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Editor's picks

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  Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America) Level 1-5 Set

  Software (Rosetta Stone)
  

  Rating (116 reviews):

  (3.3/5)

  

  A great program for enhancing Spanish fluency. But it still helps to crack a book, conjugate a few verbs, and study...

  Will using Rosetta Stone Spanish allow you to say: "Me sorprende que soy capaz de hablar un español fluido después de usar este programa sólo por un par de semanas!" ('I am amazed that I am able to speak fluent Spanish after using this program for only a few weeks')?Probably not. It is, however, a very useful and well thought out program.The Rosetta Stone line of language products all share the same basic design and interface. The key to the Rosetta Stone system is the presentation of word and action associations, influenced by context. This simulates the sort of cues that one would parse and process in speaking any language, even your own native language. Normally, you don't think about this as you speak your own language. But it's one of the hardest things to simulate outside of dealing with a second language in its own country and having the chance to deal with real life situations involving speakers of the second language... 5/5 APC Reviews "APC Reviews" (USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America) Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM) Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?) Will using Rosetta Stone Spanish allow you to say: "Me sorprende que soy capaz de hablar un español fluido después de usar este programa sólo por un par de semanas!" ('I am amazed that I am able to speak fluent Spanish after using this program for only a few weeks')?Probably not. It is, however, a very useful and well thought out program.The Rosetta Stone line of language products all share the same basic design and interface. The key to the Rosetta Stone system is the presentation of word and action associations, influenced by context. This simulates the sort of cues that one would parse and process in speaking any language, even your own native language. Normally, you don't think about this as you speak your own language. But it's one of the hardest things to simulate outside of dealing with a second language in its own country and having the chance to deal with real life situations involving speakers of the second language... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , August 23, 2010

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  Good product, could be better

  I am half way through level 2 in Rosetta Stone Spanish, course 1-5, totale 4. The product has a lot of very good features. They do an excellent job teaching you vocabulary. The online lessons are very useful.I think many of the reviews that are available on Amazon are from people that only have a brief experience with the product.This is what I think needs improvement:1. There needs to be translation into your native language. From the pictures, it is sometimes very difficult to figure out whtat they are trying to express. I wish I could click on the text and read it in English as well as Spanish.Here's a huge tip. Download the couse content guide for the English version of this course. It's almost the same content and you can read the script in English that cooresponds to your Spanish lessons. You can find the course content guides in the support-download section of the Rosetta Stone web site. The English lesson guide has the content of the... 3/5 Bob Zucker (Phoenix, Arizona) - See all my reviews This review is from: Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America) Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM) I am half way through level 2 in Rosetta Stone Spanish, course 1-5, totale 4. The product has a lot of very good features. They do an excellent job teaching you vocabulary. The online lessons are very useful.I think many of the reviews that are available on Amazon are from people that only have a brief experience with the product.This is what I think needs improvement:1. There needs to be translation into your native language. From the pictures, it is sometimes very difficult to figure out whtat they are trying to express. I wish I could click on the text and read it in English as well as Spanish.Here's a huge tip. Download the couse content guide for the English version of this course. It's almost the same content and you can read the script in English that cooresponds to your Spanish lessons. You can find the course content guides in the support-download section of the Rosetta Stone web site. The English lesson guide has the content of the... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , January 15, 2011

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  An amazing program, but not without its frustrations

  Without a doubt, Rosetta Stone V4 TOTALe is an amazing product. It is easy to install on your PC and puts a whole world of resources at your disposal to help you learn a new language. If I could have given it 4 1/4 or 4 1/2 stars, I would have, but since I had to decide between 4 or 5, I'm giving it a 4. 5 to me is perfect and my experience with RS was not perfect.Why? Because using RS can be very frustrating to a new user. This was my first time using RS but not my first time learning a new language. I learned French the "old-fashioned way" in school and taught myself sign language from a book. In both cases, I got to ask questions of the teacher or look up additional information in my NATIVE language to help me understand the nuances of the language and to clear up any points of confusion. But RS provides ZERO assistance to the student in their NATIVE language. I understand that the very basis of Rosetta Stone is total immersion, meaning you are totally immersed... 4/5 Sheri in Reho (Rehoboth Beach, DE) - See all my reviews, October 10, 2010

