# Rosetta Stone: To buy or not to buy



## ServantofGod (Dec 30, 2008)

I am about to purchase the Rosetta Stone:Spanish(Spain) version, but need a little justification for spending $500 hard earned dollars on it. Has anyone used Rosetta Stone, and if so, how helpful, easy to use, affective is it? Is it worth the money, or should I look in to a cheaper language program?


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## Zenas (Dec 30, 2008)

I am interested in this as well for French.


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## JohnGill (Dec 30, 2008)

What level of language understanding do you want? I have RS-Arabic and it seems effective for teaching. I have also tried Pimsleur courses, but they don't do the written language. RS does. If you want an in-depth language program RS will do the trick for the vocabulary, conjugation, and some of the grammar. I would get a good, high end Spanish Grammar to go with it, unless you plan on buying all three levels. But again it all comes down to how proficient you wish to be in the language. You can do the same thing RS does with a vocab & grammar book set and a Spanish language podcast. It'll take more work, but it is a lot cheaper. However, if you are after speed, go RS.


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## Pergamum (Dec 30, 2008)

I think that cultural immersion is the best way to go (the baptist method...immersion). One week in-country is worth 3 months of Rosetta Stone wherever you go.


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## Zenas (Dec 30, 2008)

Yeah but 3 mos. of RS is $500. A trip to Spain for a week is like $2,000.


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## Pergamum (Dec 30, 2008)

Time is money, right?


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## JohnGill (Dec 30, 2008)

Pergamum said:


> Time is money, right?



Man if I only I knew that before I started posting to the PB. Think how rich I'd be now!!

Another option is to try to get ahold of the training method used by the Border Patrol. They have to get up to speed in 55 days. I've heard it's RS.


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## Quickened (Dec 30, 2008)

I wonder if they have rosetta stone for Gaelic


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## JohnGill (Dec 30, 2008)

Quickened said:


> I wonder if they have rosetta stone for Gaelic



Scottish Gaelic. I think it's only 1 level though.


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## kvanlaan (Dec 30, 2008)

We have it for Chinese, very comprehensive and the kids will actually use it with only a very little prodding (has to be a sharp stick, though.) Was worth the money to us.


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## Marrow Man (Dec 30, 2008)

How's RS for German?


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## Wannabee (Dec 30, 2008)

I've tried Pimsleur with some success. It's focused on conversation and vocabulary. I really have no idea how it stacks up to RS.


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## py3ak (Dec 30, 2008)

If you are looking for good Spanish grammar with beautifully clear explanations, I would go for the two books by Marcial Prado. _Practical Spanish Grammar_ and _Advanced Spanish Grammar_. Now most people aren't going to learn a language out of a grammar book. But they will serve you well as an introduction and a reference.

If you can go to Costa Rica for a little bit I know someone who teaches Spanish at an intensive learning school.


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## SolaScriptura (Dec 30, 2008)

Rosetta Stone is great. For those of us in the Army, we can use it - for ANY language - for FREE! 

My wife uses it to teach our kids German. It is very good. Can't speak highly enough of it.

It is sort of like immersion, but only more helpful. I've been "totally immersed" in foreign cultures, but without someone there to guide you and help you make heads or tails of what is being said, you WON'T just "catch on" in a mere few weeks - at least I didn't. I was just as lost at the end as at the beginning. 

This is like being immersed, but you have help making the initial connections. 

At any rate, my kids are picking up German pretty well.


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## Pergamum (Dec 31, 2008)

Going to Costa Rica for a short time sounds awesome to learn the language.

I still maintain that learning a language is SO MUCH MORE than merely clicking the right answer to "The Boy is throwing the Ball." 

The different inflections of voice, the manners in which this is said by men, women, children, etc, body language....etc.

If you had to choose 500 USD for Rosetta Stone or 2,000 for 2 weeks in Costa Rica....take Costa Rica. If you are really learning the language to speak it then you need to be in a place where it is spoken. 

I could not justify paying 500 USD for Rosetta Stone. I paid 80 USD I think and I still hardly used it past the first 2 days because I saw that real live personal interaction was so much superior.

-----Added 12/31/2008 at 07:10:33 EST-----

For 500 USD, buy the LAMP book (Language Acquisition Made Practical) and hire a Spanish speaker from your community and audiotape your sessions. At the point that your 500 USD runs out you will be 3 times farther than you will be with Rosetta Stone and will learn so much more about body posture, non-verbals, etc.

-----Added 12/31/2008 at 07:13:31 EST-----



SolaScriptura said:


> Rosetta Stone is great. For those of us in the Army, we can use it - for ANY language - for FREE!
> 
> My wife uses it to teach our kids German. It is very good. Can't speak highly enough of it.
> 
> ...




Of course you need someone to guide you, a language helper. You would be intentional and find a teacher or language helper immediately. If Zenas went to Costa Rica, he would go straight to a language teacher and not just wander around trying to read road signs.


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## LawrenceU (Dec 31, 2008)

JohnGill said:


> Quickened said:
> 
> 
> > I wonder if they have rosetta stone for Gaelic
> ...



If you can't afford Rosetta Stone this is a very good course in Scots Gaelic.
Teach Yourself Gaelic Complete Course Package (Book + 2cds) with Other (Teach Yourself Language Complete Courses): Boyd Robertson, Iain Taylor, Robertson Boyd: Amazon.co.uk: Books

-----Added 12/31/2008 at 09:07:01 EST-----

I am somewhat surprised that no one has mentioned livemocha.com It is a free language learning site that is interactive. It is good for learning the basics of a foreign language. Many homeschoolers are using it to good effect.


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## Zenas (Dec 31, 2008)

Pergamum said:


> I still maintain that learning a language is SO MUCH MORE than merely clicking the right answer to "The Boy is throwing the Ball."



But apparently it's not!


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## gene_mingo (Dec 31, 2008)

Check with your local library before you purchase Rosetta Stone. Our library offers it for free online for some of the more popular languages.


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## jawyman (Dec 31, 2008)

I check with my library here in Grand Rapids and they offer Rosetta Stone software as well. FREE beats $500 any day of the week.


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## Zenas (Dec 31, 2008)

Just tried livemocha and it's pretty neat. I don't think you'll get any sort of fluency from doing their exercises, but I just learned a lot of basics in about 30 minutes.


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## matt01 (Dec 31, 2008)

Zenas said:


> Just tried livemocha and it's pretty neat. I don't think you'll get any sort of fluency from doing their exercises, but I just learned a lot of basics in about 30 minutes.




It is an interesting program, though I agree that you would have a tough time gaining any level of proficiency with it..



> Congratulations!
> You're 50% of the way through Lesson 1. Only 2 exercise(s) left!


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## Zenas (Jan 2, 2009)

Really enjoying the livemocha.com lessons. At the least, I see it as a good precursor to prepare you for more language study, and see if you have the "sticktoitiveness" for Rosetta Stone (which is like $500), where is livemocha.com is completely free.


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## No Longer A Libertine (Jan 2, 2009)

As stated earlier, the military uses the program to great effect for training soldiers and officers preparing to embark on a tour of duty.

Apparently to great result because the US forces are communicating beyond just interpreters in Afghanistan and Iraq, two places that are a little pressure packed to simply pick it up on the fly.


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