Join over ¼ million
monthly
readers!

Contact Me

Current mission

Travel China using
the Mandarin I
learned in 3 months!

Previous post:

Next post:

Review of Rosetta Stone: Detailed and honest look at latest version (TOTALe)

| 119 comments | Category: tools

This is a very detailed and frank review of the latest version of Rosetta Stone: version 4 TOTALe

Rosetta Stone is one of the biggest brands in language learning in the English speaking world (not to be confused with the Rosetta Stone that helped us decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics, which it is named after). The problem is that it is out of the budget of many casual language learners, and budget travellers, so in almost a decade of travelling, I had never used it.

Running a blog as big as this meant I got asked the question very frequently; should I buy it? I polled my readers for their favourite and least favourite language courses and Rosetta Stone actually came out as the dramatic loser.

But perhaps many of those polled were just against the idea of something costing as much as it does, or they may have used a limited pirated version and simply not valued it much because of that. I wasn’t interested in hearsay. I wanted to use the non-pirated latest version myself intensively and properly, and write a detailed review of the disadvantages and the advantages as I see them.

My frank review of the latest version

So I contacted Rosetta Stone to ask for a review copy and they were kind enough to send me one. I told them that I’d let them see this review before it went live to correct any factual mistakes (I did something similar for some of my other reviews), and they were very helpful in making sure there was no misleading information here, even to go as far as giving me a 2 hour long private video conference call and Q&A about the software.

They requested that I give a disclaimer that I have my own Language Hacking Guide to sell, although I don’t see how that affects a balanced and honest review of something that I’m clearly not competing with. I’m a blogger and I wrote a guide about how I learn languages in general using the communicative approach, to help support this blog. I guarantee that you can learn a language great without ever sending me money, as I suspect the vast majority of readers of this free blog do. Just to be clear, I’ll say that I recommend you don’t buy anything I have to offer as a direct alternative to Rosetta Stone as it doesn’t solve the problems found in a specific language course that I discuss here.

Despite the free copy, I told them that I’d be writing a frank and informative review, and appropriately there is no affiliate link to buy it anywhere in this post, where I could earn commission (as in many “reviews” you’ll find online). As you read this, especially the latter part, you’ll understand why this is certainly not a promotional post.

They sent me the latest recently released version, TOTALe 4 and did so for Dutch, as I am currently learning it. However, this review also covers every other language version for a (rather disappointing) reason I’ll explain below.

I was sent Levels 1, 2 and 3, but several distinct technical issues meant that I only made it to the mid point of Level 2. Since I run Windows as a Virtual Box within Linux, Rosetta Stone say they can’t fully support it on my system, so I won’t be discussing these technical issues.

I wanted to share three major things with my readers: 1. Details of how it works 2. Why does it cost so much? 3. Would I recommend it?

My particular independent learning style, and fundamental disagreement with aspects of how the software is organised, means that ultimately I have to say that I will likely not be using Rosetta Stone again to learn any language, even if I am given another free copy. While I point out some important advantages, I have to say that I cannot recommend this as an efficient investment, both in money and in the time you put into it. This review will hopefully explain why, while also informing people about what goes on behind the scenes and within this software as I saw it.

Despite being disappointed at times, I also greatly enjoyed some aspects of it and can see why you could write an entirely positive review about it. In fact, because of the first point raised below I actually understand why at least half of its price could be very fairly justified.

However, at this stage I have quite a lot of experience in language learning so I can appreciate the advantages and disadvantages much more than many monolinguals who may review it and consider its potential or enjoyment-factor rather than practical end applications.

I’m in Amsterdam and need to speak Dutch; so there is no guessing or estimation at how effective it has been.

First, I’ll start with the parts I liked, then I’ll be getting a bit more frank about why I can’t recommend the overall system.

Most useful feature by far: live lessons with a human!

Since any reviews I had read about Rosetta Stone were based on older versions, they didn’t mention a feature that I really enjoyed – I was surprised to see that I got live time with a native teacher through the program! I am sceptical of systems that hide you from human contact as I feel that’s the best way by far to learn, but seeing that Rosetta Stone do give you that contact brought my opinion of them up dramatically.

Once you complete a unit in the program, you can go to the “Studio” and schedule a 50 minute session with a teacher, where you can see them by video feed (they can’t see you) and both of you talk via the headset.

The teachers are friendly, patient very professional and clearly excellent and experienced teachers of the language.

One issue I had was that the available slots were incredibly inconvenient for someone in a European timezone; the earliest possible sessions during the week were at 10 or 11pm (usually booked out, with 2am or so being available). I’m told this is because Rosetta Stone’s version 4 has only been properly released in the states, and they say this month they will release it in the UK. Even so, this leaves a lot of time zones not covered and I had to work my learning around these strange availabilities which slowed me down. If you live in the states this likely won’t be an issue; although other timeslots may not be available as a consequence, such as if you prefer to do it late in the evening due to work restrictions.

Rosetta Stone reply to this to say that as they grow internationally, their services will expand correspondingly and suggest that they could take requests for time slots and attempt to accommodate you.

But once I was in the class, I can say that my first ever experience speaking Dutch was indeed within the Rosetta Stone environment! My teacher was incredibly patient, and refused to switch to English (consistent with the program philosophy discussed below), no matter how much I was struggling; something I agree with is difficult to maintain but an obvious wise decision for the learner’s benefits. In my first two sessions I had a teacher all to myself and found each session to be incredibly useful. After that all my sessions were in groups, and I actually felt much more like I was back in a classroom to be honest.

Unlike private lessons I may occasionally take when learning a language, they have a very fixed program they follow and questions or games they need to get through in a 50 minute session. This is all part of the master plan of the program, which is fair enough, but I would personally have preferred to just chat with the teacher. The justification for this is that the program teaches you particular vocabulary before the session and from their overall plan it would not make sense to ask you random questions, since you wouldn’t be prepared to answer them.

Rosetta Stone reply to this to say that there are more unstructured conversation opportunities in the “Rosetta World” (Duo/Simbio) aspect of the program. However, as explained below this was not possible at all for my language combination. They also attempt to get learners to ask one another questions so at least some amount of independence is encouraged.

Luckily they were patient with me if I went off on tangents, so you can be somewhat flexible if you have a teacher to yourself, but of course less so in a group session.

There were no indications before entering the class if you would be alone or with others, or how many have signed up already. I would find this information helpful, even if people can sign up 15 minutes into a class or cancel at the last minute. You can sign up for fixed lessons an unlimited number of times, but since the same content is covered I can only see this as being practical for reviewing twice or three times maximum.

There are four units per level, so this could ultimately mean 12 very distinct (or more if you feel like repeating a lesson) private or very small group lessons included in the price. To me, this was the greatest justification of a higher price than the reasons I give below. You can hire teachers to get Skype lessons much cheaper elsewhere, but it would be hard to find people so integrated into such a complex system like this.

Despite some restrictions that I wasn’t a fan of due to simple disagreements in learning styles (I used to be a teacher; teachers are the worst students :) ) I did indeed find each spoken session to be incredibly helpful, varying a bit depending on if I was the only student or with others. This was clearly my favourite part of the whole application and what I got the most value out of.

