Customer Reviews

Rosetta Stone V3: Spanish (Latin America) Level 1-3 Set with Audio Companion [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(76)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(33)

 

 

As a member of the US Army, I have access to all of the language learning software offered by Rosetta Stone at no cost to me. I feel obligated to share my opinion with the rest of the public before they invest $500 into this product.

There is absolutely no way you can learn a foreign language by solely using this software. There is nothing included that breaks down the rules of the language being studied. Nothing on conjugation, exceptions, gender, colloquial expressions, idioms etc. I guess they thought the fundamentals were optional. There are just pictures associated with sentences which the user has to match; nothing more.

I already speak fluent German, having taken 2 years of it in college, serving to tours in Germany, and having had non English-speaking German girlfriends. I was recently reassigned to Italy, causing me to dig out the resources to learn another language. My frustration with Rosetta Stone left me feeling compelled to share my thoughts. For $500 this should be a complete comprehensive program, which it is not.

I feel that the people who sing the praise of this software are those who have never learned another language. The program does a good job of giving you a sense of accomplishment when in reality it still leaves you lacking the skills necessary to venture out on your own. It will leave the gullible and ignorant feeling like they are getting their money's worth. I challenge anyone to find one person who went from zero to fluency exclusively using this program.

If one could say that there were 10 levels of learning before achieving fluency, then this product would be good at taking you through level 3 to 6.

Had this product been listed at $50 rather than ten times that amount, I wouldn't have felt the need to warn the buyer. I feel that the $500 price tag has people thinking, "If it costs that much, it must be the best".

Buy this product only if you already have a good foundation of the language structure and are just looking to review pronunciation and sentence structure.

To the program's credit, It does give you valuable exposure to a language and I feel it would be a good supplement to a comprehensive learning program.

I was very excited to get this product "Spanish (Latin America) Versions 1,2,3" with the Audio Companion.
The software is surprisingly unsophisticated, especially for the exorbitant cost. The verb tenses are not explained which is of course very important in Spanish. Yes, it's supposed to mimic how we all learned our first language, but the problem is, I'm obviously not 18 months old and really can't learn like that. Another problem is that within the lessons, there are no distracters. For instance: The user is presented with three phrases and three pictures and is required to match them up. One picture of a man, one of a woman and one of a boy all engaged in some kind of activity. The problem is that I can easily recognize the word 'hombre' for 'man,' so that's the obvious choice. Therefore I can choose the right answer without understanding anything about the phrase itself. There needs to be other similar phrases as a distraction so the user is forced to decipher the meaning without just picking the obvious choice.

WARNING: The "Audio Companion" is completely useless! It's just the soundtrack to the lessons (no translation). How am I to know what the speaker is saying without any point of reference!?

WARNING: DO NOT rely on this product exclusively to learn a language. You'll need to constantly refer to a translation website and (even better) a friend who's fluent in the language you're learning. Example: A picture of a child at the piano and the parents behind him. The phrase associated with it is, "Los padres están escuchando." "The parents are listening." But I had to get it translated because I didn't know if the verb meant watching, listening, teaching, etc. There has to be a way to reveal the translation within the program.

OK... I am learning, but that's because I'm using Rosetta Stone only as a baseline. I am also using homemade flashcards, books and dictionaries, translation websites, patient friends who are native Spanish speakers and other free services.

WARNING: R.S. has this product locked up so tight that it becomes detremental to its use. R.S. allows 2 'seats,' meaning it can only be installed on 2 computers. If a user uninstalls it with the intention to reinstall on another computer and does not first go through the 'deactivation process,' it's tremendously difficult to have it reinstalled anywhere else. The uninstall process does not warn users to deactivate first. I guarantee you will spend many days on the phone with tech support to straighten it out!

WARNING: R.S. tech support is not available on the weekends when I assume most people will be using the product.

Sorry Rosetta Stone... Not worth $500!!!

