Why We Like Rosetta Stone
Just
what do we like about this program? We love its subtle and natural approach to
learning. You do not have to endure repetitive drills or lots of grammatical
information. Instead, you learn the same way you learned your first language:
you are immersed in the language and learn from context. Instead of doing
translations, you learn to think in the new language. Best of all, this happens
so effortlessly that at first you may not even realize how much you are
learning!
While there are many run modes, the primary mode of operation involves being
presented with a group of 4 photographs (out of thousands of images with the full
program) and a word or phrase spoken by a native speaker. You then select the
image that corresponds to what you heard. Once a correct answer is selected, the
images are shuffled and you are given another spoken phrase. You get immediate
feedback, and you learn to directly associate what you see with what you hear,
without going through the process of translation. You learn to think directly in
the new language, which is the best way to achieve fluency.
As you progress, the words and phrases build into sentences and dialogues of
increasing complexity. The Speech Recognition feature lets you fine tune your
pronunciation and compare it to the native speaker. Different run modes let you
focus on reading and writing the language, or hearing and speaking it. This is
one of the only true immersion-style programs available and you will be amazed
at how quickly you can learn without ever doing any translation. Since
translation is not involved, it doesn't even matter what your own native
language is! For example, the Spanish program works the same way whether you
speak only English or only Arabic. The CD-ROMs even understand multiple computer
languages and can be used with either a PC or a Mac (see specifications below).
Includes speech recognition.
The Rosetta Stone is currently available in 31 languages! We know of no
other program that offers such a variety of languages. If you don't see a
language that you want to learn, let us know.
When you purchase the Rosetta Stone you have available to you
unlimited FREE support. There is free 800-number
telephone support, M-F, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST, as well as e-mail
and online support.
There is a complete satisfaction guarantee on any of the Rosetta Stone
series purchased from us. If you are not satisfied for any reason, you can
return it to us within 6 months from the purchase date and we will issue a
refund.
The Rosetta Stone offers one of the most natural learning methods we have seen
(other than moving to a foreign country). It is used by the Peace Corps, the US
State Department - NASA even used it on the Mir Space Station so the US
astronauts could learn Russian and the Russian cosmonauts could learn English!
More languages are being added constantly, so check if you don't see the
language you want listed. We carry every language available for the Rosetta
Stone.
Please be aware that
many vendors sell the
Personal Edition. The personal
edition is intended for home users. It does not include
the Student Management System. The special
Homeschool Edition is essentially the same as
the more expensive Classroom Edition except that it
is not designed to run on a network with many students using it at the same
time. It contains everything the Personal Edition does plus more (at no
additional cost). All learners, not just homeschoolers, will benefit from
these extras.
● Students work individually at their own
pace. Rosetta Stone Homeschool features
predefined curriculum paths for learning, so parents can be sure their students
are moving forward…even if they don’t speak the language themselves.
● Parents can track each student individually.
● The Dynamic Immersion™ method
makes learning effective without translation or boring drills.
● Pre-loaded lesson plans make scheduling easy, or create your own
lesson plans.
● Version 3 offers printable
material, such as scripts for every lesson and a complete index of words taught
in your program. The most popular programs offer even more help: a printable
Student Workbook, with a quiz for each lesson, Unit Tests, and Answer Key for
the workbook and tests. Latin American Spanish and American English include
these extras now; when you order French, German, Italian, Japanese or Mandarin
Chinese, you can download the extra supplements (at no additional cost)
beginning in August 2008.
● More homeschoolers choose Rosetta Stone Homeschool Edition than
any other language program.
System Requirements: Based on US versions of operating systems -
when ordering, please let us know if your computer is running a non-US version
of Windows. (subject to change)
● Windows (32-bit
editions only) 2000, XP or Vista, Mac OS X 10.4 or later
● 512 MB RAM
● 1 GHz or faster processor speed
● 600 MB free hard-drive space (per level)
● 16-bit sound card
● 800 x 600 display resolution (1024 x 768
recommended)
● Internet or phone connection required for product
activation
● Speech recognition feature requires a headset
microphone (USB recommended), which is included with your software
● 16X CD-ROM Drive (for installation)
Note for Microsoft® Windows Vista™ users:
Current Rosetta Stone® products have been
engineered to install and run on the Windows Vista operating system. Some 3rd
party components used in Rosetta Stone products have not been certified by
Microsoft as ‘Vista Compliant’. Accordingly, you may encounter some
Vista-related operating issues. Rosetta Stone technical support may or may not
be able to resolve these Vista-related issues. Rosetta Stone technical support
may or may not be able to resolve these Vista-related issues. Rosetta Stone
disclaims any representations, warranties, guaranties and conditions with
respect to the compatibility of the Rosetta Stone products with the Windows
Vista operating systems.
Review at
http://www.unschooling.org/fun05_foreignlanguage.htm (this article was
written many years ago before Rosetta Stone became so well-known among home
educators).
Satisfaction Guaranteed!
Please note that we are an authorized dealer of the Rosetta Stone and there
is a complete satisfaction guarantee on any of the Rosetta Stone series
purchased from us. If you are not satisfied for any reason, you can return it to
us within 6 months from the purchase date and we will issue a refund.
Your purchase also includes unlimited free support from Rosetta Stone. You can call their toll free number or
take advantage of their e-mail and on-line support (contact information is on the
box).
Not only does Rosetta Stone have a great product, they are
a great company that really stands behind their products!
Please note that refunds are issued only for the price of
the item, not the shipping costs. If your order originally received free
shipping, your refund may be reduced by up to $15 to help cover our original
shipping costs.