Without this to work towards (as it was in previous versions) I would have given up on using the program due to frustrations in the learning interface, but having something meaningful to work towards kept me going.

Interesting philosophy of no use of your native language

It was explained to me that Rosetta Stone was founded by people who appreciated learning by immersion and had learned languages abroad in immersive environments.

They wanted to emulate this as closely as possible for people who can’t travel, while making it still affordable. Of course I have other recommendations if you can’t travel, but the base concept (even if there are aspects of it I disagree with) makes sense. I don’t particularly feel immersion is something you can package a generic version of, but they’ve done a good job of trying.

One interesting aspect is how they have no English at all in the program apart from the containing interface. They never present a translation of anything. It’s all represented in photos and untranslated audio and text. While I think there are major issues with this (discussed below), the idea of not using your native language is an interesting one that definitely holds a lot of potential.

I have to admit that I (as many learners) do typically learn a lot through English (i.e. your mother tongue), getting my vocabulary through flashcards (usually translation based in my case, but you can make them just in the target language), looking up words in bilingual dictionaries, reading grammar explanations also in English etc. I’m sure there is a danger of slowing me down and thinking via English at times, which is an issue this program successfully avoids. For people who are fans of “learn like a baby would” philosophies I think they would get a lot out of this program.

Rosetta Stone say that they aren’t necessarily promoting a “learn as a baby” philosophy because they get rid of the guesswork involved in trial-and-error approaches. But I find many similarities myself.

Such learning approaches have big advantages, but as those who read the blog know, I disagree with the concept and feel that we can take advantage the fact that we are adults and can have things explained to us in more complex ways than being presented with some images and audio. The devotion to learning in such a simple way (even though the research behind it is very complex) made me learn very slowly in Rosetta Stone. After days of using the program intensely, I felt I would have learned the same words and phrases dramatically quicker using other approaches.

Rosetta Stone reply to this saying that the goal is not “speed for its own sake”. They feel the technique they apply is better described as “certain” rather than slow, because their research over 30 years about when and how words should be introduced have proven to be very effective. I believe them that they have carried out this research, but I still disagree based on my experience.

I only made it half way through my set, but I can’t imagine how completing all 3 levels would get you out of what I would definitely call basic level. It’s a clever idea, but I don’t see it as a major improvement over alternatives.

Outside of the program, this native-only content is expanded to the audio. I copied the audio to my MP3 player and listened to it as I jogged in the morning, repeating all the phrases when requested. I tried something similar when I reviewed Pimsleur in great detail. Even though Pimsleur is entirely audio, and so you would think their audio would be superior, I actually prefer Rosetta Stone’s audio.

Apart from instructions (like repeat, listen etc., which are given in the target language in Pimsleur’s courses), everything is in the target language. It is based on what you would have gone through for that unit, so you should actually recognise everything and this is a great chance to try to work on your pronunciation and test yourself to see if you understand what’s going on.

Even though it’s an improvement on Pimsleur (whose audio is almost entirely English or repetitions), I still found it a bit tedious after a few sessions and think that actual native content such as a podcast would have been more helpful to recreate an immersive environment. But of course, it’s all part of the greater whole and philosophy of the program to only present you with words you should know already.

In this sense, the interconnectiveness of the entire set; actual lessons, audio, games, live classes etc. is very intricately designed to rely on what you’ve learned. You won’t be put under much stress in this program to see or hear things you haven’t come across before. This makes it an enjoyable learning environment, although hardly a realistic one in my view.

Krashen’s input hypothesis

Rosetta Stone reply to this saying that the pace and structure is based on the (Comprehensible) Input Hypothesis of Stephen Krashen, whose research has made huge and important contributions to linguistics in the 20th century.

While I have issues with how far otherwise interesting research is being taken as being the basis of your entire learning technique, I have to admit that RS applies that approach the most effectively that I’ve seen so far.

Over the long-term, purely recognisable input as a learning strategy is more enjoyable than the stressful situations you would encounter in immersive environments, but you learn quicker with that pressure and it’s simply more realistic to how the world will present you with situations and words that you aren’t prepared for yet. The input-hypothesis is an “ideal” learning environment, and is thus not suited to a non-ideal world in my view.

Of course, many people would like to get eased into a language through a system like Rosetta Stone, and then feel prepared to dive into conversations at the end. It sounds fantastic, only that I feel that after all 3 levels you would still not feel ready for the vast majority of conversations you are likely to have. You will have the struggle to speak no matter what.

If you compare it to easing yourself into cold water, I consider the amount you would learn in the whole system of 3 levels equivalent to dipping a toe in, rather than slowly easing your whole body or at least your legs in. The immersive/communictive approach I apply takes a preference of diving my entire body straight in and getting the unpleasant part over with quicker, since it’s going to happen anyway (presuming you actually plan on using your language with natives).

If you are a fan of Krashen’s research then you will love Rosetta Stone. I agree with a lot of what Krashen says, but think that most people take it too far.

Reasons for the price tag

If one typical small spoken group class would cost you $10-20 and 12+ are included in this, then the live lessons aspect of the program discussed above actually justifies over half of the price in my eyes (even though I would personally recommend you get private lessons tailored to your needs rather than based on a generic course). For the rest of the article I’ll be looking at why I didn’t get value out of the other “half”.

One great aspect of doing this review was that Rosetta Stone put me in touch with people high up in the company. We had a fascinating discussion where I was given a live tour of the software and explained intricate details of what goes on in the background.

One of my first questions to them was about the price tag; why does it cost several hundred dollars when you ultimately receive what physically costs much less to produce (a USB microphone, one software CD per level for your computer and 4 audio CDs per level, packaging and an activation code).

Now from Rosetta Stone’s perspective, the price tag (changes often; was around $500 recently, but last time I checked is $379 for what I have) does indeed make sense. It’s the investment they‘ve made into it. And as I say above, I do feel the 12 50 minute sessions with a native must count for something in this.

But I did get other justifications, which I will discuss now and present my scepticism about them really helping to justify the price from the end user’s (not Rosetta Stone’s) perspective:

Research

Rosetta Stone have actually spent a fortune on linguistic research, consulting cognitive scientists, PhDs, neuroscientists and more. And these are incorporated into every single aspect of the software; from the positive reinforcement of harp sounds (that I promptly turned off; I felt it lost it’s impact entirely after several hours of constantly hearing it), to the meticulously planned photos (which I also had an issue with, described below).

As you all know, I am certainly no linguist (I studied and worked as an engineer initially). Linguists produce a body of fascinating and incredibly useful research that can help us understand how languages work. A small number of linguists also work specifically on second language acquisition, and to be totally honest, people with experience (or education) in this are who I would most like to be dominating research when language learning is being discussed.

With Rosetta Stone leading a team of people from such a varied and incredibly focused aspects of learning, brain functions, psychology etc., all focused on producing a great language learning system, it would be logical to presume that it would lead to the best system in the world. But I disagree here. I feel like the research is tailored more to how can we make a product that sells well and is scalable as a preference over how can we ensure people definitely learn this language as efficiently as possible.

As you can imagine, Rosetta Stone disagree with this. Their reply is “In our view, a program is truly effective only if it offers genuine language learning value to the widest possible diversity of learners”

However, this preference for scalability was my feeling as explained in various points below. So I’m afraid the research they invested in is not something I hold that highly.

