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| Rosetta Stone Version 3: German Level 1, 2 & 3 Set with Audio Companion | 
 enlarge | From: Rosetta Stone
Category: Software
List Price: $549.00
Buy New: $475.00
You Save: $74.00 (13%)
New (2) from $475.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  33 reviews
Sales Rank: 258
Format: Cd-rom
Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows 2000, Windows Xp, Mac Os X
Media: CD-ROM
Edition: Level 1, 2 & 3
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 6.5 x 3
Model: 20585
UPC: 794678205859
EAN: 0794678205859
ASIN: B001AFFRM0
Release Date: June 16, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Where have all of the bad reviews gone? October 14, 2008
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
I posted a review of this product a couple months ago and it has magically disappeared along with the other negative reviews! Amazingly, it has been filled with a bunch of mostly five star reviews courtesy of the Amazon Vine program. Wow! I guess Vine is code word for, "lets boost sales by providing fake reviews!"
Rosetta Stone is not worth the money! I returned mine after two months. The learning style is that of which a child would use. Guess what, I am not a child and I don't learn like one! You will be much better off by buying a few good books and doing some actual homework.
If you are the type of person who thinks that in order to learn a new language you need to buy the most expensive software you possibly can, then this is the product for you! If you have common sense, buy a couple good books.
 Worth it for an English speaker in Germany? September 21, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I actually live in Germany at the moment. I'm on my fourth year here, so you might say I'm immersed in the langauge. My confession is I don't speak German. How could this be you say? Well everyone likes to speak English to me. I have enough other interesting things to do with my time than sit through boring lessons at home.
I've never been good at the whole language thing. I guess that's how my brain is wired. Even after a few years immersed, I hear German all the time (mostly as background noise) but I might have a 2 year old level of understanding.
I've tried a few other audio and text language packages before but I'd usually fall asleep and not be interested. I know learning a language takes time and effort, but the medium has to be engaging.
This isn't a review about me, right? I figure there might be some other people out in the world like myself so I felt some context was necessary.
Cons:
Price - I'm sure there would have to be a better price where they would sell more of these.
Cheap headset - Ever stand up with your headphone on? These broke the first time I did that. Otherwise I was impressed my Mac (10.5) recognized them. It also doesn't have a volume control.
Immersion - As I've mentioned I don't seem to learn well this way. During the lessons when something new is presented I really have to try hard, it would be cool if there was something to click on to see some rules or something. I guess since I'm figuring it out I'll remember it better?
Audio CDs - Don't see me using these, as I tend to fall asleep.
Pros:
Not a lot of cons - Sure I'm complaining about the whole immersion thing, but you have to learn some way. The biggest one is the price.
Works on a Mac (intel, 10.5) - Not the native interface, but the interface works. I had to open up the manual to make sure I wasn't missing anything obvious. I actually was, in the next point I discuss it!
Speech Analysis - This is what makes the product top notch. The voice software is very good at getting you to say the words exactly. There is a little button you can press that will open up another screen that allows you to analyze your voice and the speaker voice to get them to match up. This is a great way to lose my English accent!
Customize your "courses" - You can choose what you want to focus on (reading, speaking, grammar.. etc). I went with everything. I could see myself creating something later that focuses on speaking (as it is my major weakness).
Software's ability to move you along at a good pace - If you zip through things it seems to interject future coursework, if you are having a hard time it seems to re-do a few things. I worked through a 30 minute lesson doing pretty well. When it came to review time, I was really itching to be done so I raced through it. I did poorly and it made me do some extra lessons before I was able to "graduate"
Ability to override where the program is taking you - You can click on a button and see ALL the lessons (check marks by the ones you did), you can retake something or take something it decided to skip.
Fun way to learn - Lots of pretty pictures (not necessary all German related), interactive lessons that switch between matching words to pictures, matching sounds to pictures and speaking when presented with a picture. I seem to be able to go for about an hour before getting tired of it. No more falling sleep with my headphones while mumbling to myself.
Native speaking German as examples - Sound Northern German to me and not Bavarian.
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So I've been trying my newly learned German out. After the people get over their shock of me trying to speak, they are happy to help out with some pointers. Unlike English where there are many accents, I've found in Germany a slight non German accent seems to make the other people totally not understand. I feel the headset and the speech analysis software totally makes this package worth it.
 baby methods ... adult steps September 20, 2008
Great product that utilizes a new method to teach and learn a foreign language. The fact that the US government (embassy staff), NASA, and others use this program would make one interested in investigating further. Rosetta Stone program is available in many languages, and can even be bought to be evaluated for six months (usually thru kiosk sales rep. at your local shopping mall).
You will be surprised how fun, easy, and quick this program is. With perseverance, dedication, and time one will be at a conversational level with this program in less than 1 year. Bis spater und Auf wiedersehen !!!
Rosetta Stone Version 3; German Level 1, 2 and 3 Set with Audio Companion September 19, 2008
Excellent product for learning a foreign language. Would highly recommend this or other languages to anyone interested in learning another language.
The best language instruction program you can get September 19, 2008
Rosetta Stone is the premier language instructional program, so the excellence of the German version is no surprise.
The format is the same as other Rosetta Stone products. There is NO ENGLISH. The system begins with a set a photos and the German work for one of the photos. It is you job to match the photo with the word (don't worry, there is a key you can hit to see what the word is for each pic). This forces you to connect the pic and word in your minds without the English translation. Another section of the program has you speak the word into the microphone/headset which is included (extra nice headset BTW), and then show you your pronunciation in "soundwaves" verses that of a native speaker. By altering you pronunciation, you can strive for speak with a minimal accent. Other exercises are of the typing and reading sort.
This is the best language instruction you can buy. Yes, it is extremely pricey, but I can attest to the fact that 2 months of this program far surpasses 3 years of college instruction.
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