# Rosetta Stone **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 7, 2008, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rosetta-stone/459157 "2008-08-07T13:32:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rosetta-stone/459157/1 "2008-08-07T13:32:10Z")
I’ve seen ads recently for this language-learning program. It looks fairly simple and clear-cut on the TV, but I was wondering if any of y’all had any actual experience with it. Does it work? How well? Is it worth the money? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rosetta-stone/459157/2 "2008-08-07T14:09:08Z")
[Here’s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=476549&highlight=rosetta+stone) a recent thread on it. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rosetta-stone/459157/3 "2008-08-07T16:12:34Z")
Moved from General Questions to In My Humble Opinion. **Gfactor** General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![tbdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@tbdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tbdi)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rosetta-stone/459157/4 "2008-08-07T16:29:22Z")
I started using it recently and, in general, I like it. The program seems to have several bugs that can be annoying (it loses preferences, sometimes reports a score in the middle of a lesson, and has just completely frozen a few times) but it’s a useful tool. ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rosetta-stone/459157/5 "2008-08-07T21:04:01Z")
Ah. Thanks, all. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rosetta-stone/459157/6 "2008-08-08T00:14:45Z")
My wife got the one for beginning Italian. When she showed it to me, I watched while she went through a couple of lessons. I couldn’t hear what the program was saying, but I could hear her responses, and I could see the screen. Granted, I did have a semester of beginning Italian in my junior year of college, and I’ve been there a couple of times, but that was all a very long time ago. I felt that I was learning a lot just from seeing the pictures and text. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rosetta-stone/459157/7 "2008-08-08T01:44:14Z")
I’ve played with the free demo in several languages and I wish I could afford to buy the full version. I liked it a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rosetta-stone/459157/8 "2008-08-08T01:57:07Z")
And of course, Gorgon Heap, you too, can play with their free demo on their website, [here](http://www.rosettastone.com/en/individuals/full-online-demo) Must have latest version of Shockwave, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![MissGypsy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@MissGypsy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissGypsy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rosetta-stone/459157/9 "2008-08-08T04:08:13Z")
I’ve requested their free demo three times, and never received one, so I gave up. That was based on TV commericals, but after being ignored, I’m not about to bother with them anymore. ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rosetta-stone/459157/10 "2008-08-08T04:30:36Z")
I have used it for free. One of the Army benefits is that I can do Rosetta Stone for free. I tried to learn Spanish and made it through the first few levels. I still don’t feel as though I can speak it, but I can recognize a lot more words than I could before I started the courses. SSG Schwartz