Speech recognition

Another reason to justify the higher price is how much research has gone into developing their speech recognition from the ground up. Unlike speech recognition you’d come across for automated telephone calls, this was developed especially for non-natives speaking a foreign language and is all Rosetta Stone’s own research.

When you speak it analyses your recording and approves it or requests that you try again based on how you did. If you have particular trouble, you can open up the wave analyser and visually see the difference between the native’s speech when slown down and your own.

While I like the idea, since it gets you speaking to the program and gives you feedback, I found several problems with it including registering a sneeze as a correct answer or needing to repeat myself several times and not understanding what was different that I got right. This may be due to one of the technical issues with using my own microphone since the USB microphone wasn’t porting through my Linux-based virtual box. Rosetta Stone recommend that you use their headphone and do not support use of others, even though initially my headset didn’t give me problems, and they say you can use others if you wish.

It may also be due to the variable sensitivity; by default 3 out of 10. You would have to play with this when using the program to find a level that suits how good your pronunciation is, so that you aren’t rejected too much while also being corrected when wrong.

In this image you’ll see a slot on the right to analyse the tones for a tonal language like Chinese. As you can imagine it’s just a waste of space and deactivated for European languages.

One surprise I saw was how bad the examples used to train my pronunciation were. For example, “Baby” was used, and it was split into two syllables with the ‘a’ pronounced rhyming with may and emphasised as important. Baby is a loan word from English and Dutch does not pronounce ‘a’ this way normally. This was very misleading, as this part of the program was supposedly teaching me Dutch phonetics. It’s clearly only there as a remnant of words copied and pasted to all versions as discussed below.

Luckily the reading exercises are native content and the pronunciation you will learn from this is more useful. You can also get a more detailed pronunciation guide for the alphabet within the help menu of the program.

Games & other features

As well as the core course, there are other features of the program, such as a review, very basic writing test, grammar lesson (contextual of course; some grammar points are very difficult to explain with nothing but examples and photos!) and text reading.

I did like the text reading as it was like a mini-podcast with a native speaking more consistently than the rest of the program, and got you used to reading while listening at the same time to associate spellings with sounds.

The games were enjoyable guessing games and bingo with core vocabulary. Not my cup of tea, but certainly useful for many people.

Then there were multiplayer games that you can play live with/against another learner or with someone learning your language, while you learn theirs.

This sounds like a great idea until you stop and think about it for a second. How many Dutch people do you think have bought Rosetta Stone (especially considering version 4 is only available in the states and some time soon in the UK), and are learning English? Nobody in this country that I talked to has ever heard of Rosetta Stone, nor would they get much use out of it because all lessons are too basic for what most Adults’ level of English would be.

So basically, I would not have anyone to play Duo with in this language combination! I really don’t think this part of the program was thought about logically at all.

Photos

It wasn’t mentioned as a major reason for the price, but I suspect that taking professional photos, hiring models, and finding the right places and lighting etc. can be a huge expense. It was explained to me that while taking the photos, very precise care is taken to make sure that everything is perfectly right; right down to which direction the model is looking as they are performing the action, as this can dramatically alter what is interpreted.

This is shown as the photos are indeed very well done, and you do get a good feeling for the action they are performed in a natural way. Their research for precisely how to represent a word without using your mother tongue in just images is an interesting way to present it and the foundation of the way the software works. In most cases it’s pretty clear what is going on; although I did have one or two cases where the photos simply weren’t helping and I had to go find a dictionary to figure out what the word meant.

I would consider myself at least a mildly “visual” learner (whether such a label has any merit or not is up for debate), but I can’t say that four (or more) images is a great way to present every concept in the world.

Rosetta Stone reply to this saying that they aren’t attempting that, but that it has been based on advice from cognitive psychologists about how the brain likes to learn. Once again, this stems from my frustration in how the preference is to get people from so many fields on-board, who don’t have experience specifically in language learning. I don’t doubt that images are fantastic learning tools, but they are not suited to language learning when used in this way in my opinion.

Learning a language by clicking your mouse on multiple choice options is not even remotely emulating the immersion learning environment; without the spoken lessons that lean on them the usefulness of these clicking lessons would disappear entirely in my view.

There are many ways the software presents images to you. Sometimes it simply asks you to repeat phrases, sometimes it explains one photo and gives a similar one with slightly different context you have to guess. However the vast majority of your work in lessons is based on multiple choice (usually just 2-4 options) and process of elimination.

You are given a phrase or word and you have to click the right photo. I find it hard to express fully how unnatural this feels to me for language learning, but apparently RS’s linguists disagree; once again I feel that neuroscientists etc. may be studying learning in general but out of context. This photo-centric presentation is a fundamental aspect of the learning system I can never agree on.

A similar system was copied from Rosetta Stone by some websites, and it’s even less effective there.

But forgetting the way the system works for a moment, I had two major issues with the photos themselves:

1. Some of them were badly photoshopped.

This surprised me quite a lot. The vast majority are real, and some require some editing (such as to show a clock in the corner or a number somewhere to suggest someone’s age, or a flag to suggest a country), which is fair enough.

But some were terrible jobs of plonking people in front of places like Rome’s Colosseum. I don’t even do photo editing, and I can tell they are photoshopped. The girl in Rome here was obviously shot in professional artificial lighting, not on a sunny day in Rome. And the contrast is terrible in the Moscow shot compared to the model. Surely they could have hired someone to change the lighting and contrast to make it more realistic, or taken this into account when shooting in front of the green screen? Or… you know, actually have someone really there?

Rosetta Stone reply to this saying that they don’t endeavour to pass these off as authentic, and that the focus is on the language value of the image, and they are used with a wink and a nod so to speak.

In some cases they were abroad, so I don’t know why they photoshopped in others. But for a system based on photos and which prides itself on how professional those photos are, making them up is just lazy. Apparently how annoyed some users may be at this was overlooked in all that research. Maybe I’m alone in this and nobody else using the system would get frustrated by these images?

2. Cheesy political correctness instead of cultural relevance

I’m all for political correctness. I love that Star Trek had a black, female and even a bald captain to star in their shows. Presenting a varied cultural set of people in photos is great if you are teaching children to have open minds about the world , especially in multicultural environments. But it’s distracting if you are learning a culturally relevant language.

For example, when learning the word “Newspaper”, the newspaper’s text in the image was printed in Arabic and I’m not learning Arabic right now. This doesn’t help me at all and is part of the copy-and-paste use of all images discussed below.

But even forgetting this for a moment, most culture presented in the photos screams U.S.A.

When learning about Dutch, I want to see photos relevant to the Netherlands and how Dutch people act (or Belgium/Belgians); their body language, their smiles etc. I do not want to see cheesy American poses. Even the culturally sensitive ones of Islamic families act like Americans just wearing different clothes.

In one image for example someone is presented a big jug of water in a restaurant. They don’t do that here in Amsterdam. I can’t imagine how many culturally irrelevant aspects of photos there are once you compare it to non-western cultures!

