Epic Fail - Rosetta Stone

So Backdoorangel left a comment on my writeup about BYKI mentioning Rosetta Stone. I feel obligated to point out that Rosetta Stone is nearly useless for language learning.

Don't get me wrong, the program is very good at what it does, which is training you to recognize images, sounds, and scripts in a foreign language. The problem is that this is nearly useless for becoming fluent in a language or even facilitating learning a language independently.

One of my biggest issues with Rosetta Stone is that it uses the exact same pictures and vocabulary for every language (except Swahili, which features black people in its pictures.) Every language starts you off saying phrases like "the boy is in the airplane" or "the girls are jumping off the table." Not only are these fairly useless phrases to know, but this "one size fits all" approach doesn't even come close to being effective at all languages. Oftentimes what RS gives is flat-out wrong.

Let's take Arabic as an example. First, RS uses Modern Standard Arabic, which is the form of Arabic used in official documents, newspapers, broadcasts, etc. - and not spoken by laymen at all. Nonetheless, it's a good starting point because all the colloquial dialects of Arabic use it as a basis, so becoming familiar with a dialect is mostly a matter of vocabulary. Unfortunately, RS doesn't even attempt to introduce grammar, or complex subjects such as conjugating in tenses or possession. It can't, because you can't convey such things in static pictures and sound samples.

Second, some of the usages are archaic. RS Arabic uses some archaic tenses that are not used anymore, meaning that anyone saying a phrase from RS would probably be met with funny looks. I've heard the Russian version suffers from this as well, teaching you phrases that are technically correct but would make you look like a prat (think about somebody coming up to you and saying "It is my wish to be informed of the directions to the nearest hotel."

Third, the "one size fits all" approach has quite a few pitfalls. The Arabic word for boy (which is introduced in RS in lesson 1) is walid. The thing is, this is also the word for "child," but someone could go through all $300 of Rosetta Stone and never know that, because it doesn't fit the pre-designed template. Also, the word for father is wAlid, but since RS never goes into detail about how alif can act as a consonant or a vowel, this difference in meaning never gets an explanation.

Finally, I take issue with this whole "learn the way a baby learns" thing. I hate to say it, but it's impossible to learn the way a child learns, because adult students are not children Or brains function differently, are not still growing at an accelerated rate, and we already have huge stores of knowledge to draw upon. Also, think how a child learns to speak - first spluttering sounds, then simple words, then grammatically incorrect babytalk, and gradual improvement over a period of 4-6 years of constant immersion. Unless you go to a foreign country and have people talk to you in only the foreign language, than there is no way to mimic that environment.

Honestly, you're better off taking the $150 it costs for the basic level and buying a good textbook, BYKI, and finding somebody fluent to talk to. And for what it costs to get the complete course you could have some quality tutoring time.

I think the biggest selling point of RS is that it's easy and natural. Unfortunately, becoming fluent in a foreign language is neither. It's fun, rewarding, satisfying, and damn hard. There's no magic bullet, and there sure is hell is no software that can replace hard work, enthusiasm, and actual immersion in a foreign environment. So if you really want to learn Japanese, don't buy Rosetta Stone, do like Jake did - take some classes and get your ass over to Japan.