Has anyone ever tried to learn a language with Rosetta Stone?

[PokerDoc]

Today in job shadowing, i was stunned to learn that the doctor ive been following around since last august is not only fluent in her native korean and english (with no accent), but shes also fluent in spanish. She had a spanish patient today and it was just totally awesome how she was able to communicate in another language with her patient. You could definitely tell the patient loved that she could speak spanish too, she was definitely excited about that (i know some spanish from high school and i actually picked up that she was so happy she could communicate)


anyway, I picked up the rosetta stone program for latin american spanish today, gonna give it a shot between now and august when i start school. Has anyone else used this program with success? All ive read are testimonials from the company themselves. Anyone know how long it takes to get fluent using the software as opposed to a class?

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[VneZonyDostupa]

I tried it for a bit through my school and thought it was a waste of time. It teaches you basic words and phrases, but nothing about grammar patterns, conjugation, declension, etc. (which, since they boast it will make you conversational, is ridiculous).

Also, they claim on their ads that the FBI and State Department use their software as the main tool in their language schools. False.

 

[nick_carraway]

What a timely topic. I was so embarrassed when a patient called speaking NO English at all. Zero. She only spoke Mandarin and refused to slow down while my American-born brain tried to translate what she was saying. My Mandarin's bad enough and I hardly know any medical terms.

I was struggling to translate what I wanted to say and it wasn't until I got home and showered that the vocab started coming back to me. I realize now that my trust Chinese-English dictionary would've filled in the gaps so I'll have to wait for her to call again to make sure that she really said what I think she said.

A similar thing happened to me one time when I called a patient who spoke only Spanish.

As for Rosetta Stone, I used it back in the day with a Mac but I haven't tried it since. I think I'll download a copy to brush up on Spanish and Mandarin while I'm still in the mood.

When the woman calls back on Monday, I'll be ready.

 

[ExpressMaiL]

Rosetta Stone will teach you "survival" Spanish, nothing more.

 

[ecca58]

I really wanted to buy this program. It's just they didn't offer anything for Cantonese Chinese. Poo~. All the Chinese people around me speak Cantonese, not Mandarin. How am I supposed to fluently order dimsum?

 

[VneZonyDostupa]

I really wanted to buy this program. It's just they didn't offer anything for Cantonese Chinese. Poo~. All the Chinese people around me speak Cantonese, not Mandarin. How am I supposed to fluently order dimsum?

Easy, just say "I want dimsum, please." They all speak English, it's only Americans who don't speak another language, or even passable English for that matter.

 

[nick_carraway]

I really wanted to buy this program. It's just they didn't offer anything for Cantonese Chinese. Poo~. All the Chinese people around me speak Cantonese, not Mandarin. How am I supposed to fluently order dimsum?

Uh. Point?

That's how they do it anyway.

 

[PokerDoc]

i figured if i cant afford a tutor or class this was my best shot. ill have to see how it works i guess

 

[AlaskaGrown]

Uh. Point?

That's how they do it anyway.

LOL 😀 Someone needed to make that observation.

 

[nick_carraway]

LOL 😀 Someone needed to make that observation.

Very diverse app, BTW. Glad to see that adcoms rewarded you for it!

 

[xiaoyi666]

Back to topic of thread. I definitely wanted to try the rosetta stone also, was thinking of posting that thread but hey, here it is!

If Rosetta Stone doesnt work, does anyone recommend anything besides an all out spanish course or going to a Spanish speaking country? I live in Miami, you'd think I'll be better ab it.....

 

[TheRealMD]

Only way to truly learn a language is to immerse yourself it in. That means if you aren't acting like a fool for a while by speaking in order to get by, then you aren't going to retain much at all.

 

[Jolie South]

Only way to truly learn a language is to immerse yourself it in. That means if you aren't acting like a fool for a while by speaking in order to get by, then you aren't going to retain much at all.

I wholeheartedly agree with this.

 

[toughcookies]

I used Rosetta Stone briefly for intermediate Arabic. I thought it was pretty good actually. If you put enough time into it, you should get good results.

 

[doctorFred]

i was also sucked in by the commercial testimonials, although after researching it a little more, the reviews seem pretty mixed (although, in all fairness, i haven't found a single DIY-type language-learning program that has garnered only positive reviews.)

