I found this to be a good article. It highlights four important points that you should remember while learning any program. Same thing also applies for Japanese. I don't know why other programs except for Rocket Japanese have not focussed on this aspect at all. Hard to understand for me.
Top 4 Tips to Learn to Speak Japanese Fast
By David McGimpsey
If you're interested in learning to speak Japanese, you may be interested in a technique known as pictorial learning. Using pictures, you can train your brain to work at a heightened level. Pictures provide important cues to help the brain retrieve information. By strengthening the parts of your brain used for imagery, you will be able to learn to speak Japanese quickly and easily. These tips will help you to improve your memorization skills and increase your Japanese vocabulary.
Four great tips to help you learn to speak Japanese:
Use Pictures to Learn
By associating each Japanese vocabulary word with an image, you help your brain to form important associations. These associations will aid in memorization and recall. Your brain uses "category cells" to group concepts that have common images. Take advantage of this great function, and use it to help you learn to speak Japanese!
Streamline Vocabulary Memorization
Associate each Japanese word with an English word or concept. Then associate this concept with a picture. Doing so provides your brain with an important path of cues to recall the necessary information. For example, to learn the Japanese word kau: to buy, you would first associate the word with an English word (kau=cow; they sound similar, so this is a fantastic association). Then picture that English word in a memorable image (for example, a cow buying groceries in a supermarket). Use that image to aid your brain in quick memorization and recall.
Focus on Pronunciation and Verbal Skills
For now, you are concentrating on learning to speak Japanese. The Japanese language has three separate alphabets, and learning to write Japanese can be a daunting prospect. However, speaking Japanese and expanding your vocabulary can be a quick and easy activity. For business or personal use, speaking a language is a great way to begin to immerse yourself in language learning. As you become fluent, you can begin to expand your vocabulary and learn Japanese writing skills.
Focus on Associations
There are two ways to learn a language, through immersion, or through association. To learn to speak Japanese over time, it would be useful to immerse yourself in the culture, and learn to speak the language as if you were a native speaker – through context clues. If you need to learn Japanese quickly however, you should focus on associating Japanese words and phrases with English words and phrases, using images as cues.
By putting these tips to use today, you'll be well on your way to learning to speak Japanese. Focus on associations, pronunciation, and verbal skills. These are truly the building blocks to learning to speak any language, and Japanese is no exception. To learn to speak Japanese, use these skills to streamline your vocabulary memorization. Practice using images to tie the concepts together in your mind. Be sure to take the time to develop clear, memorable images that tie your Japanese vocabulary with English concepts. Practice your vocabulary regularly, and you'll be on your way to fluency in no time!
To learn 100 Japanese words in the next hour, visit David McGimpsey's web site: www.SpeakJapaneseFast.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_McGimpsey
Update: 12th Jan, 2008
I suggest that if the above article points look ok to you then have a look at Rocket Japanese here.
