Underground Journal

Is Rosetta Stone Worth The Price?

Rosetta Stone is the new kid on the language-learning block.  The product has sold so well, in fact, that the company that produces it has recently gone public and its stock has been going gangbusters ever since.  That said, even buying Rosetta Stone used will cost you upwards of $400, and that’s if you’re lucky. Is all this success warranted?

Rosetta Stone Is Good

Let’s get this out of the way:  Rosetta Stone is good.  It’s very good.  But no honest Rosetta Stone Spanish review could fail to mention the product’s downsides.

The Good

• Excellent at building vocabulary – Rosetta Stones biggest strength is the ease at which it helps you build vocabulary.  I can tell you from my own experience that building a large enough vocabulary to operate in the real world (outside of the, “where is the bathroom?”-type conversations) is by far the most difficult part of learning any language.  Rosetta Stone does a better job of this than practically any other program I’ve seen.
• Good at building conversational skills – Rosetta Stone will have you building your own Spanish sentences from the very beginning, which is unbelievably helpful when you get out in the real world.  Most Spanish students will find themselves in an awkward middle ground the first few dozen times they try to speak with a native:  they know what to say and how to say it, they just can’t seem to say it fast enough to have any sort of meaningful conversation.  Rosetta Stone helps with this tremendously; however, it’s not a magic bullet.  In the end, only immersion will teach you to hold a fluid conversation, but this is a great short-cut.

The Bad

• You won’t learn any grammar – Okay, so this one is a half-truth. Rosetta Stone advertises the program allows you to learn the language like you learned your first language.  Okay, that’s nice, but the problem is that since you are no longer a child, you can’t really learn like that.  It’s true you will eventually learn to derive the proper rule from context, but that’s a looooooong and frustrating journey.  I believe in Rosetta Stone’s approach in theory, but in practice I think there should be just a bit more hand-holding on the grammar side, at least in the beginning.  Most learners will struggle to pick this up on their own.
• It won’t get you to fluency – Despite the advertisements, you won’t be fluent after completing the program.  In my experience, Rosetta Stone can put you in the upper end of the intermediate category.  You’ll be able to carry on basic conversations with natives, have a good accent, and know a good number of useful vocabulary words.  But you won’t be able to discuss advanced topics like politics, astro-physics, or anything like that.  You will also frequently find yourself asking people to repeat themselves.  This isn’t a slam against the program, but it’s important to keep realistic expectations.  This isn’t a magic bullet.

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