Rosetta Stone: Does it Work?

Posted on 02. Oct, 2011 by in Advice, Resources, Reviews, Trip Planning

The Spanish Language Challenge Part 2 (Part Dos?):

Learning Spanish is (probably) 90% will power. Sadly, will power is not my strong suit.

When it comes to Spanish it seems that I have this painful mental block that I just can’t seem to push past. I think it’s PTSD from high school Spanish and those rows of neatly conjugated verb charts. O, as, a, amos, an, those verb endings haunt my dreams. I never did figure out what was appropriate to use when or how to convert these complex endings in my head fast enough to have an actual conversation.

Close up of the Rosetta Stone replica

photo credit: laser2k

That’s where Rosetta Stone comes in. Unlike those tedious high school classes, Rosetta Stone takes a gentle, immersive approach. The computer program aims to teach you the same way that small children learn a new language. They use a system they call “Dynamic Immersion,” which instead of forcing you to memorize vocabulary and conjugations tries to introduce you to new language skills interactively. They claim that this will get you thinking in your new language from the very beginning.

On a practical level what this means is that they teach you vocabulary and grammar using pictures, pronunciation and small games. There is a lot of repetition and they use voice recognition software to check your pronunciation. They’ll show you a picture of a white cat and teach you “El gato blanco.” It’s simplistic yes, but through repetition you learn a lot of new vocabulary.

The downsides? It’s expensive. Like massively expensive. For the price of the software I could take three weeks of real life language classes in Colombia. It’s also just a computer program, so there is nobody to ask if you have a question or need clarification.

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El Gato Blanco

But does it actually work? Sort of. My feeling is that used on it’s own, it will be only a semi-useful tool. Combined with actual language classes or immersion though, it’s a great way to reinforce and practice concepts and vocabulary. Mike claims that Rosetta Stone Mandarin really helped him to learn Chinese more rapidly while living in Xi’an.

Basically I don’t think that Rosetta Stone is a language learning solution in and of it’s self. I think it’s just impossible to learn language in a void without practicing and conversing in real life. If you used it in conjunction with other language activities, classes or discussion groups or something else, than it would probably help you to learn faster.

Of course my biggest problem is that Rosetta Stone only helps if you ACTUALLY use it on a regular basis. Luckily, my slacker attitude is going to be adjusted for me by this time next week when I’ll be speaking Spanish in Colombia whether I know how or not!

 

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16 Responses to “Rosetta Stone: Does it Work?”

  1. Carlos

    02. Oct, 2011

    I think it works well, but only up to a certain point. And for learning to speak it sucks basically it can only be good for understanding and writing.

    Reply to this comment

    • Steph

      02. Oct, 2011

      That’s a good point, learning to speak is a whole other set of challenges, but i think getting down the vocab helps.

      Reply to this comment

    • Elizabeth Marcus

      26. Oct, 2011

      Carlos,
      I am trying to find people who will tell me about their experiences with Rosetta Stone and other self-taught systems for an article I’m working on. As you must have noticed the program offers no opportunity to think of a word on your own (the essential task in learning to speak), only to choose from 4 alternatives. I tried to learn Japanese, which may be particularly difficult, but the speech recognition component didn’t work (my Japanese Berlitz teacher couldn’t get it to accept her pronunciation), I never achieved any ability to comprehend the spoken language, and I found the vocabulary to be largely useless. When I got to “the giraffe is standing on 3 legs,” I gave up. What was your experience? I’d love to know.

      Reply to this comment

  2. Geraldine

    02. Oct, 2011

    Steph, darling, you realize you accidentally labeled the white cat as being black in the caption, right? “El gato negro”? :)

    Alas, Spanish befuddles me, too, but I’ve found that if you try, it doesn’t matter how awful your grammar is. Most people appreciate the attempt.

    Reply to this comment

    • Steph

      02. Oct, 2011

      Oh geez, that’s embarrassing! Guess that show’s how well things are going for me. I agree though, it’s the effort that counts the most!

      Reply to this comment

    • Sergio

      28. Mar, 2012

      No, she has it right (unless she changed it later). El gato blanco, the white cat.

      Reply to this comment

  3. Hannah

    02. Oct, 2011

    I have been meaning to learn Italian for a while and this has reminded me that it’s about time I got around to it. You’re right about it being down to will power – the tools are there, it’s just a matter of pushing yourself to use them.

    Reply to this comment

  4. cornelius aesop

    02. Oct, 2011

    I would have to agree with you, that it is an aid. A really really expensive aid that can get you started on building vocabulary but even the pictures can be misleading. I use it at a English tutoring center, but to be honest you could get just as much from cheaper alternatives. Lastly, it also depends on what kind of learner you are but all in all it is an expensive gym membership you use for a week then never put to use again.

    Reply to this comment

    • Steph

      02. Oct, 2011

      An expensive gym membership indeed if you buy it and don’t use it. I’m determined not to let that be me!

      Reply to this comment

  5. Lindsey

    02. Oct, 2011

    Have you tried Micheal Thomas, Steph? He starts his course by reminding you of all the words similar in Spanish and English and simply builds from there. It’s pretty intuitive! If this means this, than what does that mean?, etc.

    Plus, one of the guys on the tape is a bit simple and makes me feel really smart! I dodgily downloaded it from the internet and listened to it on the realllllly long bus trips that come hand in hand with South America.

    I understand your struggle with learning another language. Damned being a native-English speaker!

    Reply to this comment

  6. Sally

    03. Oct, 2011

    I’m a super lazy language learner myself (and a total hypocrite because I’m always yelling at my students for not studying or practicing English outside of class). I don’t think a computer program would work for me at all. I really need a teacher and classmates around to shame me into studying (and even that doesn’t work that well for me). Plus it’s on the computer… which means I would constantly be checking out Facebook or Twitter while I’m supposed to be learning about gato blanco.

    Reply to this comment

  7. Josh Aggars

    03. Oct, 2011

    Hi Steph,

    Two words for you, Michel Thomas. I was exactly the same as you for years until I stumbled across a free Michel Thomas CD in the newspaper. It totally changed my ability to learn. He just gets in your head in the most fantastic way to the point where years later I can still remember the early lessons because of the emphasis and almost comedic value of some of his hectoring of the bad student.

    Trust me, just try the basic one and you’ll be amazed how quickly your verbs come on.

    Reply to this comment

  8. Danna

    05. Oct, 2011

    Hi Steph! Been reading your blog for a while, first time commenting. :) I was going to say that you might be able to access Rosetta Stone for free through a public library system, but apparently they ended their contracts with all the libraries last summer. It was a great option while it lasted. Your library may have other free language resources online though.

    Another option is Pimsleur – a lot of people swear by that system. I don’t have much experience with it (I think I’m more of a visual learner in general and it’s all audio) but I find it amusing that it’s clearly geared toward English-speaking businessmen aiming to score with the local women wherever they’re headed.

    Anyway, good luck!

    Reply to this comment

  9. Elizabeth Marcus

    26. Oct, 2011

    The suggestion here that you think of Rosetta Stone as a useful addition to other kinds of language programs seems like a good one. My experience with the program is that it’s possible to get the impression you’re making great progress with it while learning almost nothing. Given the program’s serious flaws, I wonder if anyone can learn to communicate using it. Their promise that you learn the way a child does is totally bogus. And yet it remains tremendously popular. Do people who feel they’ve failed blame themselves? For more see: elizwrites.com/?page_id=730. I’m working on an essay about why it’s so hard to learn a new language and hope to find people who will tell me about their experience –pro and con– with self-taught programs.

    Reply to this comment

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