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  List Price: $499.00
  

  Build vocabulary; negotiate complex situations; share ideas and opinions

  Audio Companion for CD or MP3 player; learning application for iPhone or iPod Touch device

  Interactive language software with proprietary speech-recognition technology

  Develop your command of the language--read, write, speak, and understand

  Language-enhancing games; live online lessons; includes headset with microphone

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• 

  Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America) Level 1

  Software (Rosetta Stone)
  

  Rating (52 reviews):

  (3.8/5)

  

  Easy to use software

  I've always considered myself a bit of a language idiot. I barely scrapped by in French 1, and I don't think I ever passed Spanish 2. Honestly, I know I just didn't put that extra special effort in. I was in high school and though eager to learn a new language, when it turned out to be not as easy as I expected, I pretty much gave up. Now, at almost 30 years old, I still always wish I had really mastered a language.First, I'm going to give you my language know-how so you can see if we might be on similar levels. My biggest problems are tense, plurals, conjugation, the whole male/female thing(o or a?). Just all around construction of a sentence. I can pick up words, I know numbers and food, hello, goodbye, please and thank you: the general stuff. While I'm not good with speaking, I can usually get by reading menus or maps. I'm visual, I can get the gist from a native speaker if they don't talk too fast, but forget my response, I probably sound like a caveman...for instance,... 4/5 A. Boston (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews, August 27, 2010

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  It reminds me of language courses in high school and college

  I am usually not the greatest at language. I took three years of Spanish in high school and blew through one disappointing semester of French in college, since I was studying European literature and wanted to know a main language besides Spanish connected with that. I've tried learning Italian and Gaelic (yes, Gaelic) on my own with books and also on trips abroad. But unless you have a relative or friend who is a nature speaker, it can be hard to practice. Even more so if you want to pay for a college course for a refresher. I do believe Rosetta Stone bridges this gap for the person who doesn't want to go back to college to learn this or perhaps a person who needs to learn basic Spanish for a job.At first, I had a hard time installing this on my desktop. I've bumped this down to four stars because you can't install it on more than one computer, so I had to choose between computers. This, I didn't like at all. For the price of this program, you should be able to... 3/5 Ulalume Jones "Creative Gal" (Between Nothing and Nowhere) - See all my reviews, February 24, 2011

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  The BEST program to learn another language

  I have long wanted to learn Spanish and had been told that the Rosetta Stone program with its "Dynamic Immerson" is one of the best computer-based language programs around. So I jumped at the opportunity to learn via this medium and to review it.First of all, the program would not completely load on my computer. The application CD loaded fine but when I attempted to load the language portion I would only get an error message. Fortunately, there was a technical support number included. The first person (who by all indications was the stereotypical tech support person from India) was only trained to assist with very simple questions and after about 15 minutes transferred me to customer support. When THAT person was unable to help, I began to wonder. I had to explain several times that Amazon sent this out for me to review, that it was not from a secondary supplier or a used item. This person was clueless as well and transferred me to someone who actually helped me... 5/5 Maudeen Wachsmith "BeachReader" (Port Townsend, WA) - See all my reviews, September 3, 2010

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  List Price: $179.00
  

  Language-enhancing games; live online lessons; includes headset with microphone

  Build a foundation of fundamental vocabulary and essential language structure

  Master basic conversational skills; receive immediate and ongoing speech assessments

  Interactive language software with proprietary speech-recognition technology

  Audio Companion for CD or MP3 player; learning application for iPhone or iPod Touch device

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• 

  Rosetta Stone English (American) Level 1-5 Set

  Software (Rosetta Stone)
  

  Rating (47 reviews):

  (4.1/5)

  

  A great program for enhancing English fluency. But it still helps to crack a book, conjugate a few verbs, and study...

