French Level 1 & 2 Win/Mac Personal Edition [Old Version]
by Fairfield Language Technologies
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Software Reviews of French Level 1 & 2 Win/Mac Personal Edition [Old Version]
Customer Review: Out of date technically
Summary: 3 Stars
First of all, the concept is superb. It is superior to everything I've seen so far and most likely nothing will help you master the language more quickly, except maybe living in France where people speak English rarely.
But, and this is a capital but: This thing looks old. I bet it has been programmed no later than 1997 and the fact that you have to keep the language CD-ROM in your drive suggests that it has not been changed since then, when storage space was expensive. Of course, you could mount an image, but this is 2005 and my current hard drive is actually bigger than 1 gig.
The exercise where a phrase is spoken and you have to write it down: the keyboard layout is French! Trying to type in "animal" would give you "qni;ql". This is just ridiculously absurd and I haven't found a way to change it. I wanted to learn French, but this goes just too far...
I still think the concept is unbeatable and it helps a lot, but for almost 300 bucks I expect them to improve the product from time to time so that it matches the state of the art of at least the current decade. They seem to rely on their reputation, so think about wether it is worth to spend that amount of money.
Customer Review: A bit overpriced
Summary: 3 Stars
Overall the Rosetta Stone language program is very good. Arguably it is the best that's out there. You can read the other reviews and get a feel for the features of the program; You can also visit their website.
What you need to know:
You will pay a lot of money for this program, this is what you get: 1) An install/application disc which is the base program. This disc is the same disc that will come in all the Rosetta Stone programs. They are interchangeable. 2) You will get one CD that holds all the data for French One and Two. 3) You will get two workbooks, one for level I and the second for level II. Basically these workborks are a verbatum index of what is presented on the software. I would be surprised if you use them, in fact you can get better workbooks from your local bookstore for less than $15. Summary: You are getting one CD of data and two cheap workbooks for a good bit of money. THAT IS IT!
Finally, as the Fairfield lawyer explained to me, if you are not an authorized dealer, do not try to resell their software espicially on Ebay. If you don't like the software after you purchase the software, give it away or throw it away but don't sell it on Ebay. To do so would violate Fairfield's copyright. I learned the hard way when my Ebay item was removed.
Recommendation: 1) Shop around 2) Request a free demo CD from their website, know exactly what you are buying 3) Shop around again
Customer Review: The best language software,- A+
Summary: 5 Stars
The RosettaStone is undoubtedly the best language software on the market today. The learning comes naturally, its comprehensive; you listen, read and speak. This is not a word for word translation guide. This software goes far beyond those French books that simply give you a few phrases without any real life context. RosettaStone gives you the building blocks to think, and start building sentences in your new language. O.k., this product is a little pricier than other programs, nevertheless, after I have spent hundreds of dollars on French college courses and, many, many books and CD ROM's. It is - the best investment I have ever made for improving my French; - it's like having your own personal tutors. Good luck! Customer Review: Learning a language as a native speaker does
Summary: 5 Stars
I already speak pretty fluent German, which I learned in the traditional ways: I took classes, I studied the grammar, I did vocabulary flash cards. I then moved to Germany for two years of study. It wasn't until I arrived that I discovered I had the vocabulary of a 5 year old, and that my pronunciation was pretty awful. It was very frustrating, until I allowed myself to simply watch, listen and learn. Just like a 5 year old does.
The brilliance of the Rosetta Stone approach is that it skips right to the idea of watch and listen. The program starts by showing photographs, showing you the word, and letting you hear the word. You're then shown, for example, a picture of a boy, a girl, a cat, a dog, and you see and hear "une fille". You then click on the picture of the girl, and it takes you to the next set of images. (If you get wrong answers, it will repeat them later.) Later you'll see a picture of a girl running, one jumping, etc., and you'll learn to construct sentences in the same way.
The cleverest part of this program is the way it teaches you new words, since everything is in French (or whatever language you're studying). You'll get the pictures of a boy, a girl, a cat, and a car. You then see and hear "une voiture", a word you've not heard before. Since "car" is the only image you haven't seen before either, you now know that car is "voiture". This accomplishes two things: 1) you learn new vocabulary by reasoning, rather than memorizing, and 2) you are NOT learning by translation.
Retaining vocabulary when I was first learning German was the most difficult part for me. Since doing the Rosetta Stone French program, I have remembered every new word I've learned, even weeks after having last seen it.
It's worth the money, if you're serious about learning a foreign language. It is true, if you need to learn correct speaking and writing for business or other professional endeavors, that you'll eventually need supplemental grammar and vocabulary training, but after finishing these courses you'll be able to do that on your own, and probably even entirely in French, if you wish.
Customer Review: I found it useful
Summary: 5 Stars
This will not work for you as the first or only program for learning French. It is great as a supplement to other methods of learning French. The method is entirely intuitive - there is no English anywhere, so you may also want to have a dictionary and a grammar book.
I have found Rosetta Stone language programs most useful for reviewing the information I have learned elsewhere, for brushing up on languages I haven't used for a while, and for expanding vocabulary.
It may not be the best choice for total beginners, but you can learn a lot by associating words and expressions with the images and occasional mini videos. I do consider it definitely a worthwhile purchase.