Tons of people have asked about my opinion on the Rosetta Stone language learning software. I have finished the first of three levels in German and I'm fairly satisfied with my progress, but it's not easy. I've read lots of reviews in the last few days to get more thoughts and here are my conclusions:
1) The first level is extremely basic and doesn't teach conversation. It's focused more on simple vocabulary and sentence structure, which is important if you really plan to learn the language. But if you just want to know enough to get by on a vacation, you'll be frustrated that it's teaching you "the ball is blue." Levels two and three (from what I read) are far more conversational.
2) You cannot return (past a month or so) or resell the product...ever! The company was sneaky enough to put controls on the disk so if it's ever put in a second computer, you have to call the company for them to unlock it so you can use it again. From the reviews, I have heard this is a nightmare and that you have to prove your purchase. Even if you never officially register the product, it somehow knows the original owner. In short, you're not going to get any of the money back and it is VERY expensive, so you had better use it!
3) Since the software is self-paced and you need discipline to get through it, it's really best for people who MUST learn a language rather than for those who just WANT to learn a language. It gets hard...really hard at times. It also gets frustrating when the sentences don't make sense or they teach you a word that doesn't have a direct translation into English. We think the translations should be one-to-one where each word has a different meaning in that new language, but it's not that simple. German, for example, doesn't have a direct translation for "sorry" so you have to say "it does myself sorrow."
4) It shouldn't be your only tool for learning the new language. I would recommend having small phrase books or quick learning manuals by your bedside to teach yourself for 10-15 minutes per night as well. It gives you another way to learn and you can look at the subjects you want to know.
5) Speaking of subjects, Rosetta Stone has its own curriculum and there's no skipping things. While I have already learned the names of many sports in German (which aren't particularly interesting to me), I still have not learned the parts of the body. That means when my neighbor's kid falls down and hurts himself, I don't know what is injured, his wrist or his shoulder. I had to look to other resources to teach myself those types of things I wanted to know.
6) There's no language teacher available for asking questions. If you don't have someone close by who knows the language you're learning, you'll struggle with the Rosetta Stone. There will be times when you have no idea what the program is trying to teach you and you'll need a multi-language dictionary, or better yet, someone you can discuss it with. Rosetta Stone doesn't explain the grammar rules or sentence structure. It tells you the sentences and expects you to figure out the patterns.
Overall, I'm reasonably happy with the product and my progress so far, but I don't think I'd buy it again if I had the choice. I would opt for an actual language class that was scheduled weekly and that expected me to do some homework so I could move forward more quickly. At home, it's so easy to think you'll just do that module tomorrow. I should be a lot farther along in my software than I actually am, and that's frustrating.
If you decide to buy it, good luck and stick with it! If after reading this you think there's probably a better language learning method out there for you, I encourage you to put it on your to-do list (today) and find out when there's a class or club meeting near you. And go on Amazon right now and order a cheap language learning book to get you excited about the potential!
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