  Writing a review of Rosetta Stone English is problematic because, of course, the review is being written in English for an English language web site, for a product intended for persons who do not, as of yet, speak fluent English. That said, and assuming that a English speaking friend or Google Translate is helping someone read this, one might ask: Will using Rosetta Stone English allow you to say "I am amazed that I am able to speak fluent American accented English after using this program for only a few weeks! I will now go to America and speak with the Americans there as though I was born in California"?Probably not. It is, however, a very useful and well thought out program.The Rosetta Stone line of language products all share the same basic design and interface. The key to the Rosetta Stone system is the presentation of word and action associations, influenced by context. This simulates the sort of cues that one would parse and process in speaking any... 5/5 APC Reviews "APC Reviews" (USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Rosetta Stone English (American) Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM) Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?) Writing a review of Rosetta Stone English is problematic because, of course, the review is being written in English for an English language web site, for a product intended for persons who do not, as of yet, speak fluent English. That said, and assuming that a English speaking friend or Google Translate is helping someone read this, one might ask: Will using Rosetta Stone English allow you to say "I am amazed that I am able to speak fluent American accented English after using this program for only a few weeks! I will now go to America and speak with the Americans there as though I was born in California"?Probably not. It is, however, a very useful and well thought out program.The Rosetta Stone line of language products all share the same basic design and interface. The key to the Rosetta Stone system is the presentation of word and action associations, influenced by context. This simulates the sort of cues that one would parse and process in speaking any... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , March 18, 2011

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  A report from a Korean non-English speaker

  I gave this to a friend. He is American and speaks English fluently. He also speaks Chinese and Korean. His wife, however, speaks only Korean. So this product was to help her learn English. What follows is the review of my friend after they had used this for about three weeks.There a number of different products available in the market to teach foreign languages to the casual learner (i.e., someone who wants to learn a new language at his or her own pace in the comfort of his or her house as opposed to someone who takes a course for academic credits at an educational institution or online). Some of these products come in a single format (e.g., a book, a set of audio tapes or CDs, a podcast); other products combine two or more formats (e.g., a book and a set of CDs).Rosetta Stone TOTALe language learning application attempts to go several steps further by utilizing the awesome capabilities of a computer with Internet access to present an integrated platform of... 4/5 P. Mann (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews, March 23, 2011

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  Troublesome installation.... Have an expert handy?

  This review will be ongoing... [04/02/2011]Installation was a NIGHTMARE. (Win7 machine.) Initial installation seemed fine. However, performing the initial post-installation update resulted in chaos. During the process it created a "Rosetta Stone_Backup" folder that it copied all the old system files to. The updater then proceeded to try and reference files IN THE ORIGINAL FOLDER which was now blown away. My friend (I had bought this for his Mandarin-native wife) was able to copy the files back into the original directory, and eventually the update worked.However they were not out of the woods yet... once this installation was completed, there was a hiccup when they signed up for the online portion... it failed its first attempt to connect. After they clicked the "Try again" button it worked... but still...She had previously worked on Rosetta Stone version 3, 1-3, but decided to start over from the beginning. New product features include... 3/5 avgvstvs "Matt Seil" (Omaha NE) - See all my reviews, March 25, 2011

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  List Price: $499.00
  

  Interactive language software with proprietary speech-recognition technology

  Build vocabulary; negotiate complex situations; share ideas and opinions

  Language-enhancing games; live online lessons; includes headset with microphone

  Audio Companion for CD or MP3 player; learning application for iPhone or iPod Touch device

  Develop your command of the language--read, write, speak, and understand

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  Rosetta Stone French Level 1-5 Set

  Software (Rosetta Stone)
  

  Rating (63 reviews):

  (3.9/5)

  

  Fantastic program but not without its quirks

  Rosetta Stone Totale FrenchOnce you get the application installed and working, it is a lot of fun. I actually look forward to learning the language. It gives no English interpretation but shows an image with each phrase. They call it Dynamic Immersion. You hear, see, say and even type the phrase. The program goes over learned material and also breaks down pronunciations. It's colorful and not only fun to use but to look at as well.It is a fantastic program but not without its quirks.Problem 1 - license agreement.We rarely read license agreements but I have started to look them over. This is one that I was tempted to decline - too many lawyers got into this one. Stuff like you don't own it, this is a license to use, etc. Because of the license agreement I was hesitant to signup for the online features for fear I am walking into additional charges I will have trouble getting out of. But I did and will definitely update if that happens... 4/5 SMXSteve (Seattle) - See all my reviews, September 6, 2010

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  Be wary before investing in this system!

