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Rosetta Stone?

Chillwell

Heisman Winner
Jun 16, 2001
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Anybody here use it or know someone who has? And if so, what do you think?

I took French in HS & college (yet I can't say much more than "My name is Laurent" and "I speak french"...which, I'm sure you can imagine is not that helpful in So Cal). Anyway, I'm in a situation now where Spanish would be really helpful to me in my career, so I was considering giving Rosetta Stone Spanish a try.
 
Bump.

I'm also getting to be where Spanish would be very beneficial. Is it something that you could learn while driving or is it more of a sit down in front of a computer thing.

Thanks
 
Count me in as another that is interested. Sister-in-Law is an aTm student and they offered a huge discount on it, which I may take advantage of. Looking at German, French (which I know some of already), or Italian. If I like it...then maybe Korean or Japanese.
 
Rosetta stone is good. However, best thing to do is use an app called Duolingo. It is totally free, and reinforces in more areas with the lessons (i.e., reading, writing, speaking, english to spanish word compare, etc.). I would use that if I were you until you finish all the lessons. That would probably get you to Rosetta Stone level 3 or 4 ish. Then if you proved that you will do it could buy rosetta stone.
 
Agree with PTax. I would start with the Duolingo. I also like that you can have it on your phone or tablet.
 
I am interested in it as well, I now have a pressing need to brush up on my 8th grade Espanol.

I had a huge opportunity dropped in my lap yesterday, which includes selling lots of product in Mexico on an exclusive basis.
 
I was stopping by to see if there was chatter about the outdoor wrestling match just announced, but I happen to be very familiar with Rosetta Stone. I did about 100 hours of the Rosetta Stone "Totale" program in German, as I was going to live in Munich for work for about 3 months, and I wanted to make sure I could hold my own. My 100 hours got me about half way through Level 4 of the program.

It was a very good program, and people kept commenting how good my pronunciation was, that my accent was there, but that the actual pronunciation was spot on. Rosetta Stone uses native speakers for everything, and carefully selects people with "broadcast standard" accents (so like you would hear on national news networks, as opposed to "southern" or "new york" accent). My big test was always whether or not I could make it through a whole meal out without my waiter speaking English to me, and by the time I left Germany, I could do it without much trouble. I used nothing but RS, and was able to get around just fine and do everything I needed to. People were great to me because they understood I was trying to speak their language. I could not negotiate a contract, and lagged behind in meetings at work, but I was catching on to that as well. I think with 6 more months in Germany and continued time with Rosetta Stone., I'd have been very comfortable.

If you're just going to take a weekend trip somewhere, I'd probably just use an app and get the basic phrases, but if you want to be serious about it, Rosetta Stone is a very good option, particularly for an adult learner. I took 4 years of spanish in High School and spent a summer in guatemala. My level of proficiency on the street after 4 years of high school was about the same as my proficiency level in German after 100 hours of Rosetta Stone. My pronunciation was actually better with Rosetta Stone though, as you only hear it from native speakers, and you basically mimic the way they say it.

Tell me more was another product out there, but didn't use the immersion method Rosetta Stone does. Rosetta Stone actually bought tell me more, and I don't know of another program that is as effective as a self study immersion program.

Hope that's of value to you.
 
I worked through Duolingo for the first 5-6 lessons in French (absolutely no French instruction in the past), and it was good enough to get me through the basics for a week in France this summer. I wasn't trying to become fluent, so Duolingo was perfect.
 
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