Rosetta Stone Version 3: Italian Level 1, 2 & 3 Set with Audio Companion

Posted on January 14, 2010 - by admin

Manufacturer: Rosetta Stone
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List Price: $539.00
Sale Price: $485.10
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Product Description

Rosetta Stone Personal Edition contains everything you need to give the voice inside of you a new language. The method used recreates the natural way you learned your first language, revealing skills that you already have. This approach has won numerous awards, and has been adopted by countless organizations, schools and millions of users around the world. Join the language revolution today. Only with Rosetta Stone.

The comprehensive language-learning solution that fits your life.

Learn Naturally
Learn your next language the same way you learned your first language. Dynamic Immersion empowers you to see, hear and comprehend without translating or memorizing. You already have this ability. Rosetta Stone simply unlocks it.

Engage Interactively
Get feedback to move forward. You learn best by doing, and you'll apply what you've learned to get to the next step. Rosetta Stone adapts to your individual needs and skills, because you drive the program with your progress.

Speak Confidently
Start speaking immediately. From the very first lesson, you'll speak. You'll begin with essential basics, which form the building blocks of the language. Soon you'll create new sentences on your own, using words you've learned.

Have Fun
Best of all, Rosetta Stone is addictive. With every entertaining activity, you'll feel success. You'll want to use Rosetta Stone to have that next moment, that next breakthrough. So you'll keep using it, and you'll learn more!

That's language-learning success.
That's Rosetta Stone.

No translation or memorization required.

The most effective way to learn a new language is to be surrounded by it. When you were an infant, your parents taught you this way, by intuitively associating words with images. That's the ultimate language lab, but most language-learning programs completely ignore this.

Think about all of the ways you've tried to learn a language: classes at school, tapes and cassettes, even software that uses your native language as a base for your next one. What do they all have in common? Translation and memorization.

Instead of taking a "direct flight" from your brain to your new language, translation and memorization connects you to your old language. You always have to "fly" from your brain, to your native tongue ... and then translate what you've memorized to communicate.

That might work for a few words, but what happens when you get to a sentence or phrase? When you have to change tenses? You're going to make a lot of "connecting flights." That's why those other methods are so frustrating ... and why they fail.

Enter Dynamic Immersion.
This method encourages you to think like a baby. You'll pair words with vivid, real-life images and make connections between things you know and the new language. Soon, you'll be thinking in a new language, stringing words together into phrases that you create.

Innovative technology.
Rosetta Stone places this Dynamic Immersion method at the core of a suite of software that works with you to develop your skills. The simple, intuitive interface helps to keep you engaged in the solution, while advanced speech recognition technology makes certain that you're speaking correctly and accurately. Best of all, Rosetta Stone never leaves you behind. You'll only move forward when you're ready, when you've become comfortable and confident.

Communicate and connect with the world: Level 1, 2 & 3 Set.
Rosetta Stone Level 1, 2 & 3 Set will take you on a journey from the basics to a whole new level of sophistication. You'll build a foundation of fundamental vocabulary and essential language structure. You'll quickly gain the confidence to engage in social interactions. Say "hello" and "goodbye," arrange travel, order food, go shopping and more! From there, you'll share your ideas and opinions, express feelings and talk about your life, your interests and more. You'll discover a voice. In a new language.

Audio Companion
With Audio Companion, you'll enhance the Rosetta Stone experience wherever you go. You'll learn new skills on the computer, and then reinforce what you've learned with Audio Companion. Simply play the CDs on a stereo or download them to a MP3 Player. Each Audio Companion activity corresponds to a lesson in the Rosetta Stone software, so you can turn your travel time into productive language-learning time.

Inside the box, you'll find:

Version 3 Personal Edition CD-ROM software for Levels 1, 2 & 3 (Windows/Mac)
Headset microphone
User's guide
Audio Companion, a multiple-CD set to play or download to your MP3 player

Product Details

Rosetta Stone teaches you a new language naturally, by getting you to think, live and breathe the language
Innovative solutions get you speaking new words, right from the start
Rosetta Stone moves forward only when you're ready--you drive the pace, you set the schedule
With Rosetta Stone, you'll discover a foundation of key vocabulary that you'll use to build into a whole new language
Audio Companion lets you take the Rosetta Stone experience anywhere: in the car, at the gym, or on-the-go

Video Reviews

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Customer Reviews

Italian for You!

