Having passed L3 this go-around, I’m looking onward towards the next knowledge quest: learning to speak another language (Spanish).
I’ve heard mixed reviews regarding Rosetta Stone, but would appreciate any and all insights anyone would be willing to share!
I don’t know much about Rosetta Stone, other than the reviews I’ve seen, which are all good.
When I was working as a consultant for Mitsubishi Nuclear Energy Systems, I would have had the opportunity to learn Japanese with Rosetta Stone. Unfortunately, my role ended before that program started, but I would have relished the chance.
In high school, I took two years of Spanish. The first year I had a Puerto Rican teacher, and the second year I had a Spanish instructor. It was almost like learning two different languages, their pronunciations being so different. But it was quite enjoyable.
Best of luck to you. I hope that you learn Spanish well!
Interestingly I have a lot to say about Rosetta Stone. I just bought the Mandarin lessons for my husband two weeks ago and it was a terrible purchase. The whole app was about showing you pictures and asking you to choose the right picture based on what you hear. It does not teach anything technical. Maybe this is how some people learn new languages but definitely not me. My husband was using another app which was ten times cheaper and way more systematic. Shop around and you will find some good ones.
S2K–thanks for your kind words. You are the man; really appreciate your help this past year and all you do for the advancement of the charter (and profession).
Tingli–thanks for the input. Not sure if it is Mandarin-specific, but what app is your husband using?
It’s unfortunately Mandarin specific called HelloChinese. He used it for free initially and found it extremely helpful, so he paid the annual fee. I believe Rosetta Stone has the free trial too. I’d recommend you try for free first, see if it fits your style. Since I bought it as a last minute gift, I didn’t get to try before buying. Good luck to you!
This is a great thread since I’m considering beginning a language course at a local school next month. I tried ROsetta Stone for a couple of months years ago and didn’t like it. I believe in person teaching is the best!
Do you guys think it would be somewhat useless to learn Mandarin? Compared to the length of time it would take to be business proficient and the relative use of it…is it worth it?
I have decided to go with Italian