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I was looking to trial a number of options to find the best way to learn Arabic, and found the Rocket Arabic Language Course to be the superior course. What is it about this course that puts it ahead of all others as a beginner’s course?

I was looking for a good beginner’s Arabic learning course that would allow me to “listen, read and speak” a bit of Arabic because I wanted to be able to use it if I was away with work, or on holiday. Rocket Arabic met this requirement, and compared to many other options on the market, its downloadable learning software was one of the best value options on the market.

Rocket Arabic provides the opportunity to listen to a native Arabic speaker, but the real advantage for me is that it uses a gradual immersion style, rather than total immersion style. It introduces each segment largely in English (believe it or not, but not all courses do this!). When the speakers use an Arabic word during the introduction segment, the word has either been previously mentioned in other sections (sometimes you do have to be quite alert to pick up on that), or it is explained as it is used. But don’t worry, Rocket Arabic doesn’t expect you to learn how to say the word, and remember it after hearing it once. I think one of the strengths of Rocket Arabic is that it is targeted at a beginner’s level, and therefore has a relatively slow pace. (Conversely, if you have an intermediate or advanced ability in speaking Arabic, then this course probably isn’t going to be the one for you).

This course understands that you will need to listen to the word several times before you become familiar with it. The audio files are obviously easy to rewind if you feel like you need to hear it a few more times as well- which is one of the advantages of any software language course. On the matter of time, one, rather minor drawback, that I have found with the majority of audio and software learning styles, and Rocket Arabic was no exception, is that there is no estimation of how long each lesson will take. Now, I know that this is relatively easy for the user to do- they simply have to click near the end of the audio file. But it would be nice if the time taken for each section of the course was easy to identify.

If you have been looking at learning Arabic you will have noticed that, as with any language, there can be different accents and different words depending on the locality of the language. You have probably noticed the differences between American English, and British English for example. Rocket Arabic teaches Egyptian Arabic which you can consider an advantage (as the Rocket Arabic course explains) as Egypt is the capital of Arab television and movie making. Therefore, Egyptian Arabic is widely understood through out the region. So if you’re thinking of holidaying in Egypt, then the Egyptian Arabic taught here will meet the bill.

Rocket Arabic teaches you about everyday dialogue. The conversation is not stilted, or old fashioned, or too formal for you to use it- like some of the text book audio/listening options (you probably remember this style when trying to learn a language at school!). The dialogue tends to use vocabulary that you genuinely want to learn, that will be useful and that will help you to converse fluently and easily in an Arabic speaking country, or with Arabic speakers.

Rocket Arabic’s learning course is made up of a number of sections- too many to detail here. But as a brief highlight, rather usefully, the first section (introduced in English), is ‘Meeting, Greeting, Food and Drink’. This section develops your knowledge of the language at a rather sensible speed. As the course progresses, a more advanced section taught later in the course is ‘Take a Tour’(that might also be useful if you’re thinking about a holiday). After each section is introduced in English, the speakers converse in Arabic. As you listen to the conversation in Arabic you can choose whether you read the Arabic script, Arabic in English letters or the English translation.

One item that I particularly like about Rocket Arabic is that as you learn the language, it also teaches you a bit about the culture…these gems are interwoven throughout the lesson but I don’t want to say too much here and give them away as I found these some of the interesting bits of the course.

Rocket Arabic teaches you how to speak Arabic using a good range of tools. You will need to be prepared to give it a go, and to try to speak Arabic following prompts from the speakers on the audio files. Rocket Arabic emphasizes the need to practice saying words, phrases and sentences out loud. Briefly, (and rather roughly) describing the overall style of the course, the speakers say the word twice in Arabic, then the English translation. You are prompted to say the word in Arabic, and then the Arabic is repeated by the speakers on the audio file, slowly at first, then the second time a bit faster.

One item that I think could be improved in Rocket Arabic is the way that they use numbers in the “Arabic in English letters”. To the beginner, this looks like a typo, which is rather an annoying thought to be faced with in the first lesson having bought the course. But, what I can say is be patient, and it will be explained in subsequent lessons. If you want to know why there are numbers in the “Arabic in English letters” translation of the dialogue it is because it has been deliberately written in this way.

