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Anyone tried the Rosetta Stone Language software?
shardian:
I'm thinking about getting the Spanish version. Is this stuff really as good as the commercials say it is?
MustardTent:
Looks pretty cool. If you go to the website, you can try their online demo or you can order a demo cd.
Might try that myself.
patrickl:
I tried it. I followed the whole spanish course. Both beginner and advanced versions.
I don't think it works. I scored excellent at all the tests and indeed when I went to Spain I could understand some basic things of what people were saying or read things. The biggest problem came when I tried to speak. It really doesn't teach you to speak a single sentence. It only trains you in understanding the language and only using a very limited vocabulary.
Besides that the vocabulary is limited it's also pretty useless. They teach you words for "window", "running", "walking", types of clothing. Basically all words you don't relaly use all that often. At least I didn't.
I also tried the Michael Thomas course. This centers more on teaching you to speak sentences. I used this to learn Italian (and again spanish). Trouble with this course is that the vocabulary is even more limited. I was able to form some simple sentences though. I could actually speak to italian people that time. Unfortunately understanding them was very difficult since I learned only such a limited vocabulary. I found this out when I had some trouble with my car and the mechanic did not speak a single word of english. But then I had a PDA dictionary to look up the words I needed (which again is not easy since every word has like 5 or so translations of which only one really applies in a certain situation).
Good thing about the Michael Thomas course is that you can do it in the car. I would just run a CD every day I was commuting. Repeated the whole course like 3 times or so til I could dream all the exercises.
I also followed a course in Bulgarian (yes, I'm a language freak). This was a simple CD ROM study from the EuroTalk series. This CD course is really basic. it only teaches you some words, numbers and basic phrases. I thought it was completely useless, but in fact this course did more for me than all the others. I could read menus, order food, ask for the bill. Again no real dialog, but at least basic sentences. Which was good because Bulgarians do not speak english.
Anyway, whatever of these things you user. Never expect to much from them. You will not really learn a language.
shmokes:
I've gone through the beginner, intermediate and advanced Pimsleur courses for French. I thought they were excellent. You're not going to be anything like fluent, but I was really really happy with them.
I know Drew has had some experience with the Spanish Pimsleur program, so you might ask him what he thought of it. I got the impression that he was very impressed.
They're bloody expensive, though. I stole mine, which is good, cos they're like $300 apiece.
shardian:
--- Quote from: shmokes on January 31, 2007, 03:30:02 pm ---
They're bloody expensive, though. I stole mine, which is good, cos they're like $300 apiece.
--- End quote ---
How dare you! I would never stoop to such vile levels. ::) :angel:
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