Has the product improved since then? If you offer every customer this 50% deal, then it's no longer a deal, it's the de facto price, and I feel TERRIBLE for the poor souls who bought right away and got shafted on the price. It saddens me a bit to see how little Rosetta Stone has evolved since its original version 28 years ago. Rosetta Stone is STILL one of the most well-known names in the language learning industry. Whilst it seems to be making certain updates to limit this rule around the courses, most of them are still target-language only. Rosetta Stone uses the same program for all languages, so this is also a review of Rosetta Stone French, German, Russian, Italian, and Japanese. At the very beginning, I started out matching vocabulary words with pictures or vice versa, and as I progressed through the first few sections, the program began introducing verb conjugations and prompting me to pronounce words, as well. For the speaking segments, the program’s patented “TruAccent” speech-recognition engine actually assesses your pronunciation, and you can even adjust how strictly it will grade you, which I can see being helpful for those who really want to sound like a native. Duolingo vs Babbel 2020: Two Giants Battle it out! One of the founders, Allen Stoltzfus had learned German using an immersive method, and when he attempted to learn Russian in a class-room setting he found the latter much less efficient and boring. They both have well-structured courses but they might get repetitive. Remember those “EDUCATIONAL” computer games from the 90s? When I tried to book a swedish lesson for the next day there were quite a few slots available: I assume Swedish isn't a big language on Rosetta Stone, and booking next day is likely to have limitations compared to booking a more popular language a few more days in advance. During the listening sections, there are a wide range of speakers who will read you words and phrases, helping to acclimate you to hearing the language in different voices. However, Rosetta Stone isn’t cheap—prices start at $80 for a three-month subscription—and you might be wondering if it’s really better than free language-learning apps like Duolingo. Rosetta Stone is a language learning software that is now also available through an online subscription. I decided to write this Rosetta Stone review because one of the most frequently asked questions in language learning discussions is whether or not Rosetta Stone is worth the money.. But, unfortunately that's where my joy stopped as I was met with an instant flashback to 15 years ago. Let's find out. Virtually every exercise you complete with Rosetta Stone includes corresponding images—a lot of them are cringe-worthy stock photos, but that’s neither here nor there. Rosetta Stone offers a complete foreign language curriculum in Spanish ranging in price from $209 for Introductory Level 1, to $499 for a full 3-Level set. © 2020 Rosetta Stone Ltd. All rights reserved. Alternatively, you can download the software onto your computer or buy it on a CD-ROM. Read Rosetta Stone reviews from real customers. It features a similar workflow (although not the 100% stringent immersion) and a variety of quiz formats, so it's slightly more exciting. This smells of a company desperate for cash, trying to lure people in with inflated prices, and fake discounts. The Euro-prices were exactly the same as the GBP prices, even though the British Pound is worth 1.13 euros. To test out Rosetta Stone, I decided to try my hand at Latin American Spanish—I’m stuck at home, so what else do I have to do? Almost perfect. Rosetta Stone teaches the language as naturally as possible. Rosetta Stone, on the other hand, rarely gives you the same exercises twice, and it seems to minimize use of the simple flashcard-style learning that many other programs rely heavily on. I discovered this by complete accident, as I run the Quidco chrome plugin which alerts you if there are any cash-back deals available. It still uses the same old, cheesy stock photos, and the app design feels antiquated, especially when you compare it to the fun and colorful illustrations offered by Duolingo. Can you learn some language with Rosetta Stone – absolutely! Having used Duolingo in the past, I’m pretty confident in saying that Rosetta Stone gives you a deeper understanding of the language, going into more complex grammar and conjugations. First of all, given the high price of this program, I found its design to be outdated. Learning a new language with this platform is like a walk in the garden. Starting out, I could say hello, goodbye, and count to 10, but that was it. I don't mind it too much, it doesn't take a lot of points away from Rosetta Stone, but I think it's worth mentioning here anyway. In this section there is a series of stories (only about a dozen) that go up in difficulty and correspond to modules of the main learning. Write a review. Skip Rosetta Stone, and just download Duolingo. Almost all language learners have heard of it. rosettas tone.com. I had to skip several exercises because it just wasn’t working properly. Selecting a “Plan” You can opt for an online or app subscription, which gives you access to several levels of the program for a set number of months. Of, course this got me curious so I set my VPN to Estonia just to see what kind of prices I would now get from Rosetta Stone in Euros. Due to its first-mover advantage, and the initial success of making language learning abundandently available Rosetta Stone became a huge company, which allowed it to pour millions of dollars into advertising. With these latter options, you pay a flat fee for each level of the program, and you get access to it forever. Which languages can you learn with Rosetta Stone? Using Rosetta Stone as a Foreign Language in Homeschooling. ©2020 Reviewed, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network LLC. Bottom Line: Pimsleur is far more better than Rosetta Stone on various aspects such as the number of languages it offers is more than Rosetta Stone. Here are the prices for Rosetta Stone subscriptions in 2020: Why are the UK (and the EU to a slightly lesser degree) getting shafted this much on two of the Rosetta Stone plans? Rosetta Stone is the best way to learn a foreign language. I used Rosetta Stone once before, about 10 years ago, and the interface has barely been updated since then. It's very similar to the desktop version, which is a good thing. It's a very basic way to learn languages with, that does not warrant paying $15-$20 a month, or $300+ for lifetime access for. I think I would have preferred cheaper memberships, and just finding my own tutor on a place like italki. Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed’s editors. We're now in 2020, so the last time Rosetta Stone was awarded any recognition was 4+ years ago. All views are my own and any sponsored posts or reviews will be clearly signed as such. The price difference between the US and the UK/EU is unforgiveable for software. Image Source: Rosetta Stone Reviews The interactive immersion experience progresses through a sequence that is meant to make it faster and also easier to learn a language. The idea behind Rosetta Stone is that you will learn Spanish just as you learned your own native language - without translation or memorization. If you take a look at the Rosetta Stone Wiki page, and the company wiki page you'll see a long list of awards: But, notice one thing: The last one was received in 2014, and the latest awards were received based on app design, user's choice, and general user experience evaluations, none of the awards since 2011 praised the actual educational content. Rosetta Stone uses something that they call “Dynamic Immersion,” or the “Rosetta Stone Immersion-Based Learning Method” This is a method that teaches you the language without actually explaining anything to you. The software runs on any flavor … Let's jump in and see exactly how Rosetta Stone looks today. Even if it were just you and the teacher, this is a relatively small value addon. As you may have figured out by now, Rosetta Stone is a computer-assisted language-learning tool, and today, it offers 24 language programs, including both popular options like Spanish, Italian, and French, as well as more unique languages like Turkish and Persian. I asked their twitter about this, but all they did was to refer me to customer service. Rosetta Stone review: Method and features. No. Other times you simply match by clicking the correspondin image. Your Rosetta Stone course will be broken up into a variety of sections. This is of course nothing to the insane savings from the US pricing, but still, it's something. Rosetta Stone offers both online subscriptions and software downloads. (Maybe more if the above Quidco cashback is added onto it, hmmm….). Rosetta Stone is one of the biggest brands in language learning. We know your time is valuable. These discounts will not last long, so be sure to check it out! Learning vocab and grammar with image-based lessons Rosetta Stone applies the same method regardless of the language you want to learn. When writing this Rosetta Stone review I tried to find a language learning blogger, influencer, or polyglot who had anything positive to say about it. Apart from the obvious elephant in the room, that there is zero way to filter or screen people before you go in, this might actually be somewhat useful. Try Pimsleur and learn a new language of your choice. It's rudimentary, and tries to make up for this fact by adding a number of arbitrary features like the games, language exchanges, and tutoring. A significant part of Rosetta Stone has always been the voice recognition, which prompts you to speak the vocabulary out loud as you are learning it. Each language is broken down into several “levels” to work through as you progress. It's excellent for beginners, and it has a ton of additional content for … This is only applicable to users in the United Kingdom, but if you really want to sign up to Rosetta Stone, be sure to use Quidco (a cash-back website) to get 11% off your subscription. Rosetta Stone is a language course that continues to deliver a simple yet effective way of teaching foreign languages for those with little or no prior experience.It is widely used by government agencies, educational institutions and large corporations for training. This system has been around since 1992, when it used to require CD-ROMs (remember those? You can select between a 3-month, 12-month, or 24-month billing cycle. Within a few days, it had introduced a few dozen words and a wide range of verbs. You won't regret it. Add to that the horrible pricing discrepancies, and the fake inflated prices and fake discounts – and you get a good picture of Rosetta Stone in 2020. Rosetta Stone's installation is entirely automated: merely insert the CD and click through a few onscreen prompts. Filter by: Filter by: A. R. 1 review. Inflated prices on the front-end and offering everyone 50% off on the backend when they sign up to a trial. Latin American Spanish comes with a whopping 20 units, so I can only imagine how much I’d learn if I worked by way through all of them. It includes programs for the most popular ones, such as Spanish (Castilian and Latin American), French, German, Japanese, Italian, Chinese (Mandarin), and Portuguese (Brazilian). Something that a lot of tools, apps, and software do not offer. Rosetta Stone a pricy program but came with great reviews. I first tried Rosetta Stone about 15 years ago. One important note about Rosetta Stone is that it used to have a policy of absolutely no English or translations in the software. It came in this big, yellow cardboard box, and with a hefty price tag of around $500 for a language. This offsets the terribly racist pricing a little bit. On the other hand, if you have an upcoming international trip or are learning a new language for work, Rosetta Stone will help you quickly form a solid foundation in the language, tailored to your particular needs. There are a few ways you can use Rosetta Stone. 4.3. rosettas tone.com. Rosetta Stone offers a no pressure approach to language learning, which can be a plus for users who are completely new to language learning and feel intimidated. £349 Great Britain Pounds, at the time of writing this post is equal to $428.80 United States Dollars. Practicing speaking and listening The reason that this isn't enough to recommend Rosetta stone is because I believe there are better, cheaper, and more interesting methods available today. I haven't done anything special, it's not Christmas or Black Friday, and yet they offer me 50% off out of the blue. 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