Buy Rosetta Stone, Spanish (Spain) Version 4 TOTALe: Level 1, 2 & 3 (Mac/PC)Rosetta Stone, Spanish (Spain) Version 4 TOTALe: Level 1, 2 & 3 (Mac/PC) Product Description:
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent, as long as the Studio Sessions work
By J. S. Hardman
I am so impressed by Rosetta Stone version 4 Totale. I have previously used the Polish version of this product, and am now using the Spanish version too. The big difference for me between these two is that I already knew a reasonable amount of Polish before using Rosetta Stone, whereas my Spanish was very limited indeed. That's important, as Rosetta Stone really is complete immersion - there is no English used at all. Without some prior knowledge of the language being studied, the complete immersion does make things harder work, and it can be frustrating. If nothing else, it's worth keeping a dictionary handy whilst using Rosetta Stone if you have very little prior knowledge of the language.So, what's so great about Rosetta Stone Totale? Well, there's material that you can use in various places, such as the main software on your computer, a separate app for your iPhone/iPad, audio CDs for listening to in the car etc. There's the content of that material, which teaches you vocabulary, pronunciation, reading, writing, sentence construction, grammar etc. Then there are games online, that you can play on your own or against other students (although you are dependent upon those students being online at the same time as you of course). You can also practice with native speakers online (when they are available - see previous comment). There are also stories to read etc. But the best bit, which really makes this course addictive, is what are called Studio Sessions, which are basically online lessons with a live tutor. Rosetta Stone publishes a schedule of sessions each week, and you can book as many of the sessions in that schedule as you like. Each session was 50 minutes long (now changed to 25 minutes), and is basically a group lesson for as many students as book that session (there's probably a limit on number of students per session, but I've not seen it hit). Now, the Session bit is a subscription service (you get 3 months included in the initial price), but it is still far, far more cost effective and far more convenient than going to classes at a nearby school. You do need to make sure you have worked through the material before doing the Sessions though - you have been warned! :-)Is the course perfect? No. There are some minor mistakes in the material, but these are very rare. The occasional screen in the software also goes a bit awry, but that is also quite unusual. For the most part, the whole package is excellent.Service is variable - on some things it is great, on others, it is appalling. The USB headset that is supplied as part of my (Polish) package had issues and eventually failed. Rosetta Stone replaced it without any hassle. However, if there are technical issues during Studio Sessions (not uncommon in my experience), the live support people work through a standard script of questions, and are completely at a loss if those do not fix the issue. It is incredibly frustrating when your 25 minute session is ticking away, and the support people start down their script, even though you know that it will not resolve the problem. I have had that happen repeatedly.There is a huge amount of material in Rosetta Stone Totale, so be prepared to spend a lot of time working through it. But, as long as you do, you should be very impressed.Highly recommended when the Studio Sessions work. If the Studio Sessions do not work, I'm less convinced about the return on investment.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Quality learning material but at a price.
By Doh
I have always been a keen language student and over the years have used numerous books and courses. Rosetta Stone seem to be aiming at the top end of the market in terms of quality. Obviously the courses aren't cheap but you do get some quality learning material. It includes a pair of headphones/microphone and uses voice recognition software to check your pronounciation.This course tries to immerse you in the language with no English being used. It relies on repeating phrases and using on-screen images to test your knowledge. In addition to this there are also native speakers that you can interact with although there is a time limit. Not having the English translations is very challenging but I think it's working.There are also 12 audio companion disks that you can load onto an ipod/mp3 player so that is very useful. I drive a lot so found that very useful. In addition there are games and downloads available.I did find a couple of things rather annoying especially the size of some of the pictures, which were tiny. A bit of an oversight bearing in mind the cost.Overall this is a very high quality learning package although I'm not sure it's worth the price.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful.Unconvinced but lessons with native speakers on-line is a good tool
By The Truth
I have reviewed a few of these types of Software Language courses now, but never one by Rosetta Stone which, if we are to believe everything we read, are the self proclaimed dogs testicles of the home linguistics world.So how did they measure up? We'll it's another mixed bag.There's perhaps not much of a difference to note between this and other courses I've tried except for one thing. One pretty major thing...You get all the usual learn by pictures, games, MP3 download and so on and so forth, as well as the free headset and voice recognition software offered by other courses I've tried but - and it's a big but - what this course offers above all others is interaction with real, live, native speakers of the language.This has to be a major addition to software learning and a huge step forward. Plus, it helps go someway to justify the huge price tags on these software course, which I've always thought to be a unbelievably expensive... I don't care how good the production values are, at the end of the day, it's a CD.Another thing to point out is that Rosetta Stone take the "Total Immersion" approach to learning a language which is great, say, when you go to live abroad in the country whose tongue you are trying to learn, but not so great when you're stuck at home alone.When they say total immersion what they mean is, you will not find a single word of English or hear a single word uttered in your English once the learning begins. This is touted as a positive aid to better learning, but I'm not sure this is a good thing.I found it hindered learning and for me, I think that even abroad, people will try and help you by saying the odd thing in English. For me, total immersion works well in the real world but not so well in the virtual.Once again, I came away thinking that this software (even with the addition of on-line chat) is just like all the others I've tried: an aid to learning rather than a one stop solution. And the only thing that makes it better than the others I've tried is the on-line lesson. However, I've found the bulk of the home learning to be not as good or easy to grasp as others I've used.
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