Review Date: September 7, 2008

Reviewer: Sandy, Albuquerque, NM

This is a great product that has some installation and minor sound system issues that go along with it. I am running Vista on the computer I installed the program on. Although I followed installation directions faithfully, I was unable to update the product when following the suggested steps. I could not update it until after I had completed registration, so I would advise registering the product before trying to do much else. After registering the product, updates were installed seamlessly. Updating was time-intensive, taking over ½ an hour over a DSL connection. Luckily, this appears to be an infrequent occurrence. After installing the updates, I set up the headset (a minor repair had to made--an ear piece had come apart and was easily fixed), and proceeded to try the program.

At first I was unable to try the program because of sound issues. Although my system volume was not set high, the sound coming through the headset was entirely too loud to be listened to. I had to go into my volume mixer and reset a variety of sound levels--and located the separate Rosetta Stone volume control--before volume was at a workable level. All of the tries at updating and then sound issues made for a very slow start to beginning to enjoy the software. But once all of the "dust" settled and I was able to begin the program, I was very favorably impressed.

The language-learning portion of the program is easy to use and customizable to what you wish to learn. Are you more interested in spoken language? Well, you can emphasize that and spend less time with written language. The program's approach is indeed an immersion approach and doesn't require that you spend time overtly memorizing by rote, as many approaches to learning a language seem to take. This makes the program a pleasure to use, particularly for visual/auditory learners. The more you use the program, the more you will find yourself remembering and the more success you will have in your chosen language. And, the more success you have in learning Italian, the more you will find yourself wanting to use the program. You will be learning language in the same way a native speaker of the language learns. The program creates such a positive learning experience, I find myself not wanting to miss a day of practice!

Currently, three of us are using the program, as the program does let you add users on the same computer. Everyone proceeds at his or her own pace, and you may revisit lessons and set your user interface to learn whatever aspect of language interests you most. The ability to go back and review is invaluable. You may also set up your voice recognition software to be more or less "strict" about what it finds acceptable in terms of pronunciation. One of the three program users in the household is taking an accelerated course in Italian at the local university and finds that this program is a wonderful adjunct to the live class, giving them extra practice and a pronunciation leg-up. Other than the initial set-up hurdles, the three of us give the program a very big "thumbs up." The program is well worth the price. I've taken many language classes over the years and find this to be one of the easiest and most fun approaches I've been presented with.

Learn Italian Faster than You Thought Possible

Review Date: September 4, 2008

Reviewer: Maggie Mae, Memphis, Tennessee

Rosetta Stone calls their language method Dynamic Immersion. Vocabulary is introduced to you through pictures and word associations and the grammar is introduced the same way along with more pictures. The program also works on your pronunciation skills with their system of speech recognition. You listen to words and phrases and write them down or practice staying them. The program also focuses on sounds common to the language you're learning, further improving how you sound when you speak.

The program is very easy to use and it's very intuitive. I like the way the program shows you four images at once and lets you figure out which picture goes with what you're hearing. It's pretty easy and it seems to burn the words and phrases into your memory. If you stick with the program, which isn't all that hard to do, because it's fun and rewarding, I imagine you'll be learning Italian faster than you thought possible.

amazing language software

Review Date: January 6, 2009

Reviewer: Martha Grace Reese, St. Louis, MO USA

I am an American native speaker, was a Spanish major in college, lived in Madrid for about a year and a half and am (well, WAS) fluent in Spanish. I love Italy and have faked my way through Italian trips with my Spanish for years. And then my husband ordered Rosetta Stone. It's wonderful! I'd heard about it for years, but had no idea that this system was so intuitively exciting. It's more fun than playing Freecell, or other addictive games on the computer!

