Rosetta Stone Language Courses

[vince14]

Chaps,

I'm thinking of putting some time into learning a new language, and I've heard that Rosetta Stone sell good, if expensive, courses. Anyone ever used them? Are they any good?

Cheers,

Vince

[josh1813]

I recently signed up to take it through an agreement with a local college. Only cost me $50/ 3 months....sadly I've not had a lot of time to play with it, but it is a completley different approach to a language. If you pick a language that you already have some background with I could see it working really well. However, since I've not a lot of time to play with it I really can't say other than that. You might want to check at some colleges around you and see if they are offering a similiar program.

[camaroz06]

Sometimes some local libraries have them in house for use, check around you to save some serious cash.

Edited August 24, 2010 by camaroz06

[Lenny]

I got the spanish one for Christmas. It's awesome. It actually makes learning a language fun. This coming from a guy who fought French in High school and a year in college. The college level course was a killer, met 5 days a week plus a lab.

I give Rosetta Stone two thumbs up!

[Fishwelding]

I've toyed with the idea of convincing ARC members to help each other out with language skills. The trouble is that as it is an English language site, barring the occasional polite correction usually we English-speakers cannot provide much assistance to those who have another primary language, but who already speak (well, type) in English well enough to participate here. By definition, they're already pretty good at English, and in some cases, better than those who learned it at home as our first language! So while Russians, Germans, Chinese, French, or Italians, for example, can help us learn their language, we really can't help them back, short of perhaps sending them models kits in exchange.

Of course, we could teach you dialects. So if you wanted to fool people into thinking you were from, say, Chicago, Montreal, Sydney, Pittsburgh, Liverpool, Texas, Kent, or Saskatchewan, we could teach you to sound like you were. But A> such training in (mis)pronunciation could be difficult in this media and B> our respective national intelligence services might raise an eyebrow, because we're offering the kind of skills, then, taught in spy training, so that agents could blend into our society.

But it's doable in person. I had Belgians teach me how to sound like a Dutch-Belgian speaking English, instead of a citizen of the Netherlands speaking English.

Edited August 24, 2010 by Fishwelding

[Spins]

I used it for Japanese, and it helped me stay proficient. It's a very good tool, and I think worth the money.

Jamal

[johnsan]

Check out Mango and Transparent Language first.

[Zeeman]

Ich hätte überhaupt kein Problem damit, Leuten deutsch beizubringen^^

I wouldn't have a problem to teach you guys the German Language. For Russian, just basics but these are precious as well.

For Spanish and French i now the grammar. Currently I am better at Spanisch because i didnt use French for almost 3 years, what a pitty

if you would know how fluently i handled it back then.

[ikar]

I've seen them in stores, very expensive. Don't you need a verbal interface to use them?

[vince14]

Thanks for the help guys. I was never any good at languages at school, and what's tempting me is that other people I know who also admit to struggling when younger found that Rosetta Stone wasn't really like learning a language at all.

our respective national intelligence services might raise an eyebrow, because we're offering the kind of skills, then, taught in spy training, so that agents could blend into our society.

I really wouldn't worry about that. Intelligence agencies tend to recruit native speakers whenever possible, rather than training someone up to such a high degree of fluency. The Russian spies recently deported from the US always claimed to be foreign rather than native Americans. It's easier to tell people that you've moved in from out of town, that way you don't need to have a perfect local dialect, knowledge, full backstory etc. Claiming to be local when you're not as cover will always fall down eventually. Someone will catch you out.

Vince

[Fishwelding]

I really wouldn't worry about that. Intelligence agencies tend to recruit native speakers whenever possible, rather than training someone up to such a high degree of fluency. The Russian spies recently deported from the US always claimed to be foreign rather than native Americans. It's easier to tell people that you've moved in from out of town, that way you don't need to have a perfect local dialect, knowledge, full backstory etc. Claiming to be local when you're not as cover will always fall down eventually. Someone will catch you out.

I wasn't being serious about the spy comments. Then again, I don't think the Russians were being very serious spies, either.

I'm not ashamed to admit I sorta miss the old KGB. Now there was an enemy you could get excited about. Real professionals, that crew. Not in danger of having their agents suddenly develop an American Suburban Nesting Instinct Syndrome that would bury super-exciting spy work for the Motherland under ambitions toward owning an SUV and backyard "play-center" for the kids.

Plus, Olympic hockey games were more entertaining.

But really, we're off-topic.

[ElectroSoldier]

Yes, I can recommend it.

Im learning Russian, and its going well, with a combination of the Rosetta course and talking to actual people who speak tha language.

There all good but you really need to speak to people who actually speak the language, because its quite different from learning the correct way to speak and the way people actually speak.

You will learn the language, but you will struggle to speak to natural/native speakers of the language without their help.

What language are you hoping to learn?

[Miccara]

I bought the German course. Pricey? yes... worth it? ...for me... definitely! It's very, very good. Guten Tag!

[B-17 guy]

I bought the German course. Pricey? yes... worth it? ...for me... definitely! It's very, very good. Guten Tag!

That's the one I want. Always been fascinated by the german people, especially considering I'm of german ancestry. But I'm also pretty sure growing up watching alot of WWII movies helped that too.

Maybe I could watch some of these movies and not need the subtitles.

[ElectroSoldier]

German is a most expressive language, good for swearing at people in, it just sounds insulting.

Best is Russian though, I mean if you mutter to somebody in a pub round here, Valdivostock, theres a good chance a black eye causing fight might follow...

Which makes a saturday night worth while for me ))

[Rodney]

I looked into purchasing this to learn Spanish but the reviews on the internet and Amazon, in particular, were less than favorable. Therefore, I chose not to buy.

I would say do some Google searches for reviews.

Rodney

[Miccara]

I looked into purchasing this to learn Spanish but the reviews on the internet and Amazon, in particular, were less than favorable. Therefore, I chose not to buy.

I would say do some Google searches for reviews.

Rodney

I find the problem with the internet is... for every positive review there is an equally negative review. Go with the opinions of your social network and friends. It’s like when I was trying to decide about changing my pool over to salt water. By the time I read all the statements on the net, I was more confused and no further ahead. So I started asking people I know had salt water pools, now I have a salt water pool too! (It’s the best decision I ever made!).

you wont regret buying RS.

[ElectroSoldier]

Good call Miccara.

RS language courses are expensive yes, but the results are there to see.

You cant expect to be able to learn to speak another language from these lessons, but you can learn the basics, no language course teaches you the colloquial language that natual speakers actually speak.

If I had relied only on a language course to learn Russian and then expected to be able to go there and speak it...

Well the results would have been poor.

Russian is a very difficult language to learn, in fact its probably one of the hardest because there is not only a new way to speak theres a new alphabet and a new way to think to.

Other languages get easier from there on in, because they are as they are, chinese and japanese for instance are logical to us English thinkers.

It all depends on what language you intend to learn and who you will have to help you learn it, because while you can do it alone, the results will be the only people you can talk to are people who use the language perfectly, which in my experience is nobody