Rosetta Stone? [MULTILINGUAL]

[pchoksi93]

Has anyone had any experience with Rosetta Stone? It is a lot of money so I was wondering if anyone had any experience and hopefully success with the product? I really want to learn Spanish and be able to incorporate it into my daily life, however I don't know which study method to use. Advice?

[rgaz83]

I have tried a sample, back when they offered such things, and was not impressed. You'll find a lot of glowing praise for the program online, but not much said against it. Unfortunately, the glowing reviews all seem to be sponsored links. That is, if you buy it after reading their review and clicking through their link, they get money!

For a more balanced review, from someone who's fluent in several languages before ever trying the program, I highly suggest reading this link:

http://www.fluentin3months.com/rosetta-stone-review/

One part I find especially interesting/helpful is:

What Rosetta Stone have done is researched one way of presenting a language learning system and simply translated the content (audio and otherwise) to every single language. I was told that this is because a “completely customised language” (i.e. a unique course for each unique language) would increase costs. I was assured that the content is developed for each language separately, and that nothing is ever directly translated from one language to another, but I’ve looked at videos online of people’s Rosetta Stone, seen several slides of the Swedish version and I see precisely the same content that I came across in Dutch.

[SpiralArchitect]

It is a good tool and I can tell you that from having used it for German but the quality is provides varies from language to language because as rgaz said, they have similar content for all languages which isn't actually very smart considering the differences in the usage different languages have. So, it really depends on the language you want it for, it may be good for one while not so good for another.

From what I've heard the Spanish version is decent but you should do more research than just take my word for it.

[LivetoErr]

I found it HORRIBLE.

I, personally, need to know the why of things to learn it. Rosetta Stone doesn't explain grammar, tell you why the sentence was formed a particular way or anything.

I haven't used it in a long time so I might be way off but, if I recall correctly, they give you a conjugated verb and you have to pick what picture it corresponds to. I didn't find it helpful seeing that knowing the rules of conjugation make understanding the verbs a lot easier.

[nick87]

I got it for Christmas last year. Save your money, Rosetta Stone isn't good. It will teach you random vocabulary words, but it doesn't teach you useful conversational phrases nor does it teach you grammar. It's basically flash cards with pictures. Duolingo is free and it's better, it goes over grammar, conjugations, conversational stuff, translating to and from the language, listening, etc.

[Jillybeanerz]

I completed and successfully learned Spanish on my own using Rosetta Stone. The way it has you look at objects and say common everyday words and phrases in whichever language you are trying to learn is the best feature. It allowed me to use these phrases and terms as if they were my natural tongue. The program is set up so that you have to think and come up with the right terms, rather than just read and repeat them. I love this because even I, who has an awful memory, was able to comprehend in learn the language unlike I ever could in a classroom. I definitely recommend Rosetta Stone to anyone who is trying to learn a new language, or even just brush up on an old one.

[2times]

I have used the Rosetta Stone app for Spanish and I have also used it for German. All I can say about this app is that it has been great for me and I am learning whenever I want during the day on my free time! It makes sure that I know how to pronounce the word correctly and if i am actually fitting it into a sentence correctly. This app is great in my opinion.  :amazed: 

[GingerSpice]

I haven't tried it just because it's so expensive, so it's  nice to read other's opinions, because I was thinking about possibly taking the plunge and getting it...doesn't sound like I should. I also recently discovered that there are several other apps and sites with the same service for cheaper and possibly better than Rosetta as well.

[003]

No, when I was looking for a software of learning a new language, the seller recommended it to me. And just by looking it, I already had vibes that it's not going to be healthful. It has so many language that I think it's not going to help much, because it doesn't have a particular focus, though I really don't know much about this as I haven't personally tried it yet. If you want, you can try Living Language software.

[CinnaAyn]

I have it for Spanish and Arabic.  I think it's good a good program for those who can do intensive study.  For me, I need to learn in little spurts and it doesn't lend itself well to that.  It does keep the things varied though and changes it up while you are learning.  I just don't have the attention span for it.