BEWARE! If you buy this product you can never resell it. Never return it. Never upgrade it. You better love it. Because you're stuck with it. I purchased version 2 a year ago and wanted to upgrade to 3 so I thought I'd sell my version 2. Rosetta Stone cancelled my eBay auction and threatened LEGAL action for attempting to resell an original legitimate in the box version of their product. They will only let you return it for 6 months and ONLY if you bought it directly from them (sorry Amazon) and there are NO upgrades. Basically, I'm out $500. Though I would never ever consider buying another Rosetta Stone product, where the customer is always wrong. BEWARE of this company.

A few years back I bought Rosetta Stone v.2 (for a different language than Spanish) and found it very difficult to work with. The activities had no real order to them, there was very little guidance for users, the voice recognition function was horrible, and the photographs were all of upper middle class westerners. I saw the reviews of the Spanish versions in which teachers and native speakers complained about the emphasis on progressive tenses ("I am _____ing") instead of the present, which is ubiquitous in Spanish and often used to stand in for both past and future.

I had two years of Spanish in high school (FORTY years ago), but as a health care provider I continue to encounter many Spanish-speaking patients and I'm getting tired of having to use an interpreter, so I decided to dust off the Spanish I used to know and get serious about becoming bilingual. I saw that Rosetta Stone had completely reworked their system and gave it a try.

I'm TREMENDOUSLY impressed with the changes!!

They do still use too much progressive tense (or have so far, I've only worked through the first of the three levels), but the photographs are very culturally diverse and the help files and accompanying documentation are MUCH better than for version 2. I'd also heard that version 2 was a nightmare on a Mac (and I've just switched from Windows), but I'm happy to report that version 3 runs like a dream on my little MacBook.

The new packaging includes a headset that attaches via a USB port, a welcome addition.

On the down side, I haven't been exactly thrilled with the "audio companion" so far; it adds nothing to what is presented in the lessons, but rather merely mimics them. The voice recognition still has trouble; consonants in Spanish tend to be very soft, and I have to pop my P's to get the software to recognize them.

All in all, though, I think it's a very worthwhile investment, and for less than most classroom programs cost.

Now, if they'd only give me some credit to upgrade my version 2 in that other language ....

I must admit that this review is written from a slightly biased point of view. I had studied Spanish for 5 years. But after a 4 year absence, and minimal practice in between, I decided to brush up on my skills. I can tell you right away that levels 1 and 2, for someone who may not have perfect grammar, or know every word in Spanish, are still very, very easy. Level 3 presents only minor problems, if any. This program will not, in my opinion, substitute in for 5 years of learning with a teacher, homework, tests, writing, reading, class, interaction with other students and native speakers, not by a long shot. However, it will bring you to a level where you will be able to express basic ideas, thoughts, and emotions and understand a native speaker who speaks slowly (not every word, but at least the general idea of what they're talking about). Don't expect to be engaged in a lively political debate with a native speaker after finishing this course though. After 5 years of study I can manage to do something like that, but I still don't feel like I know the language. As a native Spanish speaker once told me: "You know that you really understand a language when you can understand jokes that play on words, grammar, and other nuances." Please don't expect something like that from a software program, no matter how good it is.

Having said that, I'll comment on the overall presentation of the material and how the Rosetta Stone program works. I will admit, that memorization is absolutely not the way to learn any language. I was blessed to have a teacher who would give homework assignments and tell us to learn the grammar and vocabulary at home. But when we came to class, she demanded we talk, talk a lot, even if we made mistakes. You can't learn without making mistakes. She would say certain phrases, show certain pictures, and we'd comment, argue, and discuss, forcing ourselves to learn by experience and visualization, not by memorization. I tell you this only because other classmates had teachers who forced rote memorization of words, grammar, and tested them on paper, rather than out loud. Of course, the students did well on the tests. But not one of them can express a half way decent thought in Spanish after a 4 year leave from studying the language. Hence, I was very impressed by how this program works, it reminds me of my teacher.

