Feedback on Rosetta Stone

[tikanni]

Alright guys,

I'm thinking of getting one of the programs to learn a different language. Just looking for feedback to see if the program really works, and what language you chose to learn, and why.

I'm thinking one of the following:
Arabic
Chinese (Mandarin)
Japanese
Persian (Farsi)
Portuguese (Brazil)
Spanish (Latin America)
Vietnamese

Thanks,
Craig

 

[JBP55]

If you are going to use the language in the USA I would take the Spanish course.

 

[RStewart]

My daughter was homeschooled and chose Rosetta Stone Japanese. She had an opportunity to converse with some Japanese folks afterward and they were impressed with how she did.

 

[Quickdraw22]

I've used the Arabic one, and it sucks. Arabic is hard enough to learn - nearly impossible when it's not one on one.

For the average US citizen, the most useful one is Spanish.

 

[Buck8Point]

Ive got the Spanish (Latin American) and the French and its amazing how it works.
You learn without even trying or realizing that you are learning.
If you need to learn a new language, its the way to go.

Buck8Point

 

[AustinBR]

I have the Spanish one and have never gotten to using it...might add it to my to-do list though.

 

[Tigerfish]

If you are going to use the language in the USA I would take the Spanish course.

While this is true, it is also ridiculous and $hity

 

[c10seven]

Ive got the Spanish (Latin American) and the French and its amazing how it works.
You learn without even trying or realizing that you are learning.
If you need to learn a new language, its the way to go.

Buck8Point

Good to know, I plan on getting these two for myself, my wife and my kids once they are old enough to learn. I want Latin American Spanish for obvious reasons, and French because that's what most of my ancestry is, I may throw Italian into the mix also.

 

[Gringo Loco]

It's a good program.

The best way to learn well is to put yourself out there and converse with what you know. Immersion is best, but we can't all get plopped down in another country. Practice every chance you get with spanish speakers. It will feel a little embarassing at first, but you didn't know english all at once. Just keep at it.

 

[XD-GEM]

I used a similar program from Simon and Shuster - the Pimsleur method. It worked well enough for me to get by in day-to-day stuff, but I sill can't understand most of Telemundo.

 

[LACamper]

I took Italian in college but haven't seen it in 20 years. I wouldn't mind learning more...

I figure we're all going to learn Spanish in the next few years anyway.

 

[ajt2341]

http://hs2.lingnet.org/ Headstart is a great tool to begin with.

Yeah, that's free for everyone, there are a lot more resources available for free in other places.. Rosetta stone is good as well, but if you want to start something go through Headstart first to make sure you'll stick with it, Rosetta Stone isn't cheap. The hardest thing about the first few languages on your list is that the sound and script are completely unfamiliar. You have to spend a solid amount of time learning just the pronunciation of each letter, how they're joined, etc. In Arabic short vowels are pronounced, but rarely written, so you have to learn how they work before hand, then each new word learn to pronounce it, regardless of how it's written. If you decide to go with Arabic, let me know and I'll find some other free resources.

Once you have some vocabulary learned, look for some news resources in the target language.

 

[AustinBR]

I just went and found our copy of Rosetta Stone - Spanish - and am installing it on my computer as I type