Rosetta Stone: Chinese Explorer

by Fairfield Language Technologies

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00002S9FS
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 9, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,154 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Now you can learn a new language with the award-winning method used by the U.S. State Department to train diplomats. Proven effective by NASA astronauts, Peace Corps volunteers, and millions of students worldwide, the Rosetta Stone Language Library teaches new languages faster and easier than ever before.

We all learn our childhood language by associating new words and phrases with the world around us. The Rosetta Stone method replicates this process by presenting vivid, real-life images to convey the meaning of each new phrase. Instead of translating, memorizing, and studying rules of grammar, you actually learn to think in the new language. Vocabulary and grammar are integrated systematically, leading to everyday proficiency. It's the natural way to learn.

The Rosetta Stone Explorer contains 22 lessons for beginning learners with nearly 900 real-life images and phrases spoken by native speakers. It develops all key language skills--listening comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing--while its systematic structure teaches vocabulary and grammar naturally, without lists and drills. Includes previews, exercises, and tests for every lesson, with automated tutorials throughout the program. (Ages 6 and older)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Strictly an Explorer, February 26, 2001

By 

Alemayehu Telahun (Schenectady, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rosetta Stone: Chinese Explorer (CD-ROM)

This software is intended to be an explorer of The Rosetta Stone Chinese *Level 1*. Great emphasis should be put on the word EXPLORER as this software should not be mistaken for a complete learning program.

The Explorer contains the first 22 lessons of Level 1 but it does not ship with a text. The biggest thing missing is the text!

I have found the Rosetta Stone teaching method, where pictures are used to convey the meaning of spoken words to be fun. However, without a text to guide you though complicated phrases and grammar the software is not very effective. I have found it difficult to follow beyond lesson 8.

You should not expect to learn much Chinese from the Explorer, you should rather view it as a sample for evaluating the effectiveness of the Rosetta Stone method before spending $...+ on the Level 1 software.

44 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Way to Learn Mandarin Chinese, October 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Rosetta Stone: Chinese Explorer (CD-ROM)

What a great program!! You can choose Pin Yin, Simplified Characters, or Complex Characters. There is plenty of variety: you can read, write (pin yin), speak, listen, take tests, or use a tutor. You can have the native speakers say a phrase over and over or slow their voices down. The pictures are great and the feedback instantaneous. It is easy to spend hours at a time using this program. I find it helpful to have a pin yin dictionary handy every once in a while to occasionally look up a vocabulary word. I've seen remarkable progress in a very short time. The CD has 22 lessons with over 200 more available from the manufacturer. Great product. Good price.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Colorful but limited, April 26, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Rosetta Stone: Chinese Explorer (CD-ROM)

The pictures are very nice and the software provides a fun way to learn some basic words and phrases. It's a good basic introduction to the language. If you really want to learn how to read Chinese, though, or even understand how the characters work, you'll need a good textbook and possibly a Chinese reading & reference software program like Clavis Sinica.