You learn like a child. Which is good. Children have no concept of memorization. They see something, hear their parent say it, and repeat it, making a lot of mistakes, but eventually getting to the right point, finally understanding what word or phrase goes with what they see in front of them. The program builds on this concept most adults have forgotten. It present a picture (seeing), has a native speaker say a word or phrase (like your parents did), presents several options (like a child, you'd have to work around your environment), and you pick which is correct. Brilliant! The program continues to build on previous words like (red), to red jacket, to the man is wearing a red jacket, etc... phrases become longer and more complex. Emotions are brought into the picture, etc.

While I completely applaud Rosetta Stone's approach to learning the language, despite the fact that even if you "were" this program you wouldn't be able to talk like a native speaker (see first paragraph), I will point out some other cons. This program does move a little quick for a beginner; hence I recommend that you go over a given section very thoroughly before moving on. Don't expect to know a word or phrase that you feel comfortable with 10 minutes from now, we all forget things and then you'll be frustrated in the next section when a new phrase comes up using past concepts you just learned and just forgotten. And by reviewing thoroughly, I mean only one thing. Let's say this program has taught you a phrase. You know what it means, and you know how to pronounce it. Great. Now, go out there, and start using it. Speak it, feel it, use it in your everyday life. Until you make a new concept your own, you'll never remember it for the long-term. This is precisely why, after 4 years of barely speaking Spanish, I can still express my opinions freely, thanks to my teacher forcing us to speak and live the language instead of memorizing it. So, until you can use the phrases everyday, comfortably, don't move on (this is easier at first, but will get harder as the program progresses). Another word of advice: practice with at least one friend. Use the words and phrases you learned together when you go out. That's why this program can never substitute a class. This method will make learning much more fun, and you'll catch and correct each other's mistakes you wouldn't have otherwise because you would have been "convinced" you "got" what the program was trying to teach you. And if you're blessed to have a friend who is a native speaker, don't be shy about trying to talk to them in Spanish. I've noticed (being a foreigner myself), that people love it when they see you're trying to learn they're language, it's a huge compliment to them, and most are very eager to help you.

In summary: this is good starter program for someone NOT looking to become a very proficient speaker with this program alone, rather, it's for someone who wants to get extra practice, see if they like the language, or get a leg up before taking a real, live, class. Good luck! I give this program 4 stars, because it is good at what it tries to do, but you can't have it all in one little box!

There's a lot of good things I can say about the Rosetta Stone Version 3: Spanish software. It's helpful, I like the review battery that it puts you through, it's vibrant enough to keep the interest of my 9 year old son, and the speech recognition software is decent. To top it off, I went to Mexico after getting through Level 1, and I was at least able to get around, order food, and generally have a good time. As a point of interest (and humor), a fellow American saw me speaking in Spanish to someone else, expected that I did not speak English, and started making wild gesticulations while speaking very slowly and loudly.

That said, a number of things really destroy the experience and make it not worth the near-$500 price tag: 1) Repetitious pictures, phrases, and situations. You get to see the same pictures of the same ~10 people A LOT. They always seem to be either eating rice or handing each other flowers. It's not my biggest gripe, but this could be changed to make the experience more immersive. 2) Depending on what anti-virus program you have, several of the files packaged with the retail product and with the patches provided online are identified as being infected (EXP/Flash.Gen on the installed components, Dialer/Generic on the update). Rosetta's support on their site for this topic is worthless - they recommend updating Flash. This seems to occur on some versions of Norton and Avira. In my opinion, for an expensive software package, this kind of thing is unforgivable. 3) Sometimes the sheer amount of review present in the lesson plan gives you the feeling that you aren't progressing, and since the review is really just taking things from previous sections and presenting them to you again, it's a frustrating and BORING experience.

I hate this software for two reasons. Nonetheless, I'm positive it will work wonders for certain individuals. At this price range you simply must know if you're one of those types or not. Otherwise you'll be wasting a lot of hard earned money. Rosetta's licensing makes it so that you cannot resell the software and their "money back guarantee" does NOT cover Amazon purchases. I know because I asked and researched. You only get the six month guarantee if you buy directly from Rosetta - at an even higher price I might add.

