The pros and cons of Rosetta Stone

It seems one can hardly mention the topic of language-learning without quickly encountering Rosetta Stone. In fact, I’ve recently met a couple of people who are trying to learn a new language and also bought Rosetta Stone, as if it were the magical key or the logical step along one’s way to learning a language. As one who is learning German and who has used Rosetta Stone, allow me to explain what I feel are some pros and cons of the program.

First, let me start with the cons:

• Rosetta Stone lists no grammatical rules or explanations. Many people see this as a benefit of the program, thinking, “oh good, I don’t have to memorize any tedious rules or endings to verbs.” I think this is actually a huge disadvantage: one is forced to have to figure out the endings by trial and error. And in the end, your still having to learn the rules, you’re simply stumbling about in the dark as you try to figure out the patterns on your own, rather than knowing the rules up front and then being able to practice them.
• Rosetta Stone is all about repetition on set topics and themes. Basically, there is very little creative thinking where you are having to devise your own sentences. Instead, you simply repeat the sentences you are given. This is very unrealistic compared to what one encounters in “live” conversation. The big disadvantage here is that Rosetta Stone can give one a false sense of confidence as one repeats the sentences and vocabulary words, but leaving one lacking in real conversational experience. Once one has completed all the levels of Rosetta Stone, one should realize that he is still a language beginner. Pick up a German newspaper or listen to the evening news and one will feel overwhelmed by the mass of unrecognizable vocabulary.

Now, let me list some of the pros of Rosetta Stone:

• Rosetta Stone helps you become familiar with everyday topics and vocabulary.
• Rosetta Stone is an excellent tool for reviewing one’s grammar. For example, I worked through Rosetta Stone after working through several German grammars. I found this extremely beneficial: the rules and principles from the grammars were solidified in my practice on Rosetta Stone. Instead of figuring out the rules on my own, Rosetta Stone offered lots of review of what I had already learned.
• Rosetta Stone offers lots of practice for hearing the language. I found this very helpful since most of my previous learning had been from books. Rosetta Stone allows one to hear native speakers, and this helps one learn how to better pronounce the language.

So, before you purchase a pricey language software such as Rosetta Stone, know what you’re getting. And let me encourage you to use Rosetta Stone, not as one’s first exposure to a language, but as a tool for reviewing and practicing a newly learned language. This, I think, is Rosetta Stone’s greatest benefit.

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