  Think twice before investing a lot of money in these systems. You can only install it twice, then it shuts you down. My hard drive crashed, then weeks later my computer. I try to put it on my new laptop, and it won't let me. So technically my $600 is then wasted. Great system, huh?I call them up and have spent hours pleading my case. They told me that because I bought it through an amazon vendor, it's a pirated copy. Nowhere on their website or any of their advertising do they caution you about this. I told them they were punishing me for buying something for $600 in good faith. I spent 3 hours talking to different people about this, being dismissed repeatedly. Their customer service is absolutely terrible.In short, be very very wary before you get into the same situation I did. Computers and laptops are never reliable for long. Two strikes, then you have to trust that they'll honor your large cash outlay, and let you continue to use something... 1/5 Holidaybackhome - See all my reviews This review is from: Rosetta Stone French Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM) Think twice before investing a lot of money in these systems. You can only install it twice, then it shuts you down. My hard drive crashed, then weeks later my computer. I try to put it on my new laptop, and it won't let me. So technically my $600 is then wasted. Great system, huh?I call them up and have spent hours pleading my case. They told me that because I bought it through an amazon vendor, it's a pirated copy. Nowhere on their website or any of their advertising do they caution you about this. I told them they were punishing me for buying something for $600 in good faith. I spent 3 hours talking to different people about this, being dismissed repeatedly. Their customer service is absolutely terrible.In short, be very very wary before you get into the same situation I did. Computers and laptops are never reliable for long. Two strikes, then you have to trust that they'll honor your large cash outlay, and let you continue to use something... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , December 30, 2010

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  Terrible customer service!

  Don't expect much help when it comes to their helplines. They only allow you to install your very expensive software twice. If your hard drive crashes multiple times, as mine did, you're in trouble. Like another person here, I bought from an amazon vendor and was told it was pirated, so they wouldn't give me a new activation code. Basically, they punish their customers because they want to control their revenue streams -- instead of going after the vendors actively selling Rosetta Stone on this site, they refuse to allow you, the buyer, to use what you've paid for!Beware this unethical company! 1/5 Tim Palmer - See all my reviews This review is from: Rosetta Stone French Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM) Don't expect much help when it comes to their helplines. They only allow you to install your very expensive software twice. If your hard drive crashes multiple times, as mine did, you're in trouble. Like another person here, I bought from an amazon vendor and was told it was pirated, so they wouldn't give me a new activation code. Basically, they punish their customers because they want to control their revenue streams -- instead of going after the vendors actively selling Rosetta Stone on this site, they refuse to allow you, the buyer, to use what you've paid for!Beware this unethical company! Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , December 31, 2010

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  List Price: $499.00
  

  Language-enhancing games; live online lessons; includes headset with microphone

  Interactive language software with proprietary speech-recognition technology

  Audio Companion for CD or MP3 player; learning application for iPhone or iPod Touch device

  Develop your command of the language--read, write, speak, and understand

  Build vocabulary; negotiate complex situations; share ideas and opinions

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  Rosetta Stone Homeschool Spanish (Latin America) Level 1 including Audio Companion

  Software (Rosetta Stone)
  

  Rating (7 reviews):

  (3.7/5)

  

  good but not great

  I'd heard so much about the Rosetta Stone, but I was a little disappointed. It's great in that it uses all learning styles to learn the language. It works great for me but not so good for my 6-yr-old. You really need to be reading to get the full benefit from this program. Also, I've had a lot of trouble installing and using it. I must say, there is a toll-free number that you can call for help. You may be on hold a while and have to be bumped up a tier because the person can't figure out your problem, but EVENTUALLY, you'll get the problem solved. 4/5 P. Smith "Love2Sign" (CA) - See all my reviews, September 23, 2010

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  Great for tracking student's success

  This has been good for my teen daughter, who had never studied a foreign language before. Like all Rosetta Stone products, it uses immersion and repetition to teach and utilizes spoken words, written words, and pictures. Any child old enough to read English decently well could use this program. The homeschool edition includes more "curriculum" choices, including one that spreads each level across a full year of school, with a fairly small amount of work for each day.For my husband and I, who have both learned other languages, even the faster-paced Rosetta Stone curricula are frustrating. We have learned to prefer the traditional verb tables and lists of vocabulary to memorize and learn faster that way.Though registering the program did lock me out of putting it on a second computer in the house, Rosetta Stone's support helped me through installing it on a second computer without any problems. 4/5 J. Gerth - See all my reviews, April 24, 2011

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  Unhappy with homeschool version

  The homeschooling version 3 is designed to give all the users in your homeschooling family access to the program with parental controls in order to assign and keep track of assignments. The BIG problem with this is that the licence is only good for two computers! If you have more than one student, you might as well forget it! Of course you can have up to five users on each computer, but I have four users each with their own computers. We are big on technology and sharing computers for anything is simply not how we use technology. I contacted tech support to ask if I could put it on our home server and have everyone access it that way. I was told no. I was then told to contact sales and consider buying a business version. Um... no thanks. I will have to find another company for our foreign language needs. 2/5 J. Barney - See all my reviews, December 27, 2011

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  List Price: $159.00
  

  Rosetta Stone Homeschool teaches your student a new language naturally, the same way they mastered their first language.