There are basically two schools of thought when it comes to language instruction. Total immersion or non-total immersion. The former is like dropping you in the middle of a foreign country without a guidebook or translator. The latter is like having someone with you who can speak both languages and can answer questions in your native tongue.

Rosetta is total immersion. I didn't know that when I received the product. In the past I've used Pimsleur (Brazilian Portuguese) and found it to be effective both in teaching the language and in motivating me to continue. The motivation part is why I prefer Pimsleur. There's also a new company on the market with a similar approach called Fluenz that offers a bit more hand holding than Pimsleur which many users, according to reviews here, seem to like.

For many people there's a very basic psychological principle in play when learning a new language. It's similar to those folks who resolve to exercise and lose weight after New Years. They start with the best intentions, but many if not most fail to keep their resolutions. One of the reasons is a lack of positive reinforcement. If you start out too fast, for example, and get hurt you've just created a negative influence on your motivation. Some people, however, are quite successful right out the gate and keep going on their own. No need for a trainer, no need for hand holding or compliments. They just do it.

Are you the type of person who will feel stressed (demotivation) by not having the rules of grammar explained to you while you learn a new language? If yes you won't like Rosetta. Try Pimsleur or Fluenz. Or are you the type of person who welcomes the challenge (motivation) of figuring out the rules of grammar on your own by using your own observations? Then you'll like Rosetta.

I am not one of those people who can stay motivated to do an extremely difficult task if I feel stressed out right at the beginning. I have visited multiple countries and what I experienced only affirms my dislike of the Rosetta approach. While in South Korea, Thailand, China or Iraq, I found that people assumed I did not know the local language so they either spoke slower or tried to mix English in with their native tongue. Much less stressful albeit slower way to learn.

In Brazil there is no single ethnic group. People assumed I spoke Portuguese. It was the most difficult time I ever had in another country. I'm not saying I shouldn't learn the local language - no way. Just that when you're learning, at least for some people, they need things to go a little slower and with a bit more assistance in order to be motivated to keep learning the language.

Rosetta's license is most restrictive that I have ever encountered. And they enforce their license. Some users claim that other companies have the same license rules. That might be true, but they don't enforce those rules like Rosetta. If you buy Rosetta on Amazon you are subject to Amazon's refund policies, not Rosetta's. Amazon doesn't give full refunds on opened software. And after 30 days you're probably out of luck for any kind of refund. You cannot get Rosetta's 6 month money back guarantee here. You only get it if you buy it direct from them at a higher price.

The software can be used on only one computer. No, you cannot use it on a laptop while you're away from your desktop. The software license requires that you register online in order to access all the exercises. Once you do this the software is then tied specifically to that computer. It cannot be registered on another computer. This means you cannot resell it _anywhere_. Rosetta customer service told me that they would consider the needs of customers on a case-by-case basis should someone upgrade their system and get rid of their old machine. In other words, there's a tiny sliver of flexibility here. But it ain't much.

You simply must know what style of language learning you prefer before purchasing this very expensive piece of software. Some people, like me, are going to hate it. Others who like total immersion love it. Know what kind of user you are.

I have used Rosetta before; I attempted to learn Arabic using Rosetta but quickly learned that it does not start at the beginning and I had to go out and get some books on basic Arabic just to understand the basics which Rosetta does not cover. That was 3-4 years ago.

I took Spanish in college so I have a basic understanding of the language and I just wanted to revitalize my knowledge of the language.

Rosetta Stone hasn't really changed much. While it advertises itself as the best way to learn a language, it really is not. You are mostly given pictures of people, objects and activities and through various activities, you either click the picture that the voice describes or you repeat what the voice says.

A lot of the questions can be answered through a process of elimination or if you know what "mujer" or "hombre" is, you will likely be able to identify the picture from the statement.

There is a lot of repetitiveness in this. You'll know your basic colors down pat. You'll be able to know what un huevo is. There isn't much variety in the vocabulary is my point.