There are some Arabic letters that do not have an equivalent in English. Using numbers in this way in Arabic has actually been used for quite some time, and numbers such as 2, 3, and 7 have been chosen as they resemble the Arabic script. So it is completely acceptable that Rocket Arabic has opted to use this sort of notation- on the basis that it is relatively comment. But I think simply explaining this at an earlier stage in the course would be both helpful and reassuring, and also avoid the learner being distracted by these numbers. So, don’t be alarmed to see the odd number scattered into ‘Arabic in English letters’, before long, you will recognize the sound that the number represents.

Weighing up the various options trailed, if you are looking for a language course to help you learn Arabic, I would recommend Rocket Arabic for its interesting content, learning pace and style offered at a value for money price.

For the most part, choosing a printer can be a daunting task and entails balancing price, speed, and print quality. In order to choose the right printer for you, you will have to ask yourself how much you print per month, what types of documents you will need to print, what quality print you require, whether or not you need color, and if you care more about the initial cost or cost over the printer’s lifetime. The difference between inkjet printers and laser printers is day and night, but once you understand their differences and decide which type is most suitable for your needs, you are more than half-way to finding the right printer for you.

As a rule of thumb, laser printers produce crisp, speedy text documents and decent images, while inkjet printers produce top-quality, long-lasting photos and not-so-crisp text, all at an uncomfortably-slow pace.

Inkjet printers are best if printing high-quality photos are much more important that high-quality text and graphics and if speed is not an issue for you. Their major selling point is their superior color accuracy and print resolution for vivid photos, so this does add time to printing each page. They are also best if you have light printing needs and are more concerned with the cost upfront since replacing the ink cartridges can get pricey if you start to print a lot, but you can often find a good inkjet printer for under $100 or $200.

Laser printers are best if high-quality text documents are more important than high-resolution photos and that speed is essential. Laser printers major selling point is their ability to quickly print crisp documents at a very low cost per page. Color laser printers major selling point is their ability to print documents with a mix of text, graphics and photos at a fast speed, but they do run a bit more expensive because they can “do it all.” Overall, laser printers and color laser printers cost much less to maintain and operate and have a lower cost over the printer’s lifetime, but have a higher price-tag initially.

It’s worth explaining in detail the huge difference in the cost of ownership of the two types of printers. An inkjet printer costs a lot less initially but its cost per page is much higher than a laser printer’s cost per page. In fact, companies practically give away inkjet printers because the profit for most manufacturers is in the ink cartridges, or consumables as they call them. On the other hand, a laser printer costs a lot more initially, but over time its toner will cost much less per page. For example, let’s say you print 5000 pages in two months. You would have to replace the inkjet’s ink cartridges about 25 times compared with the two times you would have to replace the laser printer’s toner cartridge. The cost of the inkjet ink cartridges would almost double the cost of the laser toner cartridges. If you print a couple hundred pages per month or a thousand pages per month, laser printers are more cost effective overall.

Conclusively, if your business’ output volume is moderate to heavy, your best bet is to go with a laser printer due to the laser printer’s total cost of ownership. If you print very infrequently, whether it’s for personal use or for your small office, then an inkjet printer would be more cost effective. At the end of the day, the types of documents you need to print may determine what printer, or printers, you select. If you’re printing mainly photos and documents for personal use, such as directions in which you don’t care about the quality, then you should get an inkjet printer. If you print a lot of text documents and are cost conscience, then a budget monochrome laser printer would be your best fit. Finally, if you print a moderate volume of text, graphics, and mixed documents, then a color laser printer would definitely best suit your needs and would be a good investment.

HP printers are great in both the inkjet printers and laser printers categories. Epson printers, Canon printers, and Kodak printers are very popular for inkjet and photo printers. Brother printers, Xerox printers, HP printers and Samsung printers are best in class for laser printers with Xerox probably the best in class for color laser printers for businesses. So figure out your printing needs and do your research and you will find the right printer for your needs at the right price.