Rosetta Stone Review

Rosetta Stone supports 24 languages:

Spanish, French, German, Italian, English, Japanese, Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, Filipino, English (US), Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Irish, Korean, Persian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Latin America), Swedish, Turkish, Vietnamese

Rosetta Stone is a language e-learning service founded in 1992 with the aim of unlocking the secrets of language learning success. This is why it was named after the actual Rosetta Stone (which unlocked the secrets of Egyptian hieroglyphics).

It's now one of the oldest and best known names in the industry with 500k+ active subscribers.

As well as having platforms designed for personal and business use, Rosetta Stone has a K-12 educational platform. Around 15% of schools in the US subscribe to one of Rosetta Stone's products.

Rosetta Stone is very immersive and uses only the target language (combined with audio, images and speech recognition) to teach you from the very start.

To get started on Rosetta Stone you choose the language you want to learn and either go for a three day free trial or subscribe to one of the options (see costs below).

Following this, you choose your proficiency level and your learning aim (travel, work, etc.). Rosetta Stone will then present you with a learning plan based on your answers:

These plans are the core part of the program. The overall aim is to teach you useful vocabulary and phrases that match your learning aims.

Each lesson is split into bite-sized parts which challenge you in different ways and help to keep up your engagement.

Rosetta Stone also offers a range of supporting features such as:

• Speech recognition to hone pronounciation
• Seek and speak (object recognition)
• Phrasebooks
• Stories
• On demand videos
• Live tuition with expert coaches and native speakers (for Lifetime Plus subscribers)

All of these are described in detail in the features section below.

Generally, whatever the level or language, Rosetta Stone’s lessons are structured in a similar way.

They are grouped around communication topics depending on your purpose for learning (eg: business, travel, etc.) and designed to teach useful vocabulary and phrases which you then practise.

Lessons themselves are split into bite sized exercises conducted entirely in the target language.

You’ll usually hear and see a word or phrase along with a number of pictures and try to match them together. The aim is to get you learning actively and intuitively, rather than just memorizing words and translations. You’ll also be asked to repeat words and phrases using voice recognition.

There are a number of choices for subscription depending the length of membership you're prepared to commit to:

* These prices include discounts that were offered every time I checked pricing. Lifetime is usually c.$400 and Lifetime Plus c.$600.

Rosetta Stone pricing is competitive with other language apps and it offers a generous range of features. Discounts are frequently offered. And even at full price Rosetta Stone is far cheaper than in person learning.

Rosetta Stone offers a free three day trial. It will give you a good idea of what’s on offer, but there is obviously a limit to what you can learn in three days.

So if you like the platform and want to extend your learning, you will need to subscribe to one of the options available.

To review Rosetta Stone, I used the free trial as well as exploring review sites like Reddit and TrustPilot to gauge what other users felt were the strengths and weaknesses of the platform.

I used the free version to study French for the full three days and managed to take 9 days worth of lessons in that time. Though I have some schoolgirl French, I chose to learn as a complete beginner. This is why:

• I have used other language platforms that immerse you fully in the target language to attempt to learn a totally new language - and have felt swamped!
• Having a little French would enable me to judge better how well the more difficult aspects of grammar were tackled using this method. As well as making me feel more motivated to continue.

As a result of my experience, I've set out below what I liked about Rosetta Stone, and what I thought could be improved.

What I liked about Rosetta Stone

More immersive than many apps

Rosetta Stone uses a system called Dynamic Immersion which means you will see, hear and read only in your target language in true to life scenarios.

This exposes you to the language in a way where it becomes familiar more quickly to help you get fluent fast.

Trademarked speech and object recognition technology

Rosetta Stone makes use of cutting edge speech recognition whereby you repeat phrases spoken by native speakers (not bots) to help fine-tune your accent.

But it has also added a new feature called Seek and Speak. This uses object recognition technology allowing you to point your phone camera or tablet at an object. Seek and Speak then identifies the object in the target language and engages you in a conversation about it. This provides a fun and engaging way to learn new vocabulary and allows you to practice conversation in any context and in real time.

Regular small group sessions with live tutors

While online language apps have revolutionized self-study for foreign languages, they haven't quite replaced the effectiveness of instructor-led language classes. That's where Rosetta Stone has an edge.

