Rosetta Stone Languages Level 1 & 2 review

This language-learning software claims to replicate the process of learning your native language through immersion.

There’s no English, no translation and no grammar drills. Rosetta Stone claims this method enables you to understand everyday language, pronounce correctly and spell and write accurately. For the purposes of this review, we looked at the Russian package, but there are 31 languages to choose from.

It’s well designed with an intuitive interface and appealing graphics. You’re shown a series of pictures along with the words and spoken language. It’s up to you to work out what’s going on and repeat the phrases. We liked the speech-recognition and analysis tool, which made it easy to achieve the right pronunciation. Practice activities are intelligently structured and build on previous learning to help you to retain knowledge and progress methodically.

Like most private language study, it works up to a point. Worryingly, it’s possible to work through the activities, getting the right answers by a process of logic, without learning the language you’re practising. Without a record of the things learned, it’s difficult to memorise the language you’ve practised. We ended up writing down the meaning of words in English, which defeats the purpose of the exercise.

For those who like learning in a systematic fashion, it would be helpful to have a screen where the unit’s work could be tabulated or listed, with or without translation. Still, Rosetta Stone’s immersion method is as good as it gets in terms of personal language learning. Whether it’s possible to master a language without spending a significant amount time in the country where it’s spoken is debatable, but this is a fun way to acquire the basics.