Rosetta Stone (Language Learning Software)

[pianodwarf]

Has anyone used this before (or is anyone using it now)?  I've always had an interest in acquiring a tyro's grasp of a few other foreign languages, particularly Irish and Swedish, not so much because I'm ever likely to have any use for them as because I think it would enrich me and broaden my horizons.  I've always held off because it's pretty pricey.  Recently, though, Groupon had an offer on it, so after mulling it over for a bit, I decided to get the Irish package.

I've been using it for a couple of weeks or so now and am greatly enjoying it.  I've tried to learn Irish in the past and have never made much headway (it's a very difficult language to learn), but Rosetta Stone is taking me a lot farther than I've ever been able to go before.  Rosetta Stone also includes a variety of online instruction methods, including working with native speakers, but I haven't tried any of those yet -- I want to get further along in the lessons before I make a fool out of myself that way. 

[screwtape]

I know some phrases in Irish.  Top o' the marnin to ye!  That's a nice sack of potaaaaytoes yev got there. Can you point me to the poob?  Och, I'm droonk.  Ahr yeh lookin fer a fight?  I'll fight yeh, yeh squint!  JaysoosMaryandJoseph!  Yev bloodied me nose! 

I'd like to use rosetta stone, but it's flipping expensive.   

[pianodwarf]

I'd like to use rosetta stone, but it's flipping expensive.

It is.  Fortunately, between the discount I got on Groupon and their five-month no-interest payment plan, the pain is eased somewhat.

[Seppuku]

Just say 'Whale Oil Beef Hooked' fast.

I've been tempted myself, I've been meaning to learn Swedish, however, I probably should finish off learning German too, considering I visit Germany almost every year now and I hate sounding like an idiot with my basic German.

So in your opinion, is it worth the money over all other language tools? What makes Rosetta Stone special?

[Bereft_of_Faith]

I used it for Japanese.  I thought it was quite good, however, without the ability to converse or the opportunity to use it productively, my skills atrophied.  Now I remember very little.

[pianodwarf]

Just say 'Whale Oil Beef Hooked' fast.

And after that, you need to recite the magical incantation.  "Owa... Tajur... Kiam."

So in your opinion, is it worth the money over all other language tools? What makes Rosetta Stone special?

I haven't tried any other language software (not even sure whether there is any; I would assume there is), so my only basis for comparison is older technologies such as audio recordings and those whatchacallits.  Books.  That's not really a fair comparison, of course, but since it's the only one I can offer, here it is:

Yes, Rosetta Stone blows the doors off of using books or instructional tapes or CDs.  Rosetta Stone has pronunciation practice, for example, where you listen to a word or sentence and are asked to repeat it -- the software then tells you how good your pronunciation is.  If you're completely off, you get a "wah wah" sound, whereas if you're mostly close and mispronouncing only one word, that word will appear in gray to tell you you need to practice it some more.

Rosetta Stone is also web-based, so if for any reason you ever want or need to do the lessons on a different computer, you don't have to have the software installed.  Rosetta Stone also offers free apps for your Android or iOS device.  All of this is synchronized on Rosetta Stone's servers, so if you do three lessons on your Droid, then go home and continue studying on your laptop, you will automatically be sent to the next lesson after the one you were working on on your Droid.

Rosetta Stone offers one-on-one audio/video instruction with native speakers -- a certain number of lessons are included with the software, and additional sessions are available at an additional charge.  There's also some community stuff as well -- for example, in a couple of weeks, there's going to be an Irish "game night" where you practice your language skills with other people who are using the same software.  I haven't tried any of this stuff yet but plan to do so after some more practice.

The big downside, as has already been mentioned, is that you will pay thru the snout for all of this.  I got the full Irish course on sale thru Groupon, as I said, and even with the discount, it was about $330.  Other languages are even more expensive.  Irish currently offers only levels 1, 2, and 3.  Other languages, such as Spanish, go to level 5, and Spanish is about $500.  There are alternatives that cost a bit less -- for example, if you want to just buy twelve months of online access to Spanish lessons instead of springing for the actual software, you'll pay less.  And they do offer interest-free financing, so that helps as well.  Even so, though, for that kind of money, I wouldn't recommend it unless it's something you're sure you'll be at least somewhat serious about.

Their web site offers a free demo, so you can get an idea how it works if you're really interested.
http://www.rosettastone.com/demo

[Seppuku]

Thanks for the info. It's something I've been thinking about, I see that it's expensive, but works out cheaper than hiring someone for lessons (at least, that's how I'll look at it). Given I visit Germany frequently enough, I think the price could be justifiable. All software I've tried previously haven't really been helpful, most of them are more interested in teaching stock phrases than teaching you a language. Sure I may pick up rules from the phrases, but I was never comfortable with how they taught and didn't find them as effective as I liked.

However, the pronunciation feature sounds really useful, I'm sure I sound like a twat when I speak German, heck, I got funny looks asking for a hotdog. *shrugs* I've tried mimicking German pronunciation but usually sound like an offensive stereotype of a German homosexual.

I prolly will start thinking about it when I next get paid and see if I am willing to justify it.


Cheers.

[Ambassador Pony]

Has anyone used this before (or is anyone using it now)?  I've always had an interest in acquiring a tyro's grasp of a few other foreign languages, particularly Irish and Swedish, not so much because I'm ever likely to have any use for them as because I think it would enrich me and broaden my horizons.  I've always held off because it's pretty pricey.  Recently, though, Groupon had an offer on it, so after mulling it over for a bit, I decided to get the Irish package.

