What is it?
Rosetta Stone Totale is the new online language immersion software from the popular manufacturer of foreign language instruction products. Currently, the package retails for the introductory rate of $999.
What’s in the box?
Rosetta Stone Totale includes 12 months of online access to Rosetta Course, Rosetta Studio, and Rosetta World. Rosetta Course is the core lessons where you are taught the foreign language of your choice. Rosetta Studio allows you to practice with a live coach at the end of each unit while Rosetta World puts you in touch with other learners and native speakers with access to games and other activities. You’ll also receive a set of audio companion CDs and the headset required to complete the online tools.
The Good
When you do the Totale course, you will not speak at all in your native language, all instructions and activities are in the language you are learning. Instead, you are giving visual aids to match the correct phrase. Rosetta Studio is a great inclusion with the program since it is so helpful to have a live coach work one on one with you. The native speaker can help you hone important skills like proper pronunciation. You’ll learn the foreign language at a great pace since the program keeps certain activities in Rosetta World locked until you have reached the appropriate level.
The Bad
The price can be daunting: $999 may not fit into everyone’s budget and should be only purchased by serious students that want to learn to speak a foreign language. The audio companion CDs were not especially helpful; they simply repeated words that you have spoken during your online lessons without any explanation of what you were saying. You are better off reinforcing your pronunciation through the Studio and World activities.
The Crux
I would definitely recommend Rosetta Stone Totale, as long as you can afford it. It’s a great solution for people serious about learning a language and that have a few months to commit to the process.
Although the Rosetta Stone Totale is a costly solution but ease of learning foreign language makes it a good choice.