The Rosetta Stone TOTALe interactive software teaches you to learn Italian online. This interactive course comprehensively covers most basics and it may be the ideal application and online software for you to learn Italian. In short, it breaks down most barriers when compared with similar software and is winner of our TopTenREVIEWS Silver Award.
Standout Features
- Great Interface with a proprietary speech recognition technology
- Learn naturally with their Dynamic Immersion method (no translation or memorization)
- Easy Installation and setup with great technical support
- Easy to reinforce your learning with the included Audio Companion CDs
- Participation in the online Rosetta Studio sessions and forums
- Rosetta Stone TOTALe is backed by an unconditional one-month money-back guarantee
Rosetta Stone comes with Audio Companion CDs that provides support to the online learning process. To help you take your learning into the real world, you can download the audio files from Audio Companion and put them on your MP3 player. This does not include the lesson content itself, but it will help you make the best use of your time while traveling; besides, once you start learning italian, you won't want to stop.
One user option that can be preset is detailed speech analysis, with graphing to accentuate emphasis on voice pitch, spectrogram, and voiceprint. The user can preset the voice speed and even the gender of the voice. One of the voice features, which is amazingly sophisticated, includes hearing your own recordings. Their proprietary speech recognition feature is also effective, and works better than most similar software.
You may have an advantage if you are familiar with French or Spanish, mainly because of similar words and structure associated with those languages. However, it would have been more helpful, if Rosetta Stone TOTALe came with a picturesque dictionary that you could click on.
Nonetheless, you get a solid, easy-to-use, multimedia language learning experience that will help you read, write, understand and even speak Italian.
Rosetta Stone TOTALe has a comprehensive vocabulary section that is full of practical terms. Basic fundamentals include writing, reading, listening comprehension and speech recognition. Importance is given to language learning, i.e., vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, listening, reading, speaking and a final review. In fact, there is also a "final exam" aptly termed as "Milestone."
Rosetta Stone uses a unique method where it blends vocabulary with audio pronunciations and pictures in a multiple choice format to teach the language. In fact, the speech recognition feature is very effective and it is clear from the tones and sounds that you are listening to people who are native speakers.
The best part of Rosetta Stone TOTALe is that, you are in a position to complete most lessons between 5 and 15 minutes. The core lessons, however would take about 30 minutes as this is where new vocabulary and concepts are introduced. This makes it easier to do a few lessons whenever you get a short break.
If it was merely having to learn grammar rules and memorize word lists that made learning Italian difficult, then you have Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion Method. It is evident from the Dynamic Immersion Method which Rosetta Stone TOTALe uses, that technical advancements are really good for the student. Dynamic Immersion is a process where the software combines and utilizes interactive technology, with native tones and rich visuals. To put it short, it is similar to a method which the child uses to learn his first language. This makes it relatively easy for the student as there are no complex grammar rules, memorizing words or constant translation. This method ensures that you will gradually learn to speak Italian. Even your dreams would be in Italian!
Course Levels
The Rosetta Stone TOTALe software is not only good for beginners, but also for intermediate and advanced students and addresses all of the fundamentals of Italian.
With Rosetta Stone, you have access to a live instructor through interactive tutoring. You can participate in their online Rosetta Studio session which provides a great platform to effectively practice the fundamentals. With the skills you would learn from Rosetta Stone TOTALe, you could practice most real-life situations through interactive tutoring.
Then there is also the option of flexibility of hours. As the Rosetta Stone TOTALe is an online course, you can study in the middle of the night, early in the morning or while on vacation. You set your schedule whenever you feel like going online and studying.
Pricing
For starters, the Rosetta Stone Software is pricey. But this shouldn't discourage you from purchasing it as it justifies its cost. The price for the full Italian course is $1199. Of course, there are different options, which you can go through in detail at their site. However, the price for the full Rosetta Stone TOTALe online course is only $999 for a year of access. To identify whether the online system is a worthwhile investment depends largely on the commitment level of the student. The main problem being that once the subscription period is over, you no longer have access, but a discounted price is available for renewal.
So, if you tentatively plan to put in about one hour per day, you can compute the time that you can invest in the course. Most likely you would be able to complete around two levels (if you put in about an hour and a half each day), before a 6 month subscription period runs out, So even though the online version is a bit pricey, you might end up saving, if you are focused enough to complete it on time.
Rosetta Stone TOTALe provides one of the best backup/ technical supports to their customers. If you have any queries, help is available at customer service through phone or email. There is an online advisor who is readily available, which may be more useful than the other sources of support. You can use the self-help options like the tutorials or user’s guide. Help is also available through FAQs pages and knowledge bases. They also have installation instructions to guide you through the setup process.
Ease of Installation/ Setup
It is highly unlikely that you would encounter any problems while installing and setting up the program. In order to use the record and playback features, you'll need a microphone and a set of headphones, which are free with any Rosetta Stone product.
One important point to note is that the Rosetta Stone TOTALe, when installed, usually runs without any problems on a compatible computer. However, there are chances that it could freeze up on older computers running with outdated operating systems or it could be the Internet connection that is to blame.
The advantage of learning from a computer with an online connection is that you have the option of picking from where you left off. Nevertheless, Rosetta Stone TOTALe also does a system check every time it loads, and indicates whether your system is ready to run the online program or not.
The course is user-friendly and anyone can learn the language regardless of their previous knowledge of Italian or their experience with computers. In short, it is easy and simple to install on your computer and the software also comes with installation instructions to guide you through the setup process.
Overall, this is a good program to build vocabulary. Rosetta Stone uses a lot of repetition and visuals to help you remember words and phrases, but it doesn't explain the grammar of the phrases. Rosetta Stone Italian Level 1, 2 & 3 Set with Audio Companion is effective and costs around $539 for the entire course and can only be set up on one computer.
Rosetta Stone TOTALe offers the same facilities as the installed software, but then adds Studio and World for a $999 subscription. However, there is a small catch. As the online option is subscription based, you would have to renew it at the end of a 6 month or 12 month subscription period. In other words, you will have to pay again. A benefit is that you can access the software from any computer that has the internet. So, to summarize whether the online system is a good investment depends largely on the commitment level of the student. As the main problem is that once the subscription time-frame is over, you no longer have access.
Lastly, Rosetta Stone TOTALe software is backed by an unconditional one-month, no risk guarantee. If you're not satisfied with the product, you’ll have your money back - no questions asked. Overall, the Rosetta Stone TOTALe would be a great way to learn Italian online.
