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Rosetta Stone Version 3: Spanish (Latin America) Level 1, 2 & 3 Set with Audio Companion

by admin on September 16, 2009

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Rosetta Stone Version 3: Spanish (Latin America) Level 1, 2 & 3 Set with Audio Companion
 
Manufacturer: Rosetta Stone
Customer Rating:
 
List Price: $539.00
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Product Description

Rosetta Stone Personal Edition contains everything you need to give the voice inside of you a new language. The method used recreates the natural way you learned your first language, revealing skills that you already have. This approach has won numerous awards, and has been adopted by countless organizations, schools and millions of users around the world. Join the language revolution today. Only with Rosetta Stone.

The comprehensive language-learning solution that fits your life.

Learn Naturally
Learn your next language the same way you learned your first language. Dynamic Immersion empowers you to see, hear and comprehend without translating or memorizing. You already have this ability. Rosetta Stone simply unlocks it.

Engage Interactively
Get feedback to move forward. You learn best by doing, and you'll apply what you've learned to get to the next step. Rosetta Stone adapts to your individual needs and skills, because you drive the program with your progress.

Speak Confidently
Start speaking immediately. From the very first lesson, you'll speak. You'll begin with essential basics, which form the building blocks of the language. Soon you'll create new sentences on your own, using words you've learned.

Have Fun
Best of all, Rosetta Stone is addictive. With every entertaining activity, you'll feel success. You'll want to use Rosetta Stone to have that next moment, that next breakthrough. So you'll keep using it, and you'll learn more!

That's language-learning success.
That's Rosetta Stone.

No translation or memorization required.

The most effective way to learn a new language is to be surrounded by it. When you were an infant, your parents taught you this way, by intuitively associating words with images. That's the ultimate language lab, but most language-learning programs completely ignore this.

Think about all of the ways you've tried to learn a language: classes at school, tapes and cassettes, even software that uses your native language as a base for your next one. What do they all have in common? Translation and memorization.

Instead of taking a "direct flight" from your brain to your new language, translation and memorization connects you to your old language. You always have to "fly" from your brain, to your native tongue ... and then translate what you've memorized to communicate.

That might work for a few words, but what happens when you get to a sentence or phrase? When you have to change tenses? You're going to make a lot of "connecting flights." That's why those other methods are so frustrating ... and why they fail.

Enter Dynamic Immersion.
This method encourages you to think like a baby. You'll pair words with vivid, real-life images and make connections between things you know and the new language. Soon, you'll be thinking in a new language, stringing words together into phrases that you create.

Innovative technology.
Rosetta Stone places this Dynamic Immersion method at the core of a suite of software that works with you to develop your skills. The simple, intuitive interface helps to keep you engaged in the solution, while advanced speech recognition technology makes certain that you're speaking correctly and accurately. Best of all, Rosetta Stone never leaves you behind. You'll only move forward when you're ready, when you've become comfortable and confident.

Communicate and connect with the world: Level 1, 2 & 3 Set.
Rosetta Stone Level 1, 2 & 3 Set will take you on a journey from the basics to a whole new level of sophistication. You'll build a foundation of fundamental vocabulary and essential language structure. You'll quickly gain the confidence to engage in social interactions. Say "hello" and "goodbye," arrange travel, order food, go shopping and more! From there, you'll share your ideas and opinions, express feelings and talk about your life, your interests and more. You'll discover a voice. In a new language.

Audio Companion
With Audio Companion, you'll enhance the Rosetta Stone experience wherever you go. You'll learn new skills on the computer, and then reinforce what you've learned with Audio Companion. Simply play the CDs on a stereo or download them to a MP3 Player. Each Audio Companion activity corresponds to a lesson in the Rosetta Stone software, so you can turn your travel time into productive language-learning time.

Inside the box, you'll find:

  • Version 3 Personal Edition CD-ROM software for Levels 1, 2 & 3 (Windows/Mac)
  • Headset microphone
  • User's guide
  • Audio Companion, a multiple-CD set to play or download to your MP3 player

Product Details

  • Rosetta Stone teaches you a new language naturally, by getting you to think, live and breathe the language
  • Innovative solutions get you speaking new words, right from the start
  • Rosetta Stone moves forward only when you're ready--you drive the pace, you set the schedule
  • With Rosetta Stone, you'll discover a foundation of key vocabulary that you'll use to build into a whole new language
  • Audio Companion lets you take the Rosetta Stone experience anywhere: in the car, at the gym, or on-the-go

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Customer Reviews

a VAST improvement over version 2
 
Review Date: July 16, 2008
Reviewer: Jane Harper, Carbondale, IL USA
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 ....
Rosetta Stone is a Great Way to Start Learning Spanish
 
Review Date: August 12, 2009
Reviewer: Eric W. Vogt, Ph.D., Author of The Spanish Subjunctive Up Close, Spanish Pronouns Up Close and Spanish Past Tenses Up Close, Seattle, WA
Rosetta Stone is an excellent tool. Like all tools, it has specific intended uses. Rosetta Stone is designed to get you started with study. It will not finish the job. Some readers have, I think, expected it to do what it is not designed to do.

What is Rosetta Stone designed to do? It is designed to get you making the proper associations about gender, number and subject verb agreement. It helps you begin to intuitively make the right choices in word order in noun phrases. It builds vocabulary. But it will not help you learn to use Spanish communicatively. It isn't meant to. It is designed to get learners through the initial, mechanical phase. Meaningful, real communicative phases come later. They are best achieved in live, one-on-one interaction.

Sincerely,

Eric W. Vogt, Ph.D.
A worthwhile investment in time and money
 
Review Date: September 5, 2008
Reviewer: Charles Evans, North Carolina
Be warned.....buying the Rosetta Stone is not enough to learn spanish. No, in addition to buying the Rosetta Stone you must also be willing to dedicate at least 45-60 minutes a day to learning Spanish. If you are willing to dedicate the time you can be confident that you will see positive results.