  Parent Administrative Tools allow you to formulate lesson plans, manage your student's progress and track their success.

  Rosetta Stone Homeschool moves forward only when your student is ready--you set the schedule and your student drives the pace.

  Innovative solutions get them speaking new words, right from the start.

  Audio Companion CDs let them reinforce the Rosetta Stone experience anytime, anywhere.

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  Rosetta Stone Homeschool French Level 1 including Audio Companion

  Software (Rosetta Stone)
  

  Rating (1 reviews):

  (5.0/5)

  

  Delivered quickly, great product

  Needed to provide a easy to use program for my nephew to learn French and Rosetta Stone delivered. Fast shipping, and quality merchant. Great value, would seek this merchant in the future for sales. 5/5 Informed customer "IC" (East Coast USA) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Rosetta Stone Homeschool French Level 1 including Audio Companion (CD-ROM) Needed to provide a easy to use program for my nephew to learn French and Rosetta Stone delivered. Fast shipping, and quality merchant. Great value, would seek this merchant in the future for sales. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , July 9, 2011

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  List Price: $159.00
  

  Rosetta Stone Homeschool teaches your student a new language naturally, the same way they mastered their first language.

  Rosetta Stone Homeschool moves forward only when your student is ready--you set the schedule and your student drives the pace.

  Audio Companion CDs let them reinforce the Rosetta Stone experience anytime, anywhere.

  Innovative solutions get them speaking new words, right from the start.

  Parent Administrative Tools allow you to formulate lesson plans, manage your student's progress and track their success.

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  Rosetta Stone Italian Level 1-5 Set

  Software (Rosetta Stone)
  

  Rating (46 reviews):

  (4.2/5)

  

  Almost Complete, and Worth the Money

  I found out two months ago that my university was sending me to Italy in a year to teach for one semester. I'll be teaching in English, but my wife and I will need to live, shop, eat, travel, and deal with random problems in Italian, so we got Rosetta Stone to help us learn.I've read reviews here and there by people who were disappointed in Rosetta Stone, but I have found it better than I expected. Having learned one language as a child, studied four more as an adult, traveled and at least briefly conversed in six, and taught one (Latin) to kids with my own textbooks (Schola Latina), I'm almost perfectly pleased with the way Rosetta Stone is helping us learn Italian.As another reviewer points out, the program, while expensive, costs less than a semester of Italian at many a university, and you get a lot for the money. Each of five levels has four units, and each unit has four lessons; that's eighty lessons. Each lesson includes a core lesson of about forty... 5/5 Ken Stephenson (Norman, OK) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Rosetta Stone Italian Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM) I found out two months ago that my university was sending me to Italy in a year to teach for one semester. I'll be teaching in English, but my wife and I will need to live, shop, eat, travel, and deal with random problems in Italian, so we got Rosetta Stone to help us learn.I've read reviews here and there by people who were disappointed in Rosetta Stone, but I have found it better than I expected. Having learned one language as a child, studied four more as an adult, traveled and at least briefly conversed in six, and taught one (Latin) to kids with my own textbooks (Schola Latina), I'm almost perfectly pleased with the way Rosetta Stone is helping us learn Italian.As another reviewer points out, the program, while expensive, costs less than a semester of Italian at many a university, and you get a lot for the money. Each of five levels has four units, and each unit has four lessons; that's eighty lessons. Each lesson includes a core lesson of about forty... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , January 10, 2011