Online subscribers to Lifetime Plus can access regular 20-25 minute live tutorial sessions.

The classes are for a maximum of four participants. They're synched with the self-study lessons so everyone in the class will be at the same level. In these lessons you may do exercises with instant feedback, communicate with your fellow students (for example using role play) or ask your tutor questions privately through the chat function.

In depth progress reports

For me, one standout of Rosetta Stone is the in-depth reports that chart your progress. These show you how you're getting on in your chosen language, as well as highlighting areas for improvement.

Compared to other resources like Preply or italki, that focus on your tutor hours and time spent speaking, Rosetta Stone lets you know exactly what you've covered and how well you're progressing in each topic.

Adaptable

One of Rosetta Stone's benefits over other platforms is how adaptable it is to your learning needs. You can set your proficiency level and your goals for learning a new language (for travel, work, etc.) and the platform presents you with a learning plan based on your needs.

And, unlike Duolingo, it doesn't restrict you by making you slavishly follow a set course - you can jump around and ahead as the need takes you. Skipping to more advanced content or focussing on specifics such as pronunciation or listening.

Good user experience

Rosetta Stone's interface is attractive and intuitive. There are almost no written instructions and you can work through lessons in order or skip ahead. The dashboard lets you know what lessons you've taken, your score, and which lessons are still to be done.

The landing page for each core lesson sets out the exercises and additional modules such as pronunciation, speaking, reading, review, etc. It's easy to select what you want to do. For example, focus on listening when you are on the go and pronunciation when you are at home.

Can feel rather monotonous

Rosetta Stone is very systematic and predictable in as much as the lessons always follow the same format, whatever the language or level. This can make it feel repetitive.

Whilst repetition is necessary to learn anything this consistent approach may seem rather tedious for some. That said, the extended learning resources provide games and activities to help address this.

Not great for writing practice, grammar or cultural context

Grammar is not explicitly taught in Rosetta Stone core lessons. In common with other apps, its lessons are based on inductive reasoning - if you keep seeing the correct grammar in context, you'll learn the rules without realizing. This is fine for simple rules but not for complex grammar or nuance.

By the same token, without any instruction in your own native language it's hard to know whether you are using formal or informal language. Or to figure out words with multiple meanings or homonyms. For example, is Erwachsene German for people or adults? And Rosetta Stone doesn't tell you - which could lead to you making gaffs whilst visiting the country of your target language.

I was never prompted to write anything and in my research found that writing was a weak focus in Rosetta Stone - particularly for languages not using the Latin alphabet.

No placement test

If you already have some knowledge of your target language it can be hard to know where to start with Rosetta Stone as there is no placement test (except in the business edition).

That said, you do have the freedom to jump ahead and try more advanced lessons until you feel challenged.

Full immersion in the target language may be off putting for some

Whilst immersing a learner in the target language is recognized as the best way to learn a language, it can be discouraging for some.

Though we do learn best by making mistakes, seeing too many red crosses may put you off continuing your learning so you do need to be open to making errors.

That said, Rosetta Stone has now introduced embedded translations whereby you can click and hold on an image to reveal a translation. However, I only found this out by researching what others had to say about Rosetta Stone. The platform itself gives no indication that this is possible as it prefers you to figure things out for yourself.

Rosetta Stone's learning style would suit anyone who's:

• Learning a new language from scratch
• Keen to improve their skills in another language
• Happy to learn purely in the target language
• Like to learn intuitively rather than in an analytical way
• Appreciative of consistent, predictable content
• Interested in applying language-learning to real-life scenarios
• Keen to join regular small group live tutorials
• Needing to learn flexibly on any device

Rosetta Stone offers a number of features that make it an ideal choice for students who want to learn a language. These include:

• Personalized learning
• Flexible learning
• Speech recognition
• Seek and Speak - object recognition
• Phrasebooks and stories
• Regular live small group classes led by a tutor

Personalized learning

Rosetta Stone allows you to set your proficiency level and your goals for learning a new language (for travel, work, etc.). It then presents you with a learning plan based on your own personal needs and goals.

Flexible learning

Rosetta Stone is accessible from anywhere with an internet connection enabling you to learn anywhere, anytime and on any device. So you can focus on listening activities whilst on the go, and pronunciation activities in the privacy of your own home.

