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Review: Live Language Learning with Rosetta Stone’s TOTALe

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TOTALe from Rosetta Stone unites live instruction, student interaction & an award winning language program

If you’re preparing for an international trip or your just someone that realizes the benefits of speaking additional languages, you’ve most likely thought of either hiring a private tutor, attending classes at a language learning institute, or maybe you’ve considered using an online or CD course on your computer.

When traveling, we’ve all seen the Rosetta Stone kiosks at airports, plus they’re at shopping malls, airline catalogs, and anywhere else for that matter. I’ve often wondered if anyone really has had success with the program and figured they must have since to support such a presence. I had tried other language courses on my computer and found them to be pretty much the same methods offered in my high school Spanish class in the 1980s; memorization and repetitious drills which are very annoying and just did not work well for me . I must also disclose that I live in Miami and my mother’s side of the family is Latin which makes my English only status even more pathetic.

With this in mind, I have almost stopped at the Rosetta Stone kiosk a number of times but kept walking, assuming it would be exactly like the learning experiences I’ve had in the past. Sure I had heard about all of the awards the program has received, but I was still not convinced.

Finally, I decided to stop and was told about a new program that Rosetta Stone has put together called, TOTALe™ that offers a combination of learning experiences that they claim will have learners speaking a new language in a faster, more enjoyable way. For $999.00, you receive 12 months of unlimited access that includes a money-back guarantee. Here is what the program offers:

  • The Rosetta Course- Taken online,  this course gets you speaking, reading, and writing in the new language
  • Rosetta Studio- This is hard to believe, but you actually schedule online studio sessions in order to interact with other students at your level with the assistance of a language coach
  • Rosetta World- Now you get the opportunity to actually interact with other native speakers as a way to practice speaking and to take part in proficiency building online activities and games.

My thoughts:

I am still learning, but wanted to share my initial thoughts. Would I buy this course rather than take a class or travel to Guatemala to learn Spanish? Absolutely.

I’ve been very pleasantly surprised with my experience using the online course. I received my package complete with a headset/microphone that allowed me to sign-in online and begin my course in about 5 minutes. I was into the lessons right away which match pictures with vocabulary and helped me to develop correct pronunciation as you go. I came out of each lesson having built my vocabulary and my confidence with each lesson completed with an assessment.

The live learning that is offered by the course is remarkable well put together and you are able to plan it according to your schedule. I was also surprised with the learning support that is offered 24/7. The program also included audio CD set for use when Internet access is not available to keep the learning going until the next online lesson may be accomplished.

My Spanish is coming along nicely and I plan to continue with the course; keeping you updated on my progress and hopefully in Spanish as well on The Sky Steward Radio Show.


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3 Responses to “Review: Live Language Learning with Rosetta Stone’s TOTALe”

  1. Jody Boudreaux #

    I work at Rosetta Stone & I use TOTALe to learn German at home. Although my opinion may seem biased, I have learned languages in the past & I’m learning French while at the kiosk working using our Version 3. TOTALe includes over 200 hours of learning through the program only and as you said, tons more support 24/7 including classes, games, dialogue with native speakers internationally and access at your convenience without requiring and application, software, etc. Most importantly, is you still receive your “audio companions” which are CD’s that can be ripped to a number of listening devices including old school cd players, any mp3 player like ipods, blackberries, etc. This enables you to live in your language & practice what you have learned in the program.

    Think of Sesame street. Repetition, Repetition, Repetition. Allow this to become your new music, white noise, multi tasking & background feed while you’re reading the newspaper, driving, riding the train, checking email, NOW, etc.

    Visiting a kiosk for a demo will give you the BEST information on all of the many features of all the programs & languages & they can help you with any questions or features you may have.

    We are “Language Consultants” and are more interested in YOU learning a language rather than sales. We want you to derive 150% from your program & learn complete conversational & professional working skills proficiency. WE can advise you on the best program level for your needs.

    The “strategic languages” deemed by the federal government are Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Pashto, Dari, Urdu & a few others still in development. We are also looking for “native” speakers.

    Please call me if you have any questions or email me. jboudreaux@rosettastone.com
    202-898-1212

    June 23, 2010 at 11:41 AM Reply
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    September 28, 2010 at 9:20 PM Reply
  3. Stephen #

    Thanks for the review. I am wanted to see as many people’s opinions about the package so I know whether to devote a lot of time to it or not.

    I used this review in conjunction with the Rosetta Stone TOTALe Review, Sales and Comparison in order to make my decisions.

    Thanks a bunch mate. I hope to be better at Korean in no time.

    January 17, 2011 at 9:24 AM Reply

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