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  OK for certain people

  Rosetta Stone is useful for some people. I consider myself to have learned a lot from Rosetta Stone V4 Totale. I do not work for Amazon, Rosetta Stone, or any competitor of these companies. I originally bought the Italian version because I wanted to talk to people in Italy on my next vacation, and I work in a winery so I thought it would be cool to converse with vineyard owners in Italy. I purchased this program with realistic expectations: I would probably not be fluent in Italian even if I completed all 5 levels.1.) Expect to start off slowly and do not expect to learn the language overnight. I expected the program to last at least 6 months, and still not be fluent. The first lessons and level basically teach you to say, "the horse is running." "Il cavallo corre" It was not until I reached lesson 4 of level 1 that RS started to teach useful sentences such as "I would like to purchase some vegetables with a credit card." It starts very slowly, and you must have... 4/5 Lucas - See all my reviews This review is from: Rosetta Stone Italian Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM) Rosetta Stone is useful for some people. I consider myself to have learned a lot from Rosetta Stone V4 Totale. I do not work for Amazon, Rosetta Stone, or any competitor of these companies. I originally bought the Italian version because I wanted to talk to people in Italy on my next vacation, and I work in a winery so I thought it would be cool to converse with vineyard owners in Italy. I purchased this program with realistic expectations: I would probably not be fluent in Italian even if I completed all 5 levels.1.) Expect to start off slowly and do not expect to learn the language overnight. I expected the program to last at least 6 months, and still not be fluent. The first lessons and level basically teach you to say, "the horse is running." "Il cavallo corre" It was not until I reached lesson 4 of level 1 that RS started to teach useful sentences such as "I would like to purchase some vegetables with a credit card." It starts very slowly, and you must have... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , December 5, 2010

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  Just starting out, seems like a good way to learn

  I'm updating this review as I use the course, since waiting to provide a single, full review after I'v'e progressed through all the levels would likely take months. Since this is the newest version, I feel it's more important to update as I go along. Hopefully this is more benefit to you reading this now, rather than me waiting 6 months or a year to write the review, at which time Rosetta Stone might be on to a whole new version anyway.My 9yo daughter is really excited about learning a new language, so I'll try to mix in her experience as appropriate as well.What it comes with:-1 program installation disc-5 Language level discs (these provide the actual lessons). You can install them as you go or all at once.-5 levels of audio cds, each level contains multiple cds (4 each level).-Keyboard overlays, with both black and white overlays. These are stickers you can place on your keyboard keys to show the language's special characters... 4/5 Brian A. Roush (Cincinnati, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews, February 25, 2011

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  List Price: $499.00
  

  Interactive language software with proprietary speech-recognition technology

  Develop your command of the language--read, write, speak, and understand

  Build vocabulary; negotiate complex situations; share ideas and opinions

  Language-enhancing games; live online lessons; includes headset with microphone

  Audio Companion for CD or MP3 player; learning application for iPhone or iPod Touch device

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  Rosetta Stone German Level 1-5 Set

  Software (Rosetta Stone)
  

  Rating (22 reviews):

  (3.0/5)

  

  I can speak German now

  I've completed the full German course, 1-5 and have had a very good experience with it. English is a Germanic language, which means many of the words underlying English and German are the same or quite similar. Vocabulary should come fairly easily to students and the program gets one to an intermediate level of communication. The audio companion cd discs (20 of them) do a great job of drumming in vocabulary drills or refresh words and concepts learned in earlier lessons. The studio lessons allow for a genuine small classroom experience with teachers who know which words the student is and is not familiar with.There are deficiencies in the Rosetta Stone system. As 100% of the program is in German, one needs to pick up a dictionary to translate properly some of the words in the course. Also if one forgets a word there is no glossary allowing one to go back to the section the word was introduced. The underlying premiss that adults can learn a language like a child has... 5/5 Christopher Barghout (Portland, Or) - See all my reviews, March 11, 2011

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  Caveat Emptor -- Software Not Yet Perfected

  I have the most advanced (and expensive) RosettaStone German package. The concept is good, and when it works, it really works. The problem is the speech-recognition software is not sophisticated enough for its ambitions, and that stops you in your tracks. The headset works. The sound settings are correct. The headset just has a hard time recognizing speech, so it won't let you in. That's that! It's not that the entry test is complicated or foreign. One need only say "1,2,3,4,5" in English in a normal tone of voice to gain entry. Simple enough, especially if one is a native English-speaker like me. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. One spends hours repeating the numbers, checking the voice and sound settings, listening to other recordings to see if the headset and mike are working, booting and re-booting the computer, plugging the headset in and out, uploading and re-uploading RosettaStone. (The headset must be plugged in before uploading RosettaStone). If you call for... 2/5 Don A. Mele "D.A. Mele, Ph.D." (Canaan, New York) - See all my reviews, February 22, 2011