Every time I started using the program I felt like I was leaving the Netherlands and back in America. It’s hard for an American to appreciate how obvious this is in most of the photos. As a non-American who has lived in different countries I can say that this is doing nothing to help you prepare for any kind of immersion.

There’s a good reason they do this, which brings me to my biggest pet peeve of all with Rosetta Stone:

A copy-and-paste approach for drastically different languages

When I was getting the live video tour, I noticed that the content of the lesson (as well as the photos) was exactly the same in Swedish as it was in Dutch. I asked about this and it was confirmed that it’s the same in Chinese, Spanish, French, Russian or other very different languages.

When something is drastically different, they do take that into account. For example, one lesson showed me how to distinguish two Dutch words for “family” depending on if it’s immediate or broader. But this is more out of necessity since it would just be wrong to teach me that the same word counts for both as in English.

What Rosetta Stone have done is researched one way of presenting a language learning system and simply translated the content (audio and otherwise) to every single language. I was told that this is because a “completely customised language” (i.e. a unique course for each unique language) would increase costs. I was assured that the content is developed for each language separately, and that nothing is ever directly translated from one language to another, but I’ve looked at videos online of people’s Rosetta Stone, seen several slides of the Swedish version and I see precisely the same content that I came across in Dutch.

Even if “just” 80 or 90% of that template is the same, that’s far too much in my opinion.

The extent of how far this may negatively effect the content isn’t so clear, but I could feel some lessons as being just way too irrelevant for me learning Dutch.

An English speaker learning Dutch has obvious advantages over the same person learning Chinese, Arabic or Russian and to clump learning any language together as following the same generic vastly similar (even if not identical) content, photos and steps is madness. This holds no benefits at all to the end user and is nothing but a lazy shortcut to be able to scale a system to every language in the world.

While there are aspects of Rosetta Stone I do like, this really got on my nerves and it’s one of the many reasons I simply can’t recommend the system to people. The one-size-fits-all content you cover is everywhere (audio, games, courses, what guides live spoken lessons) and what the whole system rests upon.

Active learners always do better

Some people will get benefit out of Rosetta Stone. I can see how it would happen. I did indeed learn something from this program, including having my first ever conversation in Dutch, which gave me an enormous boost of confidence. Injecting this confidence is something that Rosetta Stone does very well but to be honest the time would have been much better spent on other tasks.

Talking about blue skies and red balls made little addition to the conversations I needed to have with people. This has always been an issue I’ve had with generic courses; they try to teach you everything and in doing so teach you almost nothing that you really need. I didn’t even see the word “please” until Level 2!

People feel that throwing money at the problem will solve it. You can actually learn a language entirely for free by finding learning material relevant to grammar and vocabulary online or in your local library, and then meeting up with natives in person (without needing to travel) or via language learning sites.

The problem is that doing so for free or inexpensively requires that the learner be active. Rosetta Stone attempts to spoon-feed the information to you so you do not need to plan anything at all. They retort this to say that the learner is quite active and needs to interact a lot with the program, which develops their skills to help make the language stick. I disagree; the system is indeed complex, but in such a way that almost too much is organised for you.

Relinquishing responsibility (apart from the time investment) before even beginning is hardly a good approach; active learners even with limited resources can do much more, and tailor what they learn to what they are interested in and what they talk about, rather than a generic system designed for the entire world and all languages.

The few people I talked to who had reached fluency using Rosetta Stone, when pressed said that they had actually used other systems along with it, which I would argue were helping them more than they think. Those promoting it have not demonstrated much progress or even completely misunderstood basic aspects of the language.

——————-

This has been a very long review (6000 words!!), because I wanted to present it in full detail, explain everything that I did get out of it, and explain why I can’t recommend it. I quoted Rosetta Stone’s own comments about my criticisms too because I wanted this to be balanced. Since the review is neither promotional, nor one endless rant, but focused on presenting as much information as possible, I feel it is perhaps unique online, at least for its depth!

If you’ve somehow made it this far, thanks for reading and if you have any comments or experiences with Rosetta Stone to share, or want to discuss particular parts of this review, please do leave a comment below!

***********************

Want more language learning tips and cool links delivered to your inbox, as well as two free chapters of the Language Hacking Guide? Join the Language Hacking League by entering your e-mail on the top-right of the site!


This article was written by

Comments: If you liked this post or have anything to say, please leave a comment! I love reading them :) You don’t even have to write in English! I will reply to all comments in any language listed on the right with the flags.
Just keep in mind that I’ll delete any comments that:
1. Are unnecessarily nasty and mean to me or any other commenter or otherwise totally inappropriate.
2. Are irrelevant to the particular post they follow, or leave a link to a site that is totally irrelevant or are clearly spam. If you have a general language learning question, please ask it in the forums.
3. Use a commenter name of a business or brand instead of a human being or a spammy temporary disposable e-mail service, or a clearly fake address.
But that’s not you, so don’t worry! Can’t wait to see what you have to write… don’t be shy!! :)


———————————–

  • http://www.insearchofmermaids.com Patricia GW

    This post has been very informative. Not only do I understand why Rosetta Stone is not as effective in language learning, but I can now concentrate on what is effective. I don’t want to learn from a program that doesn’t understand cultural references (ie the water jug at the restaurant) because it would be just as you said – it’s like your back in America, not “immersed” in a new language/culture.

    • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

      On the other hand it makes the program way more effective for English learners since they will be drowned in American culture throughout :-P

  • http://ryangoesabroad.com Ryan

    Whew! Benny, what a thorough review of this software. Thanks for doing such an in-depth look at RS.

    One thing I appreciated was your statement that “Over the long-term, purely recognisable input as a learning strategy is more enjoyable than the stressful situations you would encounter in immersive environments, but you learn quicker with that pressure and it’s simply more realistic to how the world will present you with situations and words that you aren’t prepared for yet.”

    This is something that I recently experienced when arriving to Colombia– the fact that in the real world (which is not an ideal world) you are going to be presented with situations, phrases, and vocab you’ve never heard before. You’ve got to develop a way of rolling with those and acquiring them as you go through real life. No packaged program can really duplicate that experience.

    I also appreciate the fact that you have extensive language acquisition before giving this review, as it definitely carries more weight. The people that I know who have used Rosetta Stone and recommended it to me were all monolinguals learning their first language (and their Spanish accents were terrible). Thus, I don’t think I’ll be getting the software anytime soon.

    Great review!

    • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

      Well said – no packaged program can duplicate that experience. Things I’ve discussed before like the skill to extrapolate the meaning of words you don’t know based on the context of your actual situation (not photos; it’s not always visual!) and having the mentality to accept that you won’t get everything but to go on regardless, are essential to me. You can only learn this in the field.

  • http://LifeByExperimentation.com Zane the Experimenter

    Wow, I knew Rosetta Stone recycled the image content (and I cannot blame them), but I am shocked that they translate directly between languages. Not only does it separate language from culture (ack), but it also seems to me that certain grammar patterns and usages are far more difficult in certain languages. I remember trying to use RS when I was starting Arabic and feeling completely lost, especially on the writing bits. Looking back now I wonder how that course would have progressed…

    • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

      It’s probably 80-90% translated between languages in the core course. They do have unique texts for each language, but this “template” that seemed to take up most of the course being so similar is not useful for the learner, only for the producer.