I've been using it for a couple of weeks or so now and am greatly enjoying it.  I've tried to learn Irish in the past and have never made much headway (it's a very difficult language to learn), but Rosetta Stone is taking me a lot farther than I've ever been able to go before.  Rosetta Stone also includes a variety of online instruction methods, including working with native speakers, but I haven't tried any of those yet -- I want to get further along in the lessons before I make a fool out of myself that way. 

I have a lot to say on the subject, as a language learner.

Going to bed, so executive summary: Rosetta stone is garbage.

No one can teach you a language. You do that. But, some help is available. RS is not helpful proportional to it's cost.

My local library website has access to language learning software called mango languages. Check to see if your library has the same. It's free if you have a library card.

anyway, gotta go. Don;t buy.

[J0SH]

I'd like to have computer software that teaches Japanese, but Rosetta Stone is absurdly expensive. I'd like to learn the language because of my interest in Japanese culture and media.

[Ambassador Pony]

I'd like to have computer software that teaches Japanese, but Rosetta Stone is absurdly expensive. I'd like to learn the language because of my interest in Japanese culture and media.

After you learn hiragana and katakana on youtube (I suggest namasensei), go to iknow.jp and sign up for a few months.

[Seppuku]

I had a good book for learning kanji, it helps you visualise each symbol quite vividly, I dunno if it'll help, but it's this one here. I tried learning Japanese when I was a teen....kinda hence the name.

[nogodsforme]

There are lots of free sites on the web that help you learn a language and even let you click on words and have them pronounced correctly. I have practiced Spanish and sign language on line for free. I don't know about Irish, but I have seen Welsh lessons online.

You can also get language cd's and books from the public library to save money.

I don't think anyone who is highly self-motivated needs to spend hundreds of dollars to learn anything nowadays. Thank Eshu for the interwebs.

[Seppuku]

I've just signed up for the trial of this site and did 1 lesson of Finnish last night (might start a project where some understanding of Finnish may be useful).

It's cheaper than Rosetta Stone and has a much larger range for languages, which is good because Rosetta Stone doesn't even have Finnish.

So far I've found the learning strategy to be memorable, at least, one day on I remember everything from lesson 1, which I ran through fairly quickly. So it may work...the trial's free, so worth giving a go I guess.

Off the top of my head.
Hyvaa Huomenta (good morning), hyvaa Paivaa (good afternoon), hyvaa ilta (good evening), hyvaa yota (good night), terve (hello), tervehyds (greetings), herra (mr), rouva (mrs), kylla (yes), ei (no).


http://www.transparent.com/

I think they've got some apps as well. Came across it and thought it may be useful to some. Still kinda expensive, but it's prolly a more manageable fee, plus there's alternative products that might suit some people's wallets.

[Jag]

Really helpful info everybody! My BF and I have been idly considering getting Rosetta Stone for Chinese - he spends a lot of time in Asia for work, and I wouldn't be surprised to end up living there someday. I took a community-ed course in very basic Chinese and enjoyed it, but it's very different from English in that tone is at least as important as syllables if you want to be understood at all. Tone can completely change the meaning to essentially gibberish if misapplied.

I'm pleased to have less expensive alternatives to Rosetta Stone before committing to any money. The consideration has been idle because we've both been hesitant to spend so much, and I haven't yet gotten around to researching alternatives. So thanks also for saving me some effort! 

This forum is so flippin' awesome!

[Ambassador Pony]

Every library in my province has Mango Languages. It's software paid for by the gov. and available to all with a library card. All library websites link to it in their language and culture section. Not sure about the states.

[magicmiles]

Just say 'Whale Oil Beef Hooked' fast.

I've been tempted myself, I've been meaning to learn Swedish, however, I probably should finish off learning German too, considering I visit Germany almost every year now and I hate sounding like an idiot with my basic German.

So in your opinion, is it worth the money over all other language tools? What makes Rosetta Stone special?

Learning Australian is also quite easy. To greet someone in Australian:

"Airgun, mate?"

[Seppuku]

lol



I checked out Mango, looks pretty decent. Not a huge selection for languages though but the tools seem cool enough, but I may be tempted to use it as I've got to brush up on my German as I'm visiting Germany in a few months, sure I know enough to get by, but no harm in knowing more, so I don't sound like a bumbling idiot. For Finnish for my project idea, I think Transparent seems like the best one I've found for it. Not like I need to be fluent for it.

[Ambassador Pony]

lol

I checked out Mango, looks pretty decent. Not a huge selection for languages though but the tools seem cool enough, but I may be tempted to use it as I've got to brush up on my German as I'm visiting Germany in a few months, sure I know enough to get by, but no harm in knowing more, so I don't sound like a bumbling idiot. For Finnish for my project idea, I think Transparent seems like the best one I've found for it. Not like I need to be fluent for it.

It's good because it is free. Is it free to you too?

[LoriPinkAngel]

I have Rosetta Stone for Spanish (Latin American).  I really find it helpful.  I also like that there is an accompanying app I can use on my Nook tablet for practice.  The price is ridiculously high.  I wrote it off as a business expense because I needed it for work. (When I was working.)  My son hijacked the headphones to play video games.

[Seppuku]

My son hijacked the headphones to play video games.

As a gamer it would seem I am already prepared for learning a language. I already have one of those fancy schmancy headsets to speak into.

It's good because it is free. Is it free to you too?

I don't think so. But I tried a sample on their website and the software seems friendly enough - might have to pop into the library at some point and see if they offer it.

[edit]
Stumbled upon another language resource. http://www.babbel.com
Which is even cheaper.