- Flashcards
- Hear it! Say it!
- Write it!
- Know it!
- Quiz
Now, let’s take a look at these titles one by one!
Play It!
This is the first part you will see after you’ve finished listening to the audio lesson, and it is designed to make you interact with the audio.
Here, there is a written script of the dialogue used in the audio lesson. What you have to do is roleplay as one of the characters. Next, you read the dialogue aloud trying your best to pronounce each vocabulary word as correctly as possible. If not, voice recognition will detect your incorrect pronunciation and give you a low score.
But, do not worry if you get a low score because you can always come back and practice speaking again until you have achieved the correct pronunciation.
Flashcards
You probably already know how flashcards work, but we’ll be explaining exactly how Rocket Languages uses flashcards!
First, Rocket Languages shows you the words and phrases in the target language that you heard in the audio. Next, you’re expected to guess and say the meaning and then turn over the flashcard to reveal the correct answer.
Based on the difficulty level, you can classify the flashcards as easy or hard. That way, you know exactly which ones you need to practice and review more.
So, what happens after you mark the flashcards? When you come back to the flashcards part, you will be able to reset all of them and start over or you can just review the flashcards that you classified as hard.
Hear It Say It!
Here, you listen to the words and phrases without any transcription and, right after the audio recording, it is your turn to say it. Remember that you’re expected to have as clear pronunciation as possible.
Just as you did in the flashcard part, you can mark the pronunciations of phrases as easy or hard, a decision that’s entirely up to you to decide.
The best part is that you can come back to this part whenever you want in order to practice your pronunciation and/or listening comprehension! Neat, right?
Write It!
Similar to the previous part, you’re expected to understand and write down the words or sentences that you hear in the audio correctly. Then you just click to reveal whether you answered correctly.
If the alphabet of your target language includes special characters, Rocket Languages will provide you with them so that you can write everything you hear in the 100% correct form.
Again, you can mark the phrases as easy or hard and come back to them whenever you need to review them.
Know It!
In this part, Rocket Languages gives you the English meanings of the vocabulary you’ve learned so far and wants you to guess their equivalent in the target language. Then you can click the reveal button to see the correct answer.
To make it even more challenging, you can say the phrases out loud and check your answer in terms of pronunciation and comprehension.
Quiz
There is a mini-quiz with 5 multiple-choice questions at the end of each lesson. The questions are typically about any vocabulary and meanings that you’ve come across during the whole lesson.
Once you complete the quiz, congratulations on officially finishing the lesson!
Notable Features Of Rocket languages
Rocket Languages courses have many unique features that can support your language learning. Let’s find out what these features are and how they are different from other language learning apps out there.
Interactive Audio Lessons
The audio lessons in this app consist in both English and your target language, so no worries if you don’t understand everything in the audio lesson.
There is also a voice-over in English that can interrupt the dialogue and provide you with the necessary explanations about words and phrases as you need them.
Language And Culture Lessons
As was mentioned before, Rocket Languages lessons consist of two sections: interactive audio lessons language, and culture lessons.
While language lessons focus mostly on grammar, culture lessons focus on the society and traditions of the country where your target language is spoken. But, let’s dive into these lessons in more detail.
Language Lessons
Since we can’t separate grammar rules and patterns from language learning, Rocket Languages provides you with quick yet crucial grammar explanations in this section. You can learn all about accent marks, articles, genders, auxiliary verbs, and much more.
Culture Lessons
In the culture part, you can learn about almost anything related to that particular country. From casual greetings to small talk to popular cuisine to proper etiquette.
This part of the lesson is definitely fun and enlightening at the same time. When you’re learning a new language, it’s important to also learn about the daily life and the traditions of that society, culture, and country of that language.
Travelogue
The travelogue is the perfect course type for all tourists and travelers out there. This course covers the most commonly used phrases and sentences that you will need the most during your visit to a specific country.
Travelogue includes topics such as introducing yourself, making plans, checking in, ordering room service, etc. Completing this course before you set off on your travels will help you feel more relieved and able to travel with confidence.
Voice Recognition System
Voice recognition is a system that detects your voice and decides whether your pronunciation is correct. The voice recognition system is a must-have element of language learning apps, otherwise, you won’t feel confident about your pronunciation.
When it comes to the Rocket Languages’ voice recognition system, it works flawlessly and users haven’t mentioned any major issues thus far.
American Sign Language Course
Rocket Languages does offer American sign language! Let’s just say that hardly any apps include this course, but it really is a great opportunity for people who want to learn the language.
If you know someone around you who only communicates through sign language, why don’t you learn this physical language and show your skills?
How Much Do Rocket Languages Cost?
It’s time to talk money! Unlike its competitors which have subscription systems, Rocket Languages offers lifetime access to its users. However, there are two different packages: a one-time payment and a six-month plan.
For the one-time payment, you have to choose the levels you want to purchase. However, in the six-month plan, you can access all levels.
Here are the current packages and prices:
Pros & Cons
– Slightly expensive
– Forums are not very active
– Doesn’t provide enough guidelines for learning the non-Roman alphabet
+ High-quality dialogues
+ Course design is comprehensive
+ Voice recognition technology is good
+ Learning materials are downloadable
+ One-time payment for lifetime access
Can You Become Fluent With Rocket Languages?
Given the features available in Rocket Languages, it’s highly possible that you could gain fluency-level language capabilities. But, don’t forget that it takes time, effort, dedication, and continual practice to learn a new language!
By the way, let’s briefly discuss another language learning platform that can help make you a fluent speaker in your target language: the Ling App.
Learn Languages With The Ling App!
If you are interested in language learning, with 60+ foreign languages to choose from, you will absolutely love the Ling App!
The Ling App is a language learning app designed to help you learn a new language as effectively as possible and at your own pace.
With so many engaging activities to choose from, such as writing and listening exercises, mini-games, quick quizzes, and an AI chatbot, the Ling App is an all-in-one language learning resource. You can find everything you need to master the 4 language skills in this app. Even better, you can try the app out for free today by downloading it from the App Store or Play Store.
So, what are you waiting for? Start learning a new language now by downloading the Ling App!