  • http://www.yearlyglot.com/ Randy the Yearlyglot

    “…you learn quicker with that pressure and it’s simply more realistic to how the world will present you with situations and words that you aren’t prepared for yet. The input-hypothesis is an “ideal” learning environment, and is thus not suited to a non-ideal world in my view.”

    Exactly!

    • http://www.yearlyglot.com/ Randy the Yearlyglot

      You mentioned a couple of things here that stood out to me strongly when I tried Rosetta Stone (an older version) during my Russian year. There were several grammatical concepts in Russian that are entirely unclear from a photo, no matter how well though out that photo may be. Also, the overly American-ized content didn’t make much sense to me for the language I was learning… so much so that the disconnect was a distraction. And one of the most egregious details was that basic conversational terms (please, thank you, good morning, goodnight, how are you, etc) were introduced either late or never. How can you learn a language without those basic details?

      • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

        There were some photos that presented me with a word and I really could not figure it out and had to go for a dictionary. It made sense in retrospect, but NOT while I was learning.

        As stated here, “please” came up in level 2. I was learning about colours and objects before I was learning about the most basic components that make up all conversations. My progress in Dutch was slowed down and there was too much I wasn’t able to say, and too much that I was learning that was irrelevant as I say it.

        Clothing should not be such a priority in level 1; I never talk about clothing!!! This is just academics given to you for the purposes of describing people, not for real first conversations.

        • http://www.yearlyglot.com/ Randy the Yearlyglot

          Indeed. I find it frustrating how much attention these companies pay to academic vocabulary, especially at the cost of actual conversations. I think a better method would be to just dissect an actual conversation had by actual people.

  • WC

    “In our view, a program is truly effective only if it offers genuine language learning value to the widest possible diversity of learners”

    That’s the most telling quote to me. ‘effective’ is only in their terms. They don’t care how effective it is for the user, they only care how effective it is for Rosetta Stone’s bank account.

    Not only is everyone different, but at different stages of their learning, different techniques work better. There is no 1-size-fits-all.

    • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

      In talking to Rosetta Stone directly I am sure that many of them are indeed passionate about spreading language learning, but unfortunately I see this as being clouded by the bottom line as demonstrated by the quote.

      I wouldn’t say that they “only” care about their bank account, but the business goal waters down the potential for end-user benefits in my opinion. Even forgetting the similarities between different language versions, a system of one language tailored for everyone is narrow minded in my opinion.

  • Anonymous

    Benny, excellent review. Very in depth and I think you’ve provided a great service for learners. I do want to ask your opinion though on one thing. I guess I feel you’re right, that “dive in” immersion will get better and faster results, but for those who aren’t able to immerse themselves right now and who won’t be able to for some time, would Rosetta Stone be a good place begin?

    For example, I have a friend who teaches high school Spanish in rural South Dakota. She has her beginning students do RS 3-4 days a week. They have way more fun, are much higher motivated and she has seen a significant jump in the number of kids signing up for Spanish 2 and 3. Around 50% of her 2009 graduating class has Spanish minors in university. It is not all RS of course, but it got the kids in the door so to speak.

    I guess I think that programs like RS are best for those who want to get started now, but who cannot “go” anytime soon. Would that be fair?

    And compared to the other alternatives (classes at the local university, community ed classes, etc) for such folks, RS and like programs might be the best thing for them.

    Then of course it comes down to whether you foot the bill for RS or go with the free services at Livemocha or Busuu. But that is another discussion.

    • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

      Diving in isn’t about travelling to the country, it’s about meeting up with people or speaking it NOW. Everyone can do this, by arranging Skype calls or meet-ups with natives very easily in many major cities. Sometimes they need to be resourceful, but there is NOBODY who “won’t be able to” for some time.

      Rosetta Stone is a fun environment to learn a language in, but it certainly isn’t the best option in my opinion. However, if they are using it and can afford it, it certainly isn’t doing any harm. Comparing it to community ed classes and such as if they are the only alternatives is not so wise, but it would be better than many traditional academic learning alternatives, depending on the teacher and course material.

      Livemocha and Busuu have a vastly inferior system to Rosetta Stone, and that’s coming from someone clearly not promoting Rosetta Stone. Those websites are not viable alternatives for anyone in their courses, but I send people there all the time to find conversation partners as the social aspect of those sites is very useful.

      • Anonymous

        I think I see RS as a supplement.  If you’re working 40-50 hours a week. If your a mom with 3 kids to raise.  RS can give you a consistent place to step into the language because it’s convenient.  It’s right there on the computer in the other room.  It never cancels a Skype call.  You don’t have to drive across town to meet with it.  That I think is one of the benefits of the system. 

        • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

          “If you’re working 40-50 hours a week”
          “It never cancels a Skype call”
          WTF? Such illogical arguments are bordering on religious devotion. Everybody has excuses for why they would prefer to sit down and click a mouse instead of being active. Everybody has “no time” and everybody has “no means”. All I see with your argument is that Rosetta Stone is good for people who are good at making excuses for why doing something slightly more active is not possible for them.

          • Stephanie

            Hey, Benny – up to now, I’ve been with you all the way. However, to be so dismissive – and really, just plain rude – to someone bringing up a perfectly valid point was uncalled for. Perhaps, in your world, people don’t get tired. Must be nice. I’m a single Mom who raised two sons, working around 45 hours a week, switching from days to nights every 28 days, for YEARS, in a very rural area. I can guarantee you that not ‘everybody’ has reasonable access to large cities, unless you would consider driving 300-500 miles something you’d do on a regular basis. Give home girl a break. The U.S. is way more spread out than Europe. We don’t ALL live in New York, L.A., San Francisco, Dallas or Chicago – or even close.

            That said, great review of the product. I may still buy it (I’m in Arkansas, which is pretty much the middle of nowhere), but IF I do, at least it’ll be with my eyes open. Thanks!

          • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny Lewis

            Stephanie you’re getting offended over nothing. And it’s just childish to say that in my world nobody gets tired. It’s the biggest irrelevant tangent I’ve seen yet!

            I dismiss his comment because the arguments of working a full week are pretty stupid as MANY people will relate to them. I’m not a single-mom, but I’ve worked 70 hour week jobs also switching from days to nights, and to say that RS is the solution to people in that situation just annoys me. It’s throwing money at a problem that has way more efficient and frugal solutions.

            I never said living in a city is the solution, although it can help. You can learn a language by Skype by conversing daily with someone. That’s basically the only aspect of RS I do recommend, but you can do it *much better* by arranging classes or a FREE exchange yourself, with conversations tailored to your situation rather than generically.

            You may be isolated, but you clearly have an Internet connection ;) Talk with someone about your situation and your life, and do it in the target language. Arguing that everyone doesn’t have it the same is a good reason NOT to use Rosetta Stone because you shouldn’t be using a course that a single travelling Irish guy can learn from the same way a single mom in a rural area can. Find a human being who you can chat to daily over Skype who can help YOU. Not a generic customer.

            Here is one way to find a Skype partner: http://www.fluentin3months.com/forum/find-a-conversation-exchange/ but there are dozens of websites online. If you take the money you’d spend on RS and put it into private Skype-based lessons you’ll get MUCH further. Depending on your language you can find people by many means.