The system (an immersion approach, with picture recognition and hearing native speakers) is so natural, I couldn't believe it. I've done about half the first level and I find myself out on a walk and making up fun-sounding little italian phrases and sentences in my head. The teaching system is logical, gradual, progressive, challenging, exciting, quickly paced, never boring, and plain fun. I love the tapes for the car. My husband and I are both using it and we both love it.

There are several negative reviews for the Rosetta Stone software (here and on the level 1&2 software), none of which I find substantial. The first here complains, in essence, that you can't steal the software and give it away to your friends! That's fine with me. It's licensed for one computer, but you can have lots of users using that one machine. If you're honest and respect intellectual property rights, that won't be an issue for you.

A second negative review (for the version where you just buy the first level, not this one with all 3 levels), asserts that there isn't much material for the price and that the reveiwer zoomed through all of level 1 in a week. First, if you want to buy more levels at the same time, you can buy the software with only one level, or with Levels 1 & 2, or this version, with the levels 1, 2 & 3 for a reduced price. If you're pretty clear that you want to learn Italian, you might want to start with at least 2 levels. (Amazon offers all three packaging options, too.) Second, I suppose you could zoom through all the lessons in level 1 in a couple of weeks, but it's possible that the person who went through the lessons very quickly is skimming over all sorts of built in layers. The software adjusts for increased subtlety in pronunciation & layered appropriation of grammatical structure. Review is critical to the learning process - learning language is like learning to play an instrument. The practice layers available on the software are impressive. This software is constructed as if it were written by Bach! There's a LOT here, even if you just buy the first level and not one of the packaged versions.

The final critique is that the set-up is difficult for MAC users. I have a two iMACS (and am a 25 year PC user who just switched, so I'm completely PC oriented) and have just installed it on one of my machines. The installation was easy, flawless and the software works beautifully. The person who complained had a very sophisticated system and had trouble with some of his intricate settings. I am an Apple neophyte and trust me, for those of us with plug-and-play systems, this is a plug-and-play program. MAC users - don't worry!

Flawless! Excellent Italian

Review Date: August 26, 2008

Reviewer: ishop4fun, New Jersey

This is my second Rosetta Stone. I spoke Italian as a child and wanted to do something to bring it back. This has three lessons and three components so that it helps people with different learning styles. You say it. You see it. You hear it. It comes with everything you need including the microphone recorder/headphone set. The immersion with the learning software is excellent, as if you are in Italy you see all the things you would see in the various towns. The one caveat with Rosetta stone is that you have to take the time to listen to it and reveiw the software. This isn't one of those "listen on your way to work" things.

Want to Learn a Language, Get Rosetta Stone

Review Date: September 3, 2008

Reviewer: Sara Hackett, from the Darkside

If you've read Jack's review, you know we both got new Rosetta Stone software, Italian and Chinese. I loaded it on both my desktop and Viao no problem. The program does have to be authorized, much like the Adobe software, but it went without a hitch. You're allowed to put it on two computers.

You may also know we've been studying French and Spanish, well here we go again, plunging right in learning something new. It's a darn good thing I can take time off in the middle of the day (my son is back in school) and go to the park with my laptop. I do so enjoy the time with my computer, especially when I'm learning something new.

First I work through the lessons, learning the basic vocabulary for things, verbs and numbers, then I practice them aloud, listening to myself, wrapping my tongue and vocal chords around the words. Then I repeat the lesson. I don't use the microphone. I don't know why, just don't like the headphones and that thing in front of my face, I guess.

Anyway, my impression of the program is that it's probably the best way to learn a foreign language. I'm picking up Italian a lot faster than Chinese, lots easier it is, plus the background in Spanish is a huge help. But like with Jack, Chinese is a challenge, however we're both using the software and we use words from all four languages all the time, people think we're nuts, we think we're fun

Like I've said before, Rosetta Stone is a very good way, maybe the best way, to learn a foreign language and if you use the audio companion (I loaded it onto my iPod) and if you listen to a radio station in your target language (thank goodness for the internet) then you'll be speaking in no time at all.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 14th, 2010 at 1:20 am and is filed under Language Software, Software Computer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Posted on January 14, 2010 - by admin