Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America) Level 1, 2 & 3 Set with Audio Companion
by Rosetta Stone
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List Price: Our Price: $464.00 You Save: $75.00 (14%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used and New: from $399.00 (click here) Category: Software See more product details and other editions |
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Software Reviews of Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America) Level 1, 2 & 3 Set with Audio Companion
Customer Review: Buyer Beware
Summary: 1 Stars
If you want the original Rosetta Stone and the activation codes to get the full use from it, buy directly from the source, or a reputable source that will stand behind their sale. I bought mine and when I asked for the activation code the place I purchased it from never returned my correspondence. Buy Beware!!Customer Review: rosetta stone spanish(latin america)level 1,2,&3 cd-rom
Summary: 2 Stars
We received package but unable to activated since I can not find the Activation Number.It remain idle.Customer Review: It's Great!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
It's as good as advertised! Be careful though, You can only instal it a couple of times. So if you have computer problems like I did, it can be a problem. The support at Rosseta Stone was very helpfull though!
Customer Review: The item is great if only I had the activation code
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased the Spanish (Latin) American. When my package arrived it is labeled Spanish.
When I went to download it is when I found out it was not what I ordered. What else I found out it came with no activation code. I contacted the seller she told me it would work with out it. Only for the first two lessons. Then it kicks you out to the activation code page. I called Rosetta Stone customer support. They told me I purchased from a unauthorized dealer. That I need to ask for my money back. I called Amazon / Chase Bank. They will dispute the charge. I am returning the product. Only thing it came from China. Who knows how much this will cost to ship back to them. I learned my lesson. Know who your buying from. The product is great I have already learned more in two weeks than I have in the last 6 months on other methods I have tried. I will be buying it. But this time I will pay the full price from a authorized site. The old saying goes you get what you pay for. The price was too good to be real..$393.98 for 3 levels and the Audio Companion, headset.
Customer Review: There is no science to their "method"--they are lying to you.
Summary: 1 Stars
If you watch the flash video presentation of their "Dynamic Immersion" method, you might be captivated by the idea that you could learn as you did your first language. While this sounds nice from the start, it is highly impractical and goes against all studies of language learning (second-language acquisition). As an adult, your mind is not as flexible as a child's. Why can children learn music easily? Run and bend more than you can maybe? The expression, "can't teach an old dog new tricks" has some truth to it. It takes 15 years or more to learn a language like a child. Does that sound fast to you? That also, is with constant input all day every day--not what Rosetta Stone offers you.
I took three different languages at the best language school in the US, Middlebury College. Their approaches were not always my favorite... but they met half way: Rote is REQUIRED because it's faster and makes it easier to understand. But rather than explaining the most difficult parts of the language day one, they let you absorb it through other means, such as by watching movies, listening to the language in a native setting. There isn't one way to learn a language, but Rosetta Stone is a glorified flash-card program with audio.
The limitations of Rosetta Stone first of all are to a script you can read. I spent years writing Chinese by hand, learning about stroke order, trying to understand the history of the characters... and Rosetta Stone makes it sound like "look at the word" "see the word" "know the word".... which isn't the case at all. They don't tailor their programs at all. You will see the same pictures in the Spanish version that you do in the Chinese or Hindi version. Think of the intricacies of your own language to understand how difficult it is to achieve a level of "understanding". Rosetta Stone will not teach you that.
Rosetta Stone is for people who feel they do not want anything to do with rote memorization and who also have no need to learn the language seriously. Pimsleur Spanish I - 2nd Rev. Ed.: Learn to Speak and Understand Spanish with Pimsleur Language Programs (Comprehensive) (English and Spanish Edition), while far from complete, is at least worth it's money due to the fact that you can SAY full sentences, and it helps you to overcome fears in pronunciation. As other users have mentioned, there are far superior products now available, such as Fluenz, if you really want a computer method. Fluenz also is smart-phone compatible. They also tailor their programs for their languages, and readily recognize how adults learn. Fluenz Version F2: Spanish 1+2+3+4+5 (Win/Mac) with software DVDs, audio CDs, podcasts, and Navigator. Learn Spanish with the latest upgrade.
There are too many subtleties in languages for you to just "pick up"---please don't think that this program will give that to you.
If you are excited by the prospect of pictures, I would suggest using a DK Visual Dictionary, which Amazon has. Spanish English Bilingual Visual Dictionary (DK Visual Dictionaries) Also, watch movies you know with Spanish subtitles or with a Spanish track and Spanish subtitles. (Most DVDs have this option) I find that movies I know the words to, make this exercise very meaningful... when watching Forest Gump, I was familiarized with the imperative (commands) when Jenny shouts, "Run, Forest, run!" Grammar can be picked up through cheap or free means. Reading the lyrics to songs in the language can help, and translations now are abundant. It also helps if you can hear quick speaking and pick out the words. One of my main problems with French was learning where words ended and began. Rosetta Stone wouldn't teach me that, but movies, music, and other media do. Try using podcasts. Blog/podcasts such as [...] give you more meaningful aspects of the language, such as idioms and how to learn different accents.
Remember: language learning is all about input. True immersion means you will live a life of the language, just as you would if you were raising a child. I recommend reading newspapers online, even if you only understand 10% or less. Familiarity with the shape of words is important as well. You want to be able to "know" when a word "sounds" Spanish.
There are workbooks, dictionaries, programs, audio tapes, all geared toward helping you. Be honest with what you will do. If you won't put in the effort to learn things by "rote" even if through flashcards, then your progress will be greatly inhibited. There are also online communities to get involved in if you want a "penpal".
I am absolutely against buying Rosetta Stone for four main reasons:
1. The program is a "one-size-fits-all" where they change the audio to whichever language they want to sell you.
2. There is no depth to the language, in Spanish for example, the word "banana" isn't the same in every country, even in Latin America. This is an important cultural point, which they pass up, due to point 1.
3. They don't explain pronunciation at all.
4. Their marketing is false and unfounded, and the price is much too high for what they offer.
If you want computer software, check out Fluenz before you buy. (There are others as well) Personally, I'm going to stick to music, movies, Pimsleur, and books such as Using Spanish: A Guide to Contemporary Usage which give me depth to the language. See also: Using Spanish Vocabulary for explanations on registers, polite speech, colloquialisms, regional phrases, and differences between synonyms.
It bothers me a great deal that people are being sold on this marketing that they should "grasp the language without interference". Rosetta Stone IS INTERFERENCE. The availability of Spanish resources for English speakers makes this product a FAIL. If you are hoping to learn Turkish, then perhaps I understand why you would choose it.
For those who want flashcards, download Anki [...] you can make your own and add audio, or you can download some that are pre-made.
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If you're really going to spend $500 on learning Spanish, take a class where you can have things explained to you.
That's my two cents, hope it's helpful.
At the very least, please try the demo on their website before you buy it.