 

[BoSoxMack]

i get the sense that everyone is going to pick-up a foreign language a little differently. I could see how a program like roestta stone would work for some people and not others, based on their method of learning. For me, I took three years of spanish classes, but my brain was still working in English, translating into spanish. After just a month in central america (i went somewhere really rural where there absolutely no english), i actually started processing ideas in spanish.

There is absolutely no substitute for having to live/survive via ones ability to communicate in another language.

 

[thegold91]

i was really wondering about rosetta stone as well. I have a mac and I have not seen a huge range of spanish language programs for my operating system.

 

[surferdoc]

I hate rosetta stone...I speak spanish and tried it for portuguese and I thought it was awful. Anyway, the good thing is that you can buy it and if you don't like it within 6 months of buying it, you can return it to get a full refund... which is what I'm doing now 🙂

 

[kami333]

You can also try Pimsleur, it's audio/book based. I've seen older copies at the library so you might be able to try it out for free.

As for the best method, whatever works for you, everyone likes a different method. I've tried out Rosetta Stone in the past, seemed ok for me (I'm grew up bilingual but I'm terrible at learning languages). From what I've heard, the early parts seem to emphasize vocabulary more than grammar or structure, then as you progress and you are comfortable with they add a little bit at a time, starting with things like differences between prefixes.

 

[175961]

Only way to truly learn a language is to immerse yourself it in. That means if you aren't acting like a fool for a while by speaking in order to get by, then you aren't going to retain much at all.

agree 100%. Dont waste a couple hundred bucks (or whatever rosetta stuff costs, I think its all expensive) to learn any language. I learned spanish by speaking it everyday with people that dont speak any english. The best way to learn any language is by speaking and listening to it as much as you can

 

[Aesculapius]

Pimsleur is good, if you can pick up a free copy. But I think what is better are the more modern language learning materials now available- podcasts. Try Spanishpod.com (or Chinesepod.com for Mandarin) and look on iTunes for other free language podcasts. They generally seem to work quite well.

 

[sciencebird]

I just ordered Learning Spanish Like Crazy on CD. It's pretty good, more modern and causal than Primsleur. I got Volume 1 on amazon, but you can google Learning Spanish Like Crazy and download it from their website too.
It's a whole course in Spanish.

Personally, I think audio cds are terrific. I took several semesters of Spanish in school and learned nothing, and it was a program called "Spanish on the Move" that enabled me to visit Mexico. That's a terrific 3 cd set for travel Spanish.It was only $16! I wish those people would make another lesson set. I'd recommend that too.

I think cds are better than a class. I'm also trying to start a Spanish club. And you can watch Univision on tv too. It's difficult mentally though, so if you are up to the challenge now, go for it!

 

[namsoon]

My biggest beef with Rosetta Stone is that they teach you some really weird words/phrases at first. Like, in the first lesson (I think this is for all languages, but I may be wrong), you learn the word for elephant. I mean, really...when is that ever going to be relevant for a beginning speaker?

 

[Jolie South]

i guess my whole beef with learning languages outside of immersion is that they teach you specific phrases and the answers to specific questions.

it's more about memorization than learning to think/synthesize in the new language. It will take you forever to learn a language that way.

i mean you will know how to ask for directions, but will you understand what someone is telling you if it's not "turn left at the next street and go 3 blocks" or other cookie cutter response that's taught?

 

[bones11]

Last Summer I took the first semester of Spanish at my community college. Since then I've been studying on my own with a combination of vocabulary flashcards, reading books in Spanish, and watching soap operas on Telemundo. So far I'm pretty happy with the progress I've made. I'm hoping I will be able to spend the summer traveling in Mexico or Central America, which as other people have said is probably the best thing you can do.

 

[Miss Alyssa]

I think it's best to learn as much of the language as you can at home first; through classes, tapes, tv, programs. This would give you a good base. Then once you're at a beginner-intermediate level, go somewhere and immerse yourself in the language. I did a language program (French immersion) with an emphasis on oral communication for 6 weeks last summer. Going in, there were absolute beginners, and people who took immersion classes all through school. The absolute beginners could speak in French at a beginner-intermediate level by the end, I guess. But they seemed limited in the phrases they used and spoke almost entirely in one or two tenses. For the people that went in already at an intermediate level, the majority became fluent by the end. They could practice tenses and vocabulary that they already and build upon that base. Why pay money to go abroad and learn the names of vegetables and fruits, and the necessary phrases to survive when you can learn those at home first?

