Rosetta Stone V2: Russian Level 1-2 [OLD VERSION]

by Fairfield Language Technologies

Product Features

• This powerful 2-CD set of learning tools adapts to your personal needs and imparts a strong foundation in a new language
• With this award-winning method used by NASA and the Peace Corps, you'll learn the way children do -- by associating words and phrases with the world around you
• Participate in over 200 lessons where you'll interact with fluent Russian speakers to build speaking & vocabulary skills
• Get a full tutorial in speaking and syntax skills
• Graphical speech recognition displays your voiceprint and compares it to native speakers to help improve pronunciation

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000077DD7
• Item model number: 222-12
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 14, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,786 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #10 in Software > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Slavic
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

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.

This comprehensive program provides up to 550 hours of mastery instruction in listening comprehension, reading, writing, and speaking. Systematic structure teaches vocabulary and grammar naturally, without lists or drills. Previews, exercises, and tests accompany every lesson, and there are automated tutorials throughout the program. Graphical speech recognition displays your voiceprint and compares it with the native speaker to help improve your pronunciation. (Ages 6 and older)

Product Description

Rosetta Stone Russian Level I & II opens up a new world to you by teaching you how to communicate with a new culture! Reviews and testing features help identify weak points and work harder on them Comes with illustrated User's Guides and Curriculum Text books Ages 6 & up

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

89 of 92 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ONLY worthwhile language learning software., September 15, 2003

By 

Bighairydoofus "-" (Brooklyn Park, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rosetta Stone V2: Russian Level 1-2 [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

The Rosetta Stone series of language instruction software is "Pimsleur" level of effectiveness and unfortunately, Pimsleur level cost as well.

The programs work on a total immersion basis, with no English used at all. There are several types of drills, ones where you hear a word or sentence and pick it out of a group of pictures, another where you read the text of the word and pick out the pictures, etc. There are also typing drills in your language to help you spell (without having to download special fonts), pronounciation drills that allow you to hear a word, speak it to your computer and hear your voice in comparison to the native speaker played back to you.

This is the first program of it's type I've found where this feature actually works!

I own both German and Russian 1 and 2. There is a LOT to learn here, especially if you do all the types of drills for each lesson. You learn grammar from inference, such as word endings when the subject is "in" something rather than "on" or "under" it. You see the same endings used, compare them with the pictures and you start to recognize patterns.

But one of the best things about this software is the user interface. Since it's an immersion program, there's no English used and by it's very nature needs to be intuitive. This is how it should be done. I've used other types of language software that had a klunky, confusing interface with features that didn't work, etc. None of that is the case with the Rosetta Stone software.

On another note, I switched to Mac about nine months ago and Fairfield Language Technologies sent me out a new Mac OS X systems disc for free, no questions asked. At this price level you'd think this would be commonplace, but it's not. Adobe allowed me to change from PC to OS X when I upgraded from Photoshop 6 to 7, but Macromedia wouldn't and expected me to buy all new software (I didn't). So kudos to FLT for their stellar customer service!

Is it too expensive? I'd say yes, but this is a serious language learning tool for serious self students, and it's a lot cheaper than classes at the U. The axiom is true with both this and the Pimsleur method tapes; you get what you pay for.

63 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A useful and fun programme, September 12, 2005

By 

Mr Peter G George (Ellon, Aberdeenshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rosetta Stone V2: Russian Level 1-2 [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

After studying Russian, by myself, for about six months, I found that although my knowledge of the grammar and the vocabulary had progressed, my speaking and listening skills remained poor. I decided to buy Rosetta Stone Russian in order to learn how Russian words and sentences sounded. The programme was easy to install and easy to use. Best of all, I really enjoyed using it. The programme begins by showing four pictures and a word. The task is to pick the picture corresponding to the word. It is possible to choose whether the word is spoken or written, or both spoken and written. Gradually as you progress you meet simple phrases and eventually sentences and whole paragraphs. This method works really well as you are continually tested, while the whole learning experience feels more like a game than studying.

While the listening and reading elements of the programme work well, I found it was less successful with regard to speaking and writing. The speaking part of the programme involves attempting to imitate a native speaker. The programme compares the sound you make with what the sound should be. I generally found it almost impossible to imitate the Russian speaker in such a way that the programme considered I had done so successfully. I therefore found this aspect of the programme more frustrating than useful. The writing part of the programme unfortunately requires using a very fiddly onscreen keyboard, which makes the whole process very slow and tedious. The key thing anyway with writing Russian is learning how to form the letters by hand and no computer programme can teach you to do this.

I would suggest that someone beginning to use this programme should at least already know the Russian alphabet and ideally some of the grammar. Moreover to complete some of the exercises a dictionary is essential. There is no doubt that working through all the exercises is very useful. I found the programme especially good at helping me to learn vocabulary. This method of learning seemed to make the words stick in my mind. By the end I was able to understand long passages of Russian spoken quickly. It is important however to realise however, that a programme like this cannot be a substitute for studying Russian grammar in depth. I found when I went to Russia, after completing the Rosetta Stone course, that I still had difficulty in forming Russian sentences correctly. I could understand quite well and could pronounce the words reasonably, but I still needed to work quite hard to actually have a conversation. Nevertheless using this programme really helped my Russian, as studying on my own I would not otherwise have had any exposure to spoken Russian. The programmes good qualities outweigh its relatively minor weaknesses. I learned a good deal by using this programme and most importantly had some fun at the same time.

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Product but Overpriced, April 21, 2005

By 

warrior1978 (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rosetta Stone V2: Russian Level 1-2 [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

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 Russian 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 $300. 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