Rosetta Stone (software)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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|
 Rosetta Stone exercise in full-screen mode for numerous languages. |
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| Design by | Allen Stoltzfus, John Fairfield, and Eugene Stoltzfus |
|---|---|
| Developed by | Rosetta Stone, Ltd. |
| Initial release | 1999 |
| Latest release | 3.3.5 / 2008-08-25 |
| Preview release | 1999 / 2006 |
| Operating system | Windows, Mac OS |
| Type | Educational (foreign language instruction) |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | http://www.rosettastone.com |
Rosetta Stone is proprietary language-learning software produced by Rosetta Stone, Ltd. Its title and its logo are an allusion to the Rosetta Stone, an artifact inscribed in multiple languages that helped Jean-François Champollion to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics by comparing the inscriptions of the Coptic language, a version of spoken ancient egyptian, and Greek, alongside the hieroglyphs.
The Rosetta Stone software utilizes a combination of images, text, and sound, with difficulty levels increasing as the student progresses, in order to teach various vocabulary terms and grammatical functions intuitively, without drills or translation. They call this the "Dynamic Immersion method". The goal is to teach languages the way first languages are learned.
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[edit] History
According to the company, Mr. Allen Stoltzfus had learned German through immersion while living in Germany, and found it relatively easy. In the 1980s, Stoltzfus began learning Russian in a classroom setting, but discovered it to be much more difficult. He wanted to simulate the German experience, and he decided to use computing technology to create a similar learning experience. He enlisted the aid of his brother-in-law, Dr. John Fairfield, who held a PhD. in computer science.
By 1992, CD-ROM technology made the project possible and they formed a company known as Fairfield Language Technologies in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Allen and John brought on Eugene Stoltzfus, Allen's brother, as company President and CEO, and released their software product under the name Rosetta Stone. In 2003, the company came under new leadership with the announcement of Tom Adams as President and CEO, a businessman with international experience. The company changed names in 2006 to Rosetta Stone, Ltd., and with it came a change from an S Corp to a C Corp and the sale to investment firms ABS Capital Partners and Northwest Equity Partners. On September 23, 2008, Rosetta Stone Inc. filed an Initial Public Offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
[edit] Use
[edit] Version 2
Instruction takes the form of a unit of lessons consisting of ten groups (more in some of the later units of Level I) of four images each, with an associated word or sentence both written and spoken aloud by a native speaker of the language, except for those languages that are no longer spoken natively, such as Latin. Lesson topics range from grammatical concepts such as verb tense or mood to specific topics such as colors, hot and cold and associated words or the use of money.
Within each lesson there are sets of exercises testing listening, reading, and speaking (for which the computer must have a microphone). For languages using the Latin alphabet, there are also writing exercises. The writing exercises for non-Latin scripts use a substitute, on-screen keyboard. All sets except reading and speaking offer four exercises each; there are two reading exercises and one speaking exercise. They are identified by the software as A, B, C, D, and E.
The user is offered either text, sound or image (and later, video), to match against four possibilities. With a mark and/or sound chosen by the reader from the preferences menu, the program indicates whether the right or wrong choice was selected. A score from 0 to 100 is kept; it is visible during the exercise in practice mode but not in test mode. The first choice in a group of images nets four points for a correct answer, the second three, the third two and the last one.
In all units, the last lesson is a review of the previous lessons, with each predecessor represented by one group of images. There are no formal grammar guides or instructions included with the software. The only documentation is a manual with written versions of the phrases and a word index.
[edit] Version 3
Instruction takes the form of four units per language level. Each unit is then subdivided into four core lessons. Each core lesson is approximately 30 minutes followed by sublessons. Sublessons take the form of Pronunciation, Writing, Vocabulary, Grammar, Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Reviews. At the end of each unit is a Milestone, which reviews the material covered in that unit in an interactive activity.
[edit] Packages
Several different packages of lessons are available. The full course in each language is separated into three levels. There is only one level available for Latin. All retail software packages except the homeschool version contain two CDs, one with the application software and another with the instruction. The homeschool version also consists of disks for a server program and a student management program.