[LazyLearner]

My friend bought the Japanese course for Rosetta Stone a few years ago. It seems that the course at the beginning is very good, carefully built. He could learn the very basics of Japanese, like the numbers, most used words and some phrases that are used daily, but he said there's a gap between the Beginner and Intermediate, and that they could do a better job with the transition of difficulty.

I used it for a while to try to learn French, but I stopped because of my lack of motivation, but what I realized is that it is a very well structured course, It's expensive, but worth it.

[LC143]

I have tried rosetta stone with multiple languages (Latin American Spanish, Japanese, etc) and I've found that although it improves my memory for words, it does not help me with full conversation skills. The combination between rosetta stone and the pimsleur method however, make for quite the effective learning experience.

[PashaR]

Rosetta Stone will make you feel like you are quickly learning a new language. You learn new words and are able to identify proper and improper structures in simple phrases. But it does not teach grammar or proper sentence structure, and you will probably never approach conversational level if it's the only language-learning tool you use. Rosetta Stone spends millions on marketing each year. It's the biggest name in language-learning programs right now. But this isn't because it's the best system, it's simply the most heavily advertised one. The price is outrageous compared to the benefits you'll get from it.

There is no magic bullet when it comes to learning a language. The Rosetta Stone system isn't worthless, but I really question whether it's worth the exorbitant price. When I took a TESOL course a few years ago, my instructor (who has been teaching this course for many years, has two PhD's in neurology and has learned eight languages) called Rosetta Stone "the biggest waste of money on the planet."

Pimsleur is a great system and far less expensive. Use books, audio material (much of which is available for free at your local library) and online resources. Don't waste your hard-earned money on Rosetta Stone.

[Herger]

Has anyone had any experience with Rosetta Stone? It is a lot of money so I was wondering if anyone had any experience and hopefully success with the product? I really want to learn Spanish and be able to incorporate it into my daily life, however I don't know which study method to use. Advice?

Yes. RS is garbage. That is why they spend so much money on advertising. Get duolingo and Pimsleur if you really want to learn a language.

[LearninKorean]

I have Rosetta Stone for learning Korean, and I have found it to be really good if you use it fully, but that gets more expensive.  You have to buy not just the access to the computer program, but also the website access.  The website access gives you access to lessons with instructors where they will correct your pronunciation and help you to clarify things that might be tripping you up.  I actually haven't been able to use it much lately because my online trial ended, and the program is installed on my husband's computer.

My biggest complaint is that it doesn't teach you the alphabet quickly enough.  I get that that's more of a memorization thing, which can get kind of boring, but when everything is written in hangul, you need to be able to read it.

[CeejayMode]

~delete~

[DancingLady]

I've not tried it primarily because it is a lot of money.  I am kind of skeptical of those programs because it seems like I need the human interaction so much to learn language.

[InfiniteGeko]

Has anyone had any experience with Rosetta Stone? It is a lot of money so I was wondering if anyone had any experience and hopefully success with the product? I really want to learn Spanish and be able to incorporate it into my daily life, however I don't know which study method to use. Advice?

I have used Rosetta Stone for Russian. It's basically flashcards for the first part of the entire course. Then it tells you a few minute phrases. It's mostly up to the student to immerse themselves in an environment of cooperative people that allow you to exercise your language. Truthfully, they give a large array of words and accompaniments so, though conversation, you figure out your own sentences. Much like a child listens to adults speak and applies words to images and sentences to actions.

I think it's a very useful bit of software but you have to be serious about the language and follow up every day.

[GamerPerson]

I had a friend that used it once and said that it was a great program, but lengthy. He said that it's lessons are long and that it can be overwhelming, if you're trying to learn the language by yourself. So, I would suggest learning in a class or group of friends that want to learn the language too. A little push from others can motivate you to doing great things, after all.