          • Stephanie

            I didn’t say RS was the solution to the problem, I don’t think ANY software would really be adequate to truly learn a language… and I wasn’t offended; you weren’t talking to me, after all. At least you read his post thoroughly enough to recognize it was a dude, which was more than I did. Oops!

            I DO have (sort of) internet access – on my phone, which btw doesn’t do skype. Not that it matters, I live in the sticks & it’d probably drop the call, anyway, which might be dude’s problem w/ skype, now that I think of it… Anyway, I won’t be buying anything before I replace my old pc, may it rest in peace…

          • http://www.facebook.com/people/Andrew-Dahl/100001224407981 Andrew Dahl

            So, there’s no such thing as a single mom with two kids and a full time job who doesn’t have the time to be active in language learning? Is that what you’re saying? HAHAHA!!! Good one. Made me laugh… :D

            I was with you until you said that. Sometimes, what seems like excuses is NOT an excuse. After you’re on your feet for 14 hours only come home to a messy house and crazy kids with a husband that doesn’t know dish soap from laundry soap, the LAST thing you want to do is more work! Rosetta Stone takes the work out of language learning. Sure, this may not be the ideal approach to learning a new language, but you CANNOT say that it wouldn’t benefit some people who are exceptionally strapped for time.

  • Annette

    I think programs like this can be useful but as you mentioned about the people who have “reached fluency” using this program, I think other contexts and methods are needed to truly be successful in learning the language. I have used various language learning programs along with other methods, such as writing on Lang-8, skyping with native speakers, taking classes entirely in German, and going to my Italian meetup group and I would say using a language learning program is good, if you like it and are learning something, but should not be the primary way you learn if you really want to be able to use the language.

    Thanks for your review. It was very interesting to read and I feel like I know a little more about what the program includes.

  • http://twitter.com/EnglishAwesome Vera van Mulken

    Een uitgebreid en overdacht verslag. Ik geef nu een aantal jaren Engelse les aan Nederlandse kinderen in Nederlandse scholen en door de jaren heen heb ik geleerd dat er geen perfecte methode is. Methodes zijn nooit afgestemd op individuen en hebben allemaal hun voor- en nadelen. De beste manier om een taal te leren is door één of twee leidende methodes te gebruiken en hiernaast de hulp in te roepen van verschillende andere bronnen. Naast mijn cursusboek (tekstboek / werkboek) maken de leerlingen gebruik van een idioomboek, gesprekken met native speakers, voorbeeldgesprekken van YouTube, krantenberichten, tweets, grammatica-overzichten en al het ander materiaal wat we maar te pakken kunnen krijgen.

    Het leren van een taal is mijns inziens niet afhankelijk van de methode die je gebruikt, al klopt het wel dat een goede, passende methode het proces kan versnellen of vergemakkelijken. Ik ben een groot voorstander van ‘in het diepe springen’ (communicative approach, doeltaal als voertaal) met gebruik van verschillende leerstijlen en benaderingen.

    Heel veel succes met het leren van onze mooie taal!

  • http://profiles.google.com/no.denisa Denisa Novotná

    Off-topic, but anyway: What do you mean by ”
    teachers are the worst students
    “? :)

    • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

      I was a language teacher for many years and have my way of teaching, so sitting in a classroom getting taught a different way annoys me. ;)

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

    As said in this article, the main feature of RS I would promote is the live spoken lessons. These weren’t available in version 3, so I can’t say I’d promote any versions before version 4. I did get some use out of Rosetta Stone, but only because I was working towards the spoken lessons.

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

    Very true – a system for learning Hindi that talks about sport and doesn’t discuss cricket is really badly planned.

    I don’t doubt anyone who uses it will indeed make progress and learn something, but the points you raised are important.

    Not being able to sell it on second hand is very strange – you can do this with all other courses! Obviously it wouldn’t be fair to do it with mine because I got it for free. It will likely just get put on a shelf here in this apartment for good after I’m gone, rather than someone else perhaps taking advantage of it.

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

    One of my blog readers analysed Pimsleur and found TWELVE minutes of native non-repeated content in the 30 hour course. Pimsleur is mostly English and repetition – so much so that the course amounts to very little content. At least Rosetta Stone’s audio is all native content, even if it’s content that I don’t particularly like, I didn’t hear too many repetitions (still some) and NO ENGLISH (other than the repeat etc. instructions).

    Pimsleur’s audio is much more complex for the obvious reason that the whole course is audio. Since Rosetta Stone’s relies on their course, the audio time is actually more efficiently used; it’s all pronunciation and recognition. There are plenty of problems with this, but I’m afraid I didn’t find Pimsleur useful – you can see my review about Pimsleur on this blog to understand why.

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

    I’ll continue reviewing other systems if I see them as holding potential for improving my learning techniques. ;)

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

    Glad you found it funny! They told me that was their goal, but it ended up annoying me.

    Yes, there is simple psychology behind higher prices selling better. It’s interesting how illogical people can be!

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

    Even though I was just dealing with 3 levels, I could see how VERY little is learned. Your comment confirms my suspicions about 5 levels not taking you much further.

    The program actually intentionally doesn’t explain verb conjugations; it presents them in their context. It attempts to avoid complicated grammar explanations. This is an approach many people like, but I think can slow you down. As you show, there is no room for extrapolation in this way!

    Thanks for the comment.

  • http://howlearnspanish.com/ Andrew

    Ok, you’re right, it actually is worse than I thought.  I’ve used it before and I’d agree with most of your criticisms.  Also, I didn’t get to try the live tutors at the time, but if it’s as rigid and structured as you say it is, I don’t think I’d bother even if I could, I’d just schedule a private lesson with someone online or find someone to talk with for free from a language exchange site.

    Cheers,
    Andrew

  • http://twitter.com/JakePendragon Diego T. Guimarães

    Well, I’m studying now Hebrew. I know very well that Rosetta Stone IS NOT the best way to learn a language, and absolutely not be used as the only resource to the language aimed. Maybe it’s a more enjoyable way to someone who don’t want to learn too much in once from scratch.
    I study Hebrew at university and by myself at home, with grammar books, dictionaries, and so on. RS, for me, works in a less stressful way, indeed, like a language toy.
    I actually don’t learn too much with it, mainly just a few words and one more important thing: how to write with the Hebrew keyboard (yay, I know there are specific typing programs for that, but I haven’t anyone :P )…
    Thus, the most (almost only?) important benefit for me was to write with the Hebrew keyboard, both typing and ortography exercises… ;P
    For all the other cases, it’s really necessary to have a good intuition, to extrapolate ideas, extract grammar from the raw corpus and so on, not an attribute of many…
    Almost everything that I’ve typed fit for the Arabic one as well (which I’ve tasted a little, just the first lesson).

    Good work as ever, very useful!

    • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

      I’m sure there are cheaper ways to learn to write with the Hebrew keyboard ;)

  • Anonymous

     Would have loved to have read a summary/conclusion at the end where you discuss whether it’s worth the money etc and how it rates compared to other software. Conclusions in general are not a bad idea, especially not when the text is 6,000 words :)

    • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

      My conclusion was at the very start: I can’t recommend it and I don’t think it’s worth the money.