[edit] Levels
All languages except Latin use the same set of words and sentences in the same order, with the same images (some of which are recycled from lesson to lesson). There are three levels of instruction, each sold separately, or they can be purchased bundled for a discount. In version two, most languages were offered with only two levels, though a few were offered in a third:
- Level 1 consists of eight units, starting from simple vocabulary such as "boy", "girl", "man", "woman", moving up through numbers, the past and future tenses and concluding with a unit on giving directions. Units 1 through 4 have 10 lessons plus a review lesson, units 5 through 8 have 11 lessons plus a review lesson. 92 total lessons in level 1.
- Level 2 offers units 9 through 19; however as a practical matter there are only nine units devoted to instruction since units 18 and 19 are "glossary" units devoted to single words having to do with a particular topic (school, nature, automobiles etc.). Level 2 units consider more advanced grammatical concepts, as well as specific subjects like banking, shopping and travel. These exercises also use short video clips in QuickTime format to illustrate some verbs. Units 16 and 17 consist solely of old Saturday Evening Post cartoons and their captions. 118 total lessons in level 2.
- Level 3 is no longer offered on version 2 products, but when it was, it used longer video and writing passages to expand the level of instruction.
In version 3, all languages have three levels, though what they cover is different; there is more of a focus on conversation and less on complex grammatical topics.
- Level 1 consists of four units, each with four thirty-minute lessons and a number of five to fifteen minute activities. The level, which is supposed to "build a foundation of fundamental vocabulary and essential language structure," takes about 24 hours to complete following Rosetta Stone's recommended course. Starting from simple vocabulary such as basic greetings, "boy", "girl", "man", and "woman", moving up through numbers, comparisons, adjectives, nouns, future tense, and telling time. Each unit also contains a ten-minute simulated conversation called a "Milestone."
The four units in Level 1 are: Language Basics, Greetings and Introductions, Work and School, and Shopping. - Level 2 offers units 5 through 8, for a total of about twenty-four hours designed to teach you to "navigate your surroundings as you build on the vocabulary and essential language structure in Level 1." More grammar is covered, including past and future tenses, and imperative forms. Topics such as giving directions, writing letters, workplace terms, apologies, discussing emotions, and criticizing art are also covered. As in Level 1, each unit is followed by a ten-minute "Milestone."
The four units in Level 2 are: Travel, Past and Future, Friends and Social Life, and Dining and Vacation. - Level 3 offers the final four units (9 through 12), which are supposed to help "connect with the world around you by building on the language fundamentals and conversational skills you developed in Levels 1 and 2." In addition to expanding upon grammar learned in Levels 1 and 2, Level 3 teaches more in depth vocabulary, including botanical terms, culinary terms, how to express detailed opinions and judgments, and how to discuss politics, religion, and business. As in the first two levels, each unit contains a ten-minute "Milestone" activity in which the user participates in a simulated conversation.
The four units in Level 3 are: Home and Health, Life and World, Everyday Things, and Places and Events.
[edit] Other packages
- An Explorer package consisting basically of the first three units from Level I was available for a much cheaper price than the full Level I. This product is no longer available from the publisher.
- A Traveler version, consisting of several lessons focusing on basic terms as well as vocabulary important for travel, was produced in the late 1990s and is no longer available.
- Free Demos are available directly from Rosetta Stone, Ltd.
- Audio Companion was released on June 9, 2008 and reinforces what is learned using the computer software. It is portable and is played on a CD or MP3 player.
[edit] Languages
The following languages are available as of January 2009:
| Version 3
As of January 13th, 2009 |
Version 2
In addition to those in v. 3 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Arabic (Modern Standard) | Danish | |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | Indonesian | |
| Dutch | Latin | |
| English (American) | Pashto | |
| English (British) | Swahili | |
| French (Parisian) | Tagalog (Filipino) | |
| German | Thai | |
| Greek | Turkish | |
| Hebrew | Vietnamese | |
| Hindi | Welsh | |
| Irish | ||
| Italian | ||
| Japanese | ||
| Korean | ||
| Persian (Farsi) | ||
| Polish | ||
| Portuguese (Brazil) | ||
| Russian | ||
| Spanish (Latin America) | ||
| Spanish (Spain) | ||
| Swedish | ||
[edit] U.S. government usage
The United States Army began offering a free, online version of Rosetta Stone software to its personnel in November 2005.[