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  Pretty good, except for pronunciation

  I got the Rosetta Stone in German as a refresher for my trip to Austria. I took german for 7 years and already have good pronunciation and this thing tells me I'm saying it wrong constantly. I have even had my boyfriend and others listen to me as I'm saying it and they say I am pronouncing it exactly as Rosetta Stone tells me to but it never accepts it. Then, when I mess up and say it wrong, it accepts it. I have come to the point of totally skipping the pronunciation part. The vocab is good and I have re-learned a lot of what I forgot but I would rather just buy a german book and go through the vocab than mess with this software. Overpriced for the glitches it has. 3/5 Jessica Hartshorn (Fayetteville, AR) - See all my reviews This review is from: Rosetta Stone German Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM) I got the Rosetta Stone in German as a refresher for my trip to Austria. I took german for 7 years and already have good pronunciation and this thing tells me I'm saying it wrong constantly. I have even had my boyfriend and others listen to me as I'm saying it and they say I am pronouncing it exactly as Rosetta Stone tells me to but it never accepts it. Then, when I mess up and say it wrong, it accepts it. I have come to the point of totally skipping the pronunciation part. The vocab is good and I have re-learned a lot of what I forgot but I would rather just buy a german book and go through the vocab than mess with this software. Overpriced for the glitches it has. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , June 12, 2011

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  List Price: $499.00
  

  Language-enhancing games; live online lessons; includes headset with microphone

  Interactive language software with proprietary speech-recognition technology

  Audio Companion for CD or MP3 player; learning application for iPhone or iPod Touch device

  Build vocabulary; negotiate complex situations; share ideas and opinions

  Develop your command of the language--read, write, speak, and understand

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  Rosetta Stone French Level 1

  Software (Rosetta Stone)
  

  Rating (45 reviews):

  (4.0/5)

  

  Great way to obtain functional conversation in a new language

  I've never had french, learned french, or know anything about French. Now, however, I feel like I could do OK with a quick trip and to get around conversationally. Rosetta Stone is no substitute for deep immersion learning, but it's pretty useful as a tool to learn the basics.Pros:- Builds a LOT of vocabulary quickly- Helps understand what words mean by associating them with a concept, rather than translating- Internet community is pretty cool.Cons:- Doesn't focus on grammar at all- Level 1 doesn't contain a whole lot- It's obviously pretty expensive. I guess if you're *really* interested, it's worth it.For it's purpose, it is almost perfect software. You will feel confident with the basics after this. 5/5 Jason Stokes (St. Louis) - See all my reviews, October 19, 2010

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  Children learn this way, not adults

  I have heard many great things about Rosetta Stone, but always from the perspective of a TV ad with the usual, glowing testimonials of 30 and 40-somethings who just rave about the product.Naturally, I've always been curious, but have usually been put off by the near $200 price-tag that usually accompanies it. So, when Amazon Vine had it on offer, I decided to give it a try.Here's what I have to say about it after a week's exposure to my wife (aged 40+) and my daughter (age 7).Generally speaking, Rosetta Stone does a great job in exposing kids to vocabulary. Nouns are attributed to actual pictorial representations instead of the "x = y" approach. This generally works well, as we do a better job with image recognition than we do with word matching.However, that being said, this kind of representation works well when you're in the early years of school where such learning applies. As adults, however, we have already a well-established... 3/5 Maek (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews, August 30, 2010

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  4 stars BUT beware...