      Half the price is justified by the live classes, the other half has parts I sometimes enjoy but can’t find very useful.

      • Anonymous

        Ah, so you did, in bold nonetheless :P  
        Anyway, take it as feedback :) . It’s always nice to have a clear and concise conclusion at the end of a review (and many other types of writing too).

  • http://twitter.com/TalithaJasmine Talitha PLD

     I used RS when I started learning Swedish…you could say that I acquired it without the cost if you will! I found it was really great for vocab. I was learning in a university at the same time and they were only teaching me grammar and expecting me to edit text before I even knew any words! Any words they did try teach me seemed to go in one ear and out the other and I literally had a really intense headache every class because I was trying so hard to concentrate! (No exaggeration) RS on the other hand brainwashed the words into my head, and I have never forgotten them. That was the advantage I found with RS. The voice recognition is not good for the confidence as it is often not working and the pictures are so cheesy! The lessons are also really long! If you do a whole section at once. As you said it is really only basics… I would buy it just for that if it cost under $100 US but not it is actual retail price..not a chance! buy it just for that if it cost under $100 US but not it is actual retail price..not a chance!

  • Tom

     Hi Benny,

    A nice in depth review that only confirms what I thought.  Maybe you would find the following interesting as the company spokesman refers specifically to learning like a baby (despite RS saying otherwise to you) as well as the now infamous discovery made by Michael Phelps:

    http://www.streetsmartlanguagelearning.com/2010/02/rosetta-stone-teaches-michael-phelps.html

    • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

      Thanks Tom, but I already linked to this post at the end of my review.

  • http://www.brain-scape.com Andrew Cohen

     Hi Benny – Great post.  I used Rosetta Stone to learn French about 5 years ago (pre-TOTALe), and the frustrating experience inspired me to create a new language program for myself in an Excel macro.  This program has since turned into a fast-growing web/mobile education startup called Brainscape. 

    In fact, I recently wrote a post on the Brainscape blog describing why I felt that  ”immersion” programs like Rosetta Stone are not quite as effective for adults.  (http://brain-scape.com/market/foreign_languages/spanish).  We have also written a white paper describing why the new language-learning method we have created – entitled Intelligent Cumulative Exposure – is likely to be the most effective balance between cognitive science and positive user experience. 

    I encourage you to check out Brainscape, and to please let me know if you would like to speak further about it.  Keep creating great Fluent-in-3-months content in the meantime.

  • http://www.brain-scape.com Andrew Cohen

    Great post, Benny.   Your implied preference for at least SOME translation and explicit grammar instruction is a welcome alternative to the “total immersion” approach (which is really not total immersion at all).

    I actually wrote about the False Promises of Language Immersion Software on the Brainscape blog a few months ago: http://www.brain-scape.com/blog/2010/04/language-immersion/.  I’d love your thoughts.

    • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

      Thanks Andrew – you raise several points that I totally agree on! Keep up the good work with Brainscape ;)

  • Robert Budzul

    Brilliant review.  Probably will remain the best, most accurate review of RS on the net for a long time.
    I’ve got the Arabic version – actually threw money at it… and gave up after a few hours.  It became impossible to work out which words were being taught, cars or colours… it might have been my fault but it’s so tedious no matter how you look at it. 

    It’s possibly an emperor’s new clothes phenomenon.  They charge so much so everyone thinks it must be good and if they don’t learn it’s their own fault.  And yes, how do you teach Russian cases and aspects etc just with pictures?  From your review it sounds like the answer is… they don’t take you up to that high a level so they don’t need to.

    • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

      With the cars & colours thing, sometimes they do it right (4 images, all red for example), but other times I had to give up and use a dictionary. In retrospect it made perfect sense, but not at the time.

      I like your analogy!

  • http://twitter.com/antwrob Antoni W

     I wish I’d read this review a few years ago when I purchased this. After using this, I learnt about as much as I could from a book in a few days, expect it took weeks to finish. The interface was pretty and the graphics, but the content was rubbish. Bear in mind also, I didn’t get the online lessons that they now offer. 

    I’d recommend this course, if it was much much cheaper than it is now, but the price really isn’t worth it. 

    • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

      My point too. I found many parts of it useful, but you learn too little to justify its current price.

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

    Ha, funny story! Excellent conclusion :)

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

    Exactly. I *could* have deleted all the negative parts and made it sound like you must buy it now and probably earned really well from it because of the traffic I get to this site, but that simply wouldn’t have been honest. I hope people appreciate that I’m going for integrity, transparency and as balanced and detailed a review as I possibly could, rather than cha-ching sounds ;)

  • Anonymous

     Although I neither completely agree with your or Rosetta Stone’s approach, I agree with you that Rosetta Stone CANNOT bring you to fluency. But I must say RS is GREAT at getting you started in a language. I learned really quickly when I first started using RS. But after a couple units, I stopped because it wasn’t pushing beyond the basics fast enough

    • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

      I got great value out of those very first two conversations (that I was alone in the call for). In that way Rosetta Stone did help me with a nice boost of confidence. Apart from the calls and when it started getting more classroom like with other students, I can’t say it does so much more though. For the price you need more than just that boost of confidence. Private lessons with a spunky encouraging native would be cheaper.

  • Anonymous

     Great review Benny, I read it all the way through. Very balanced and honest. Rosetta Stone certainly invest a lot of money in advertising and I think get a lot of criticism for that. It seems like it does a reasonable job but it not worth the money in conclusion.

    • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

      Yes, I forgot to mention that! So much of their budget goes into advertising. Since I don’t live in the states I don’t get exposed to it. It must contribute to the end-price since it’s part of their investment.

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

    I invited them to comment here if they liked. I had already sent them the final draft before adding in their comments as shown here, so I’m not sure if they would have much to add apart from replying to comments?

    I’m not sure if they planned to generate sales from sending me a copy, but I think it was very wise of them to work *with* me on this. If I hadn’t talked to them directly to find out more about how things work, and if I actually had to pay the price to get this myself then the tone of the review would have probably been much more negative. Thanks to our cooperation, I feel it is very neutral, as many people confirm.

  • Anonymous

     Thanks, Benny, for your review. I only have a Demo version of Rosetta Stone but I found it pretty disappointing, especially beacause it is often said to be THE most effective program in the world if not in the whole universe. In general, this whole “think like a child and learn subconsciously” makes likely sense, but I think you can’t learn a language without any grammar.  In my case, I was trying to learn Swedish a was very confused because of the different forms that were not explained. So I had to guess when to use which form, until I found out that the difinite article goes at the end of the noun, big surprise… So I think there are lots of other programs that can compete with RS. The pictures are nice and everything, but in the end it’s just a very expensive way to learn your vocabulary.

  • http://www.balihotelsforsale.com Sophie

     NIce review! I’m still considering buying it, I really feel it would be a great help for me.

  • Walker W

    Excellent review with balance and detail.

    Rather than reiterate what you and others have said, I will point out my biggest disagreement with you – I really couldn’t care less about photos being photoshopped.  So what if it’s a little cheesy, if locating someone in Paris is useful for a lesson, cut them out in front of the  Eiffel tower and be done with it.  On the other hand you’ve given me cause to believe that it probably ISN’T the most important thing to learn, when please, thank you and such don’t even come until level 2. 

    • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

      Yes, as I mentioned the photoshopping annoyed me, but I can see how others would find them funny. As I stated here, the reply from Rosetta Stone is that they are used with humour.

      But as I said “please” wasn’t in level 1. Thank you was though if I remember right. But I still think learning about clothes items before I learn how to say “please” is a terrible structure to follow.

  • Fernando Dharma

    I don’t like Rosetta Stone or Live Mocha. The phrases are the SAMES to all languages. Take the japanese course.  The pronoun “kare-tachi”  (they) have a few use,  japanese use “min-na” (people).  I see the same problem with the japanese gramatics, too. Listen to japanese anime, is hard listen the plural form of pronouns “tachi”.  The languages aren’t equals. Different languages, different methods!

  • Seb

    They have a good selling point ‘learn naturally’ but unfortunately we do not live in the same world as babies do. We are not always in the target language country, we have learn at least one language and we usually want to learn a lot quicker.

    From my experience, I started learning my first (and only) second language at the age of 25. I became fluent in 8 months and there were two major stages in my fluency.

    1 – get the basics super quick.

    2 – stop translating.

    To get to step one I belive tanslation is vital. That doesn’t necessarily mean direct word translation though.

    The human brain is amazing quick so you can get fast results through using your mother tongue.

    Translation though can hinder you later on when you are trying to speak naturally.

    A good way to stop translating is to stop using a foreign language dictionary and instead use a single language dictionary in the target language.

    Quick results are a must otherwise you just give up (has happened to me three times) but for long lasting results real immersion ( not fake RS immersion) is key.

    Thats my 2c.

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

    Glad some people see that parts of this article are actually doing RS a favour… but yes, I can’t recommend it.

  • http://hawaiigavin.wordpress.com/ Gavin

    Great review.  I’m glad to see you took the time to really comb through the program and discuss it’s approach.  I especially liked your section on research when you wrote,

     ”A small number of linguists also work specifically on second language
    acquisition, and to be totally honest, people with experience (or
    education) in this are who I would most like to be dominating research when
    language learning is being discussed.”

    You’d think this would be the case with a software program devoted to learning an L2, L3, Ln, but I you hit the nail on the head when you said that they prioritized marketability over learnability.   I’m always a little cautious around any company that supposedly does its own ‘research’ and considering how complex the field of second language acquisition is, mass producing a product that claims to provide the ‘baby learning method’ always made me wonder a bit.  But the name for my field, second language acquisition is a bit of a misnomer.  We don’t actually acquire our non-native language, learning is a much better word for what actually is going on and unfortunately the cognitive, linguistic approach to research is deeply rooted in the field of first language acquisition. 

    You’re right to mention the American-centric view coming from the program as well.  That was pretty funny, didn’t think they’d be that sloppy.  I think you recognize the need to shift away from a cognitive approach to language learning and shift our views to a bit more of an ecological approach, one that sees language as embedded in the environment rather than a code simply transmitted back and forth between brains. 

    Anyways, great site! Stoked to have found it.

    Gavin

    • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

      Thanks for reading and for the great comment!

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

    You didn’t say where you are, but I suggest you log into Orkut.com and search for your town there. Even my small town in Ireland has a “comunidade” and I managed to meet up with Brazilians! Couchsurfing is also great.

    And if you can’t meet up with them in person? Find ways to chat to them on Skype. As I keep saying, consistent conversation opportunities are what will get you ahead; as you can see from Rosetta Stone, clicking buttons can’t do this. I’ll only say that I find the live spoken lessons to be a nice treat in the TOTALe version of the program.

  • http://www.facebook.com/philiphuggins Phil Huggins

    I used an older version (version 2 I think) of Rosetta Stone French, just 2 levels. I think 3 were available. I got through both but I was disappointed and suprised in how little I got from it, considering how much it cost and how much time I put into it. It is just an elaborate vocabulary system. I did everything I could possibly do with the program, every day, for about a year and a half. I have been learning French for 3 years and most of what I know came from other sources and my own hard work. It did help me get started though, and I think that it did help me learn the spelling of the words with the writing (typing) exercises. If the price included ALL the languages they have it would be worth it. But with all the tools online I won’t be going back to RS when I start learning my next language.

    • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

      Actually that’s a good point; since they copy and paste the content ANYWAY, if it included all of their languages it would be a much more worthy price, especially in terms of earlier versions which were much worse if they didn’t have my favourite feature of live lessons with a human.

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

    No thanks.

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

    No thanks.

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

    No thanks.

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

    No thanks.

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

    No thanks.

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny the Irish polyglot

    The commenter and his team have training and certificates, however members of the team very likely lack hands-on experience and may not even speak any foreign languages at a fluent level, so they don’t understand how end results are actually applicable.

    Best of luck with your research, but please don’t diss people without linguistics qualifications. I imagine you have much more training than me, but I am not convinced by your comment that you have knowledge I don’t, just that you have more arrogance.

    As I said in this article, I appreciate the work some linguists do, but some other people with diplomas have opinions that are totally irrelevant in the wrong context.

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny Lewis

    Don’t use Rosetta Stone to teach children. I was an English teacher for children for many years – plonking them in front of a computer screen is a terrible idea – they need human contact!

    You don’t learn like a baby. How many babies click multiple choice options?

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny Lewis

    Nope.
    Next time you leave a comment, please simply write facts rather than your opinion ;)

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny Lewis

    In a six thousand word article, it’s quite possible that I made a mistake. This is to be expected. If you see something specific point it out and I’ll correct it.

    But whining about me making a mistake you fail to even point out and being so moronic as to make a stupid grammatical mistake yourself is hypocritical and idiotic. This level of trolling actually has a Wikipedia page all about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muphry%27s_law

    In your tiny two sentence comment you managed to slip up on this: “English” is spelled with a capital E. As far as percentages go, you’d have to find over 4% of my article having grammatical errors to even things out. Good luck with that.

  • http://jean-francois.im/ Jean-Francois Im

    Merci d’avoir écrit cette critique, toutes les publicités de Rosetta Stone dans les aéroports américains avaient piqué ma curiosité et j’étais curieux de savoir si c’était bien comme programme; je sais maintenant que je devrais l’éviter.

    En passant, ton blogue est vraiment intéressant, je vais continuer de le lire! :)

  • http://jean-francois.im/ Jean-Francois Im

    Merci d’avoir écrit cette critique, toutes les publicités de Rosetta Stone dans les aéroports américains avaient piqué ma curiosité et j’étais curieux de savoir si c’était bien comme programme; je sais maintenant que je devrais l’éviter.

    En passant, ton blogue est vraiment intéressant, je vais continuer de le lire! :)

  • http://www.fluentin3months.com/ Benny Lewis

    I find the term “total immersion” to be thrown around quite a lot, so I’m usually sceptical. If the course has you speaking in the language and using it from the beginning, rather than teaching you grammar rules, then I’d encourage attendance.

    However you may not need any courses if you live near Spanish speakers. Hanging out with them will be all you really need. Otherwise that’s the only reason you’ll end up learning in Puerto Rico if you don’t learn beforehand; because you are exposed to people.