Anyone Use Rosetta Stone To Learn A Language?

Radiate_Truth · Anyone Use Rosetta Stone To Learn A Language?

Anyone Use Rosetta Stone To Learn A Language? Is There A Better Way?

I've always been interested in learning a foreign language, but I've never had a knack for languages. I'm looking for a new way to learn. Anyone have experience with Rosetta Stone? Did it help? Any other thoughts about learning Languages? Good books /audio programs / whatever?

The Inquisitor

RT,

I've never heard of them. The best program I've heard of is Berlitz. I once applied there.

I have found that one needs to live in a country who speaks the language one wants to learn. It's the best way. When you are forced to speak a language to do even the simplest of chores, you learn a whole lot faster. I immersed myself in French while living in Geneva, and Spanish while living in Mexico. I had to relearn English twice when I came back (sorta).

The absolute best way to learn a language is to go to a country that speaks it and live there for at least one year.

obmar

true TI
use it everyday by being in the particular country.

There was a californian in my village many years ago, that mastered the dialect that we all used, to the surprise of the other locals that could not understand the dialect.

well he finally became a muslim, applied permenant residence and stayed until he died.

Radiate_Truth

Thanks guys!!!

I hate wasting money on something that I'm not sure will work. Like the so many diets they have out on the market today. Never known any one of them to work for me. The best diet is to eat good balanced average meals and get some proper exercise.

This might sound strange to you guys. But I was born in a small mud hole of a town after World War II when Germany was still rebuilding itself. Lived their til I was about 2 years old. Couldn't speak a word of english, just German. Now that I've lived in the states most of my life, can't speak a word of German, just english. Then I speak two kinds of english; plain english and bad english.

Lived in Italy for I would say about 4 years as a child. Managed an average amount of Italian, enough to get me by and now I can't even remember that any more.

Guess there is alot of truth in that ole saying, "if you don't use it you lose it."

You guys are right...

It is much easier to learn and pick up the culture of a foreign country or language when you have to reside their.

The Inquisitor

RT,

The first time I left the US I was 20 years old. You can imagine the cultural shock I went through when I realized that those scenes from all those Cary Grant movies were real. I literally felt like I had entered a movie set and not another country. And I kept looking for the subtitles everywhere I went. It's like everyone was fluent in French but me and I had five years in High School and College.

But I loved living there. My fours in Mexico were also very profound for me. I got a taste of the developing country flavor, totally different to industrialized nations. But I enjoyed myself tremendously. It kinda felt like the Old West in so many ways. But I've kept up my use of the languages over the years and I have been lucky enough to retain some of it.

obmar

I also went out the first time when I was twenty.

It was new Zealand.

It was also a culture shock to me to see
the socially displaced Maoris's, (similar to american indians and Palestinians)
hundreds of them sleeping or drunk, doozing at the airport of Auckland.

Then on the weekends I was shocked by the petrol bombings of asian retail stores by extreme groups.

Radiate_Truth

I think I love Europe or at least Italy more than I do the western civilized world best. It seemed life was so much simpler their than here in the states. I esp. miss the market square where they sold fresh fruits and vegetables, the bakery where I could smell the hot rolls of bread and hard rolls down the street, around the corner where we lived. The real leather shoes or sandles my mom used to buy me that lasted forever or until you grew out of them. Then you pasted your shoes and clothes to the youngest. Schools seemed so much better over yonder than in the states. Kids, I played with when I was a kid were of all different race, culture, language, etc., it was something we never paid no mind to. We just had fun and enjoyed playing with each other. In the western world you won't drive down the ride, see kids playing in their yards or in the streets, games like hide and seek, jump rope, dodge ball, kick ball, or even little girls playing together with their baby dolls and strollers no more.

obmar

But New Zealand is a place that I would want to go again.

Radiate_Truth

obmar

And I did no again in 2004 or was it 2005