Our libraries did carry it until recently. RS has now been replaced by a different program, but it's worth checking anyway.
Also, our company also has a library which carries RS as well - so maybe check if your employer provides similar services.
Rosetta Stone: Experiences?
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Our libraries did carry it until recently. RS has now been replaced by a different program, but it's worth checking anyway.
Also, our company also has a library which carries RS as well - so maybe check if your employer provides similar services.
jilly: Thank you for that information! I'm imagining that I'll need it more just for casual conversation, like ordering food, asking for directions/products, etc. I don't think I'll need it to write or anything. I love the suggestion about newspapers and TV....I don't really get that exposure up here in the Midwest, but I'm sure there will be lots of that available in south Florida!
I would totally reccommend watching foreign films- and have the subtitles on- it gives you a real feel for the way the language is spoken regularly kwim?
And its fun
Also while I was looking up rosetta stone- There were alot of people who reccommend another program- that they said was less money and better- I'll go try to find the links
And its fun
Also while I was looking up rosetta stone- There were alot of people who reccommend another program- that they said was less money and better- I'll go try to find the links
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I used Rosetta Stone Chinese and it was quite crap to be honest. Given, Chinese is a much harder language to learn than Spanish. I found it quite bad and it had no structure at all. Anyway if you have $500 to blow I would definitely suggest doing a short course over several weeks at a community college ! It's much more interactive (duh!) and learning with other beginners will make it more enjoyable.
I've taken classes in college, but just don't remember any it...well, when I hear it I kind of remember it (if that makes sense). I'm also finishing my dissertation right now, so would like to have something I can do on my own schedule!
Watching movies with subtitles is also a neat idea!
Watching movies with subtitles is also a neat idea!
I always wondered about RS, but I don't like the price (too high). I'm taking a French class right now to see if I can learn it. I have a French phrase book and dictionary, which helps to pronounce the words.
This site helped me, too. http://www.zapfrench.com/
This site helped me, too. http://www.zapfrench.com/
You will have no trouble whatsoever finding lots to watch/read in Spanish in FL. We have something like 6 spanish channels on TV, several on the radio and spanish People at every grocery store cash register and I'm not even in S. FL. I think with any method it's best to use as many supplemental sources as you can.
I am also trying to learn Spanish right now. I live in MN, so it is also hard to get any real hands-on practice. I was contemplating purchasing Rosetta Stone, but read review after review of it and found that there is better software out there (supposedly). Fluenz and Tell Me More are excellent and are more helpful for adults (so they say). If I were to purchase software, I would go with Fluenz... although it is very new.
I ended up getting Rosetta Stone v2 for free, so I decided not to buy any software immediately, and I also can't help you as far as version 3 goes. I really didn't like the software at first, but the more I use it, the more I like it... but you will definitely need a Spanish-English dictionary. I haven't gotten too far so some of it is a bit frustrating (what tense is this in? Sentence structure? etc.).
If you ever want to talk or practice with me, pm me. I would love to be able to talk with someone in Spanish!
Oh, btw... Fluenz, Tell Me More, and RS are all pretty close to the same price.
I ended up getting Rosetta Stone v2 for free, so I decided not to buy any software immediately, and I also can't help you as far as version 3 goes. I really didn't like the software at first, but the more I use it, the more I like it... but you will definitely need a Spanish-English dictionary. I haven't gotten too far so some of it is a bit frustrating (what tense is this in? Sentence structure? etc.).
If you ever want to talk or practice with me, pm me. I would love to be able to talk with someone in Spanish!
Oh, btw... Fluenz, Tell Me More, and RS are all pretty close to the same price.
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The Rosetta Stone language software costs THAT much? Wow, I never realized it. Although I've been studying various languages on an "armchair" basis using programs for everything from DS to my Pocket PC, I've never paid more than about $40 for software.
Last week my husband signed up for some Rosetta Stone courses that I can use, too, through his Army e-Learning account. So I'm going to start off with Spanish, French, and Swahili. The software seems okay, although I've only been using it since Friday. The inconsistency bothers me, as lessons are presented differently in Spanish and Swahili (I have signed up for the French, but I haven't checked it out yet). Since these courses are essentially free, I'm wondering if it's the same as the commercial versions, or if it's just a skimmed down version, but to be free, it's not too bad! If the version I'm using is the same as the commercial version, I don't think it's worth hundreds of dollars, though.
I'll post with updates about how much I like it later.
Last week my husband signed up for some Rosetta Stone courses that I can use, too, through his Army e-Learning account. So I'm going to start off with Spanish, French, and Swahili. The software seems okay, although I've only been using it since Friday. The inconsistency bothers me, as lessons are presented differently in Spanish and Swahili (I have signed up for the French, but I haven't checked it out yet). Since these courses are essentially free, I'm wondering if it's the same as the commercial versions, or if it's just a skimmed down version, but to be free, it's not too bad! If the version I'm using is the same as the commercial version, I don't think it's worth hundreds of dollars, though.
I'll post with updates about how much I like it later.
Another suggestion is your library. I am trying to polish my French speaking skills and also learn a bit of Hindi. I joined my local library which is affiliated with netlibrary.com. Netlibrary has ebooks and audiobooks for checkout. I found some Pimsleur language courses which have been decent so far. They are audiobooks so no pictures but they are a start and good if you need a refresher.
I would recommend my Spanish coach for Nintendo DS. I know it seems sort of juvenile, but i have the french version and it's helped me remember tons from school (I studied french until grade 11).
I think for the money, you really can't beat it. It has some great features as well, like audio recording and playback, so you can record your pronunciation and overlap it with the game so you can see where you need to improve. plus it has the dictionary feature and a pretty extensive phrasebook that is broken down into different categories.
even the set-up is great - its divided into tons and tons of lessons but you can't pass to the next lesson until you master all the words for your current lesson. they have categorized the lessons really well too, with lots of related words coming up at the same time.
I think for the money, you really can't beat it. It has some great features as well, like audio recording and playback, so you can record your pronunciation and overlap it with the game so you can see where you need to improve. plus it has the dictionary feature and a pretty extensive phrasebook that is broken down into different categories.
even the set-up is great - its divided into tons and tons of lessons but you can't pass to the next lesson until you master all the words for your current lesson. they have categorized the lessons really well too, with lots of related words coming up at the same time.