  The product itself is five stars, however the description is faulty. I researched this product a great deal before purchasing and even got the free demo CD first. I really do like the learning process, it feels intuitive. The problem is, sitting at my desktop computer is inconvenient and I do not have a laptop. So when I learned that there is an "App for that", I was thrilled. I own both an iPhone and an iPad so with the Rosetta Stone apps that link directly to my account I could learn and practice wherever I needed to. For three months I made great progress whether at home, in the backyard or at work on my lunch hour. On day 91 I suddenly could not connect, my apps kept saying "no course found for this account". The product still works on my desktop but it turns out the apps portion of the product was just a free trial. If I want to continue learning this way I need to purchase a very expensive subscription. No where on this product page does it say that the companion apps... 4/5 Cheryl (NC) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Rosetta Stone French Level 1 (CD-ROM) The product itself is five stars, however the description is faulty. I researched this product a great deal before purchasing and even got the free demo CD first. I really do like the learning process, it feels intuitive. The problem is, sitting at my desktop computer is inconvenient and I do not have a laptop. So when I learned that there is an "App for that", I was thrilled. I own both an iPhone and an iPad so with the Rosetta Stone apps that link directly to my account I could learn and practice wherever I needed to. For three months I made great progress whether at home, in the backyard or at work on my lunch hour. On day 91 I suddenly could not connect, my apps kept saying "no course found for this account". The product still works on my desktop but it turns out the apps portion of the product was just a free trial. If I want to continue learning this way I need to purchase a very expensive subscription. No where on this product page does it say that the companion apps... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , December 4, 2011

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  List Price: $179.00
  

  Audio Companion for CD or MP3 player; learning application for iPhone or iPod Touch device

  Build a foundation of fundamental vocabulary and essential language structure

  Master basic conversational skills; receive immediate and ongoing speech assessments

  Interactive language software with proprietary speech-recognition technology

  Language-enhancing games; live online lessons; includes headset with microphone

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  Rosetta Stone Japanese Level 1-3 Set

  Software (Rosetta Stone)
  

  Rating (58 reviews):

  (3.2/5)

  

  In Defense of Rosetta Stone Japanese

  I have learned a lot of useful and coherent Japanese from this program. The Rosetta Stone method works well when it comes to learning the foundations of the language and engaging in intermediate level conversations. I also think that the Japanese version is one of their better offerings.The most important thing is that Rosetta Stone is geared toward audial learning and feedback for your own pronunciation and comprehension. While I have had some issues with the Italian version of Rosetta Stone accurately recognizing and grading my accent, this has not been the case with this course. As you may know, the Japanese language is composed of phonetic particles which are highly regular, but need to be emphasized and articulated precisely. Rosetta Stone excells at this, because there is simply one clear, right way to say the word, and they get you to say it just right.As mentioned previously, I took Italian in college, and my teacher from Florence said my accent was my... 4/5 C.J. Hustwick (Riverside, CA) - See all my reviews, February 22, 2011

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  To Truly Get a Feel For Spoken Japanese - Worth It!

  Before I start my review I want to give you a little background. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Japanese Language and Literature from the University of Washington. I've taught English to Japanese students in Japan from grade 6 through 12, then college age students from Nagasaki University. I've also taught American English speakers Beginning Japanese classes at the local community college for two semesters, with students ranging in age from about 18 to age 60.I'm reviewing Rosetta Stone Japanese based on my experience as a Japanese language learner, a Japanese language teacher and an English language teacher for Japanese people.There are three parts to learning with Rosetta Stone included with the cost of this set:Rosetta Course - Select images and text on the screen by speaking, clicking or typing the answer.Rosetta Studio (online for 9 months) - Converse and interact online with a native Japanese speaker using the same vocabulary and... 4/5 Roxanne Mchenry "eBook Publishing Expert, Wri... (Montana) - See all my reviews, March 12, 2011

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  Overpriced. Has problems, but does what it says it will do.

  I bought this item directly from Rosetta Stone, paying, unfortunately, more than I would have had I bought it directly from Amazon. Live, learn, and expect a (usually) better buy from Amazon! Apart from my negative feelings on the price, I have the following comments on the program: it is very slow to load and run. It does, as other reviewers have said, freeze without warning. When that happens, I can only go to another section of the lesson I am on to get it back to responding again. And, it usually freezes at the same place in the program. So, the program has bugs in it. Yes, as one reviewer has said, the pictures of some activities are too small to determine what response the program expects of me. Fine differences make for drastically different expected responses. The program is, as advertised, total immersion; there is no English language help available in the program, and all questions, answers, and expected responses are all in Japanese. So, anyone expecting any hand holding... 3/5 John Brady (LA) - See all my reviews, January 14, 2011

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  List Price: $399.00
  

  Audio Companion for CD or MP3 player; learning application for iPhone or iPod Touch device

  Interactive language software with proprietary speech-recognition technology

  Language-enhancing games; live online lessons; includes headset with microphone

  Build vocabulary; spell and write accurately; speak without a script

  Develop language skills to enjoy social interactions; share ideas and opinions

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