Anyways, I recently got Rosetta Stone for Spanish and Swahili and once I'm done, I'll go abroad and solidify what I've learnt.

 

[kami333]

btw, shouldn't this thread be in the All-Student forum, since it isn't a pre-med only issue? lol

 

[xeulee]

I was wondering about Rosetta Stone also. I'm glad to find this out before I bought it.

You can also try Pimsleur, it's audio/book based. I've seen older copies at the library so you might be able to try it out for free.

Yeah, Pimsleur is really good. It helps you speak the language,conjugate words, and remember the words well. I took 5 years of French in school and didn't feel very confident with my speaking skills. After taking 6 months of Portuguese I feel very confident which motivates me to learn more. I use the program from my library so it's absolutely free. It would cost you about $300 otherwise for each level.

The thing is you have to use Pimsleur along with something else that has a book along with the material. Pimsleur is only built on situations you may encounter from traveling to the country. The booklet with it is no help at all and only very few words you use from the cd's are present in the book. I don't know how to spell most of the words I know. I also don't know the basic conjugation rules so get a program or take a class along with Pimsleur and it helps a lot.

I use Living Language, which is also available at my library to help with conjugation and learning a lot more vocab words.

 

[Army Captain]

I have used the same module. It has 18 modules that each have 10 lessons. I have completed the first two modules and do believe that I am becoming somewhat fluent. The modules have taken me about 4 hours to complete.

 

[unsung]

I purchased the one for Arabic, but I already knew the alphabet and some grammar beforehand (took a quarter in college). I don't think the system works for someone who is completely a beginner. At least, I don't think it works for a language that is very distant from English in terms of grammatical structure, etc. Although, it depends on your goal- is it just to understand the spoken language? Or are you really trying to learn to read/write it, as well?

 

[ecca58]

Easy, just say "I want dimsum, please." They all speak English, it's only Americans who don't speak another language, or even passable English for that matter.

Uh. Point?

That's how they do it anyway.

It's the fact that you can properly order it instead of pointing at a dish. 😀 Plus, I want to be able to negotiate some black market stuff in the back. Those tri-band phones are awesome... 😍

Ok, back to the subject. Sorry for diverting.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

I prefer the Babel Fish, or the Universal Translator, or maybe the TARDIS.

 

[veggieswirl]

Well mostly. I've only taken Spanish in college. 2 years of it. And I'm just about fluent right now. I took two of years of French in High School and don't speak a lick of it. So I don't offend anyone, I'm biracial, of the Mexi-White variety, and my mother speaks fluent Spanish, but that's not how I learned. My secret: I ride the public bus in suburban SoCal. It's a really good way to learn Spanish.... with a lot of headaches.

 

[SaveThisLabRat]

I bought Rosetta Stone for Korean, but as someone else mentioned above, they teach you odd phrases that you mostlikely will not be using immediately. I got it for Christmas. I learn better through books, I guess.

Omg, I just realized I'm in the pre-med forums. *runs out*

 

[Drogba]

Immersion is obviously the best way to learn a language with no close second. Unfortunately that is not often possible. Short of that I would have to recommend Pimsleur + independent grammar and vocabulary study. Pimsleur will get you comfortable hearing the language and speaking it. I find their method especially helpful with pronunciation. In my opinion the most difficult part of learning a language is getting comfortable with the spoken form which is what Pimsleur targets. The rest is up to you. Both vocabulary and grammar lend themselves to self study.

 

[URHere]

I must say that I actually really like the Rosetta Stone program.

I used it to learn Portuguese and I found the units to be more like games that I enjoy playing than like actual studying. This has really helped me to stick with it and I am actually able to carry on simple conversations now.

That being said, I can understand that it may not be for everyone. I knew Spanish before starting the program and I was able to quickly see the similarities and differences between the two languages so I think this really helped me. I had also spent time in Portugal in the past so many terms were already familiar to me. If you are 100% new to a language, this may not be for you. If you are trying to move up from "tourist speak" to become more fluent, it may be a good option.

 

[armybound]

LOL 😀 Someone needed to make that observation.

I just realized we interviewed at Vandy on the same day.. congrats on the acceptance.

 

[foster033]

Apparently Phoenix hasn't read it yet 🙂 killing interesting threads by moving them to the all-student forum that no one reads seems to be her favorite past time.

btw, shouldn't this thread be in the All-Student forum, since it isn't a pre-med only issue? lol