Rosetta Stone (Italian) Reviews

Some teach yourself Italian courses will promise to get you reading, writing, speaking and listening. Some claim to focus specifically on one area. This is all very well, but Rosetta Stone promise to get you thinking in Italian. Through their Dynamic immersion method, users are exposed to words, sentences and phrases in Italian linked to their actual meaning, not translations. Users are encouraged to work out the meanings of words and grammatical rules for themselves through navigating a puzzle-like environment which includes graphics, audio and video. This process of assisted self learning makes the entire experience far more profound - you don't just memorize the language, you know it. In this way, recall, comprehension and speaking feel a lot more natural, almost effortless in fact. Furthermore, we found this approach to be both more stimulating and enjoyable than traditional textbook learning methods. Rosetta Stone developed their method through the recognition that this is how language learning should be; natural and fun! When you learned your first language, do you remember studying grammatical rules, verb tables and vocab lists? No, of course not, you learned through trial and error, interacting with the world and unconsciously forming associations between vocabulary, syntax and means of expression. Rosetta Stone's software attempts to imitate this; users are immersed in Italian from the very start. Research has shown this process to activate the Wernicke's and Broca's areas of the brain; those used in language acquisition.

As well as this process of Dynamic immersion, users are able to consolidate what they have learned through a variety of learning materials which focus on the key areas of language learning; reading, writing, speaking and listening. This variety of materials keeps the learning experience fresh; not only are you more motivated to learn, but different areas of the brain are stimulated and the learning process is optimized. All Rosetta Stone learning materials incorporate adaptive recall; users recall words and concepts and are exposed to new material according to a specific algorithm which optimizes the learning process. High end speech recognition technology allows you to practice your pronunciation, compare it to that of a native and perfect it. Rosetta Stone also includes audio CDs and MP3 files which can be taken anywhere. Users can completely immerse themselves in Italian through being exposed to the language when cooking, walking the dog or driving to work. Along with Rosetta Stone's Mobile Companion, you can convert time in which you would otherwise be doing nothing into productive Italian learning.

Language is simply a method of communication between people. This is its central purpose and, hence, a central means through which we learn languages. Rosetta Stone's Online Community, allows you to interact with other enthusiastic learners in a wide range of activities. Furthermore, users can engage in live online sessions with native speakers; listening and speaking in real life conversations. This process of native socialization really increases your confidence in conversational Italian; arguably the most daunting yet useful aspect of any language. Each session is linked to what you have studied with the Rosetta Stone software which not only consolidates and builds on what you have learned but is a great source of motivation while you are studying independently. We were especially impressed by Rosetta Stone's Success Team. If you can't find what you need in their extensive Knowledge Base which includes updates, manuals and an FAQ section, you can contact Rosetta Stone's support services either by international free phone, Email or live chat. You can always expect a speedy reply and if whoever your question reaches doesn't know the answer they will forward it to the person best qualified to help you. Furthermore, there is the Concierge Team, who actually check up on all Rosetta Stone users, monitoring your process, ensuring you are on track and offering tips and advise to optimize your Rosetta Stone experience.

It must be noted that some users may find Rosetta Stone frustrating if they are used to, and enjoy, traditional learning techniques. It is all very well for Rosetta Stone to claim that you will learn Italian 'like a child' but the fact is, we are not children. Our brains are different, we don't have doting parents to help us learn Italian and we will never be fully immersed. True, children do pick up new languages remarkably easily and naturally but they certainly can't write essays, business plans or translate texts; activities to which many adult language learners may need to apply their Italian. This said, we found Rosetta Stone's techniques simple, effective and enjoyable. Sometimes we had to refer to grammatical explanations and dictionaries which are available free online, but doing so was not a problem. Furthermore, the customer service offered by Rosetta Stone is unbeatable. As you would expect, for this top of the range product, you will be paying somewhat more. However, users can make some great savings by ordering box sets of more than one level. On the other hand, if you are already at a higher level, you can skip straight to that level, not wasting your money on beginners material which you already know. The free trial available on Rosetta Stone's website is a great way of checking out whether their teaching techniques are right for you, so go ahead and give it a go, you will learn something even from this!

Check out our #1 rated site instead! Why not check out Rocket Italian, our top rated Teach Yourself Italian Guide and winner of our prestigious Gold Award! You can also check out our Top 10 Teach Yourself Italian Guides here!

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