Voice Recognition

Rosetta Stone makes use of cutting edge speech recognition whereby you repeat phrases spoken by native speakers to help fine-tune your accent.

Seek and speak - object recognition

Seek and Speak uses object recognition technology. You point your phone camera or tablet at an object, Seek and Speak identifies the object in the target language and engages you in a conversation about it. It's a fun way to learn new vocabulary and practice conversation in any context.

Phrasebook and stories

The Phrasebook lets you review common words and phrases and listen to a native speaker pronounce them.

The Stories feature contains short stories in your target language. You can read or listen to them - and even record yourself reading which is a great way to improve your fluency.

Live, small group tutorials

If you subscribe to Lifetime Plus, you can take part in regular live tutorials. Group size is small (4) and since the tutorials are linked to the lessons that have been completed, the other students will be at the same level as you. This way, you'll all have the background needed to review and improve the skills you already learned with the help of an expert coach and native speaker.

In these lessons you complete exercises with instant feedback, communicate with your fellow students (for example using role play), practice pronunciation in your chosen language, or ask your tutor questions privately through the chat function.

In depth progress reports

These show you how you're getting on in your chosen language, as well as highlighting areas for improvement.

Rosetta Stone key facts:

• Our score: 8.6/10
• Number of users: 500,000 active users
• Avg lesson length: 15 minutes
• Number of lessons: N/A
• Downloadable lessons: Yes
• Starting proficiency test: Only for enterprise customers
• Provides certificate: Only for enterprise customers
• Adaptive to user: Yes
• Number of languages taught: 24
• Pricing: From $7.99 per month
• Desktop: Yes
• Mobile: Yes
• IOS: Yes
• Android: Yes

• Our score 8/10
• Trustpilot 3.8/5 based on 6.8k reviews
• Apple App Store 4.7/5 based on 11.3k reviews
• Google Play 4.5/5 based on 362 reviews

As part of my research I explored various review sites to find out what past users of Rosetta Stone thought of the platform.

"After using Rosetta Stone, I felt that my vocabulary had grown a fair bit, but it did not help me at all with understanding the structure or the rules of language. I found that I couldn't put together sentences or communicate at all in a conversation setting." -- Comment from Reddit

It's true that core lessons in Rosetta Stone focus more on the "whats" of language than the "whys." And I agree that grammar is not Rosetta Stone's strong point. That said, there are supporting lessons outside the core which help with grammar and if you subscribe to Lifetime Plus you can get live guidance from native speaking language coaches on these topics.

"I happen to really like Rosetta Stone. [It's all in the target language] but it's still super comprehensible. You can understand the pictures very easily. I like the ‘speaking' feature… It's good for training your mouth to produce the sounds. I'm not expecting to be fluent in any sense by the time I'm done, but I do think it provides a good foundation if you value learning from immersion." -- Comment from Reddit

Overall, Rosetta Stone's feedback leaned towards it being a solid place to start your language learning journey and can be helpful when supplemented with other resources and real-life practice.

A lot depends on the type of learner you are.

If you like to work things out for yourself and are happy to plunge right into your chosen language then Rosetta Stone's dynamic immersive approach is likely to suit you well.

It will teach you the vocabulary and phrases you need to achieve your language learning goals. And though its core lessons can feel a little repetitive, Rosetta Stone gives you the freedom to jump ahead or focus on the specifics that interest you. It also provides lots of fun resources to help you actively practice the language.

And if you subscribe to Lifetime Plus you'll be able to boost your learning real time feedback with live tutorials from expert native speaking coaches.

But if you are a very analytical person who wants to understand the grammatical structure of a language, or you want a strong focus on writing, it may not be the best choice for you.

While I'm nowhere near proficient in speaking French, after a few hours on Rosetta Stone I was speaking more confidently and precisely than before. Also, the additional features such as seek and speak, stories and videos were a great way of immersing myself in the language outside of core lessons.

Overall, with a free trial option for three days, I think Rosetta Stone is worth trying out. After choosing your goals, you can get a feel for the site by taking a few lessons. As most users agree, it's a helpful place to start and gets you speaking actively in your new language.