The Rosetta Stone is amazing effective in drilling in lessons with the use of games and patterns while forgoing the old-fashioned method of memorizing lists of words. At first you don't realize that you are learning spanish...and then as the days roll by you gradually realize that you are beginning to understand a variety of words and phrases. It reminds me of putting together a puzzle - it takes a little time before you see the picture coming together.

The voice recognition software is great for helping you to learn to talk (almost) like a native. While your pronunciation does not need to be perfect to advance it does need to be close. This is a very effective way to help transfer the lessons that you are learning into usable communication skills. In fact, to me this is the primary benefit that the Rosetta Stone has over any other language learning device - it offers immediate feedback!

Things that I enjoy-

- Intuitive approach to learning - both through word identification and by speaking. The voice identification software will help you take your language learning to the next lesson.
- More than one user is allowed. The Rosetta Stone is currently tracking of both me and my wife.
- Comprehensive language suite - once you are finished (and I am not close to being finished) you can be assured that you have gone through a intensive language training course. Simply put - you are getting more than the basics.
- Money back guarantee - if you don't like the Rosetta Stone you have 6 months to get a FULL refund!
- To me, this seems like the perfect tool for someone home schooling their children. Many of the lessons would be very age appropriate for someone in school

Negatives to the Rosetta Stone -
- Well it is not cheap
- You must "Want" to learn the language - not partial efforts will be effective
- one license means one computer - if you have the need to run the software on an additional computer you will need to buy ANOTHER copy of the software.

Final verdict - if you are serious about learning spanish The Rosetta Stone will be the perfect investment for you. 5 stars
Yes, I learned a language before using this, and I still recommend it!
 
Review Date: October 14, 2009
Reviewer: Sherry Lyn Kaplan, Texas
I cannot say I really agree with the negative reviews on here. I learned Spanish as an adult, and I've been trying to learn Russian for a couple of years now without much success. Everyone should know that there is no ONE method that is perfect for learning a foreign language. Every method works better in conjunction with something else.

Rosetta Stone uses the immersion method, and having lived in Spain for two years, I can say this program really does most accurately recreate that sort of setting more than any other program I've seen. When I lived in Spain and heard words that I didn't know, at first I wasn't sure exactly what they meant, but sort of understood the gist of what they were saying. But after hearing the same word in different situations, it would finally just click and then I never forgot it.

I spent over two thousand dollars on four semesters of Russian in college, and could read and write it well, but could barely put sentences together while trying to speak it. The professor explaining a bunch of complicated grammar rules to the class really didn't help me personally. I honestly couldn't memorize much vocabulary because once we finished a chapter and moved on to the next one, it was hard to revisit the older ones in order to not forget them. I can honestly say that I speak way more Russian after using Rosetta Stone for three months than I did in two years of taking small-sized college courses. Sure, it definitely helped that I was familiar with some of the most common stuff and the writing, but I'd never been able to remember a lot of common vocabulary or say full sentences easily until I used this program. Personally, I think I've been able to remember the words so much better for two reasons: 1) You have to actually think when you use this program. It doesn't just tell you stuff passively and expect you to memorize it. You have to put two and two together, and this helped me so much. 2) They do activities where you have to choose answers based just on listening, other ones just on reading, others on speaking, and writing. This is how I finally remember a lot of words that are really long or just difficult for me.

I think it's worth the money just because they give you a 6 month money back guarantee (if you buy from their website or a kiosk), and it's a lot cheaper than taking classes that may not work for you. Plus, once the classes are over, that's it as far as getting instruction. You pay as much for a semester, but you get to keep the program to work on it whenever you want and go back and use it to review.

I remember using Pimsleur before, and I used to think it was the best program until I tried this. But it's still basically just using memorization with listening, albeit slightly more effectively than other programs on CD.

Bottom line is get this if you're serious about learning another language, but don't expect any one program or class or method to teach you everything.
A new twist to the older RS programs
 
Review Date: July 25, 2008
Reviewer: Reformed Library, Vancouver, WA USA
I thought to myself: Why is there yet another version of Rosetta Stone Spanish. That was enough to try out the new program with my children in mind.

First reactions: They have an option built in for home-schoolers. I thought that was kind of a neat twist to educational products on the market with any kind of national and international appeal. They are making themselves open to a new demographic and it may assist those smart little children to excel even more and assist their parents in tracking the progress of their national spelling-bee winning offspring.

Next: Very well put-together set of instructions. Everything is there and the instructions are easy to follow. There is nothing confusing and the tech-talk is entirely absent. No computer degrees are needed to install and use this software. Although an internet connection will certainly help you with registration, it is not necessary. They have a toll-free phone number to call that will enable you to register and unlock all features.

Then: I asked my 8-year old to sit down, telling her it was a program that *might* help her learn Spanish. She began to click. I didn't help at all. The first few exercises were very easy for her and she began to see the genius behind the RS program. Pictures, comparisons and a scoring system to tell her the progress that she had made. I happened to have a microphone, plugged it in and she could compare her speach pattern to the native speaker assisting her through the learning process by way of viewing a voice graph that scrolls over a timeline. She took right to it. Within three attempts, she had learned how to properly pronounce new terms. Her voice was recorded and she would listen to how she pronounced a word and then compare it on audio and by that graph to the native speaker. Very impressive and very helpful.

I will now try this with my 6-year old daughter, seeing how well and how easily the older girl dissected the lessons.

I enjoy the option to take the additional audio lessons with us while we drive. I even have a little MP3 player that I am going to load the Audio Companion on for the reinforcement value.

Well done, Rosetta Stone. I fully recommend this program!

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