There also isn't any plain classroom style lessons on grammar, you are just presented different pictures and different tenses of a verb are used but as I stated above, you can easily answer the question without knowing the full meaning of the statement.

When it goes into the vocabulary section, it will teach you how to say a single world such as "azul." While nice, I hardly need to spend a whole section on how to say "a", "z" "ul."....

The speaking part can be frustrating...if you don't get the inflection just right on some words, it will say you aren't saying it correctly.

R.S. would be better if there was more than what is offered. Having some simple vocabulary exercises would be good...like if they had flashcards and you had to say what it was or something. Also they should have had some sections that explained verbs and how/why to use them.

I understand the premise of R.S. in that it wants to teach us the language the same way we learned English but there is a problem with that...we aren't 2 years old and we don't want to spend the next 5 years sitting at our computers with Rosetta Stone.

Rosetta Stone gives you the feeling of accomplishing something but when you try and put your experience to use, I've found that it is lacking. I suppose with any tool out there, Rosetta Stone can't be expected to do the job alone. With that said, you have to ask if it is really worth the price. I purchased the online version which was much cheaper. When it comes time to renew, I'll think about it but then again, its not like the software is constantly upgrading. If I complete all the lessons they have to offer, what will be the point.


Overall, don't expect this to help you learn the language on your own. You'll pick up some words but you won't know a thing about the correct usage of grammar or the depth in vocabulary that you would expect. If you can get this for free through your company, school, library or whatever, do that. Only buy this if you want to compliment a more in depth learning plan. Its too bad, Rosetta Stone has a lot of potential but it falls short.

I am trying to learn Spanish for my work as a community college counselor. I am using Rosetta, Pimsleur, classes and one-on-one tutoring. Rosetta Stone is helpful, but it is not all that the company claims it to be. It could be so much better. The words the program provides are often obscure, especially in comparison to Pimsleur. Also, Rosetta Stone does not repeat words as much as they need to for maximum memorization. I learned much more quickly using Pimsleur. I don't believe Rosetta's claim that seeing pictures helps with memory. In fact, I think auditory CDs are just as good, especially if you have a good imagination (because you are imagining the scenes in your head). And, auditory CDs can be used in the car! Rosetta is good when used in combination with other methods. Don't believe the claims that you will learn conversational Spanish just with Rosetta Stone.

I have been very curious about Rosetta Stone language teaching program. You saw their commercials everywhere, from airline magazines to TV ads, and wonder if it really works. After several lessons, I can say that it works! Like everything else, you need to invest time and patience, but if you can't learn from Rosetta Stone, you need a human teacher or you just don't have aptitude for learning a second language. IMHO, Rosetta Stone is among the top language learning software out there. If you can't take a live class, then Rosetta Stone is for you.

The software comes with both Windows and Mac, which is a pleasant surprise. It installed and run on my Mac without any issues. The package included language learning software and 3 levels of Spanish language. It even includes a high quality headset and microphone so you can learn without bothering other people. There are 3 audio companion disks to aid with learning. The whole thing took about 15 minutes to install. I installed all 3 levels. You can select different goals: read, write, speak and listen or just to read and write. I selected the whole thing: read, write, speak and listen.

Now for the lesson part. Rosetta Stone uses a natural learning method, which associates spoken and written words with images so it is very different from other software. No English was spoken, you have to work at guessing the words at first, but then it becomes easier as you build up vocabulary. First, you match text to an images (reading), then you have to pronounce the words for each image (speaking). The last part for hearing, you select the correct image as the software pronounces it. The sentences get more complex as you progress through lessons. The images used in the software are very nice and high quality.

At the end of each lesson, there is sort of a quiz to review what you learned. Each lesson is also short enough, about 30 minutes, so you don't have to worry about forgetting what you learned. After each lesson, there is a pronunciation part to help you speak correctly,

*You* are still the key to learning a new language. Without commitment, no software or teacher in the world can help you with it. But if you really want to learn and can't get to a live class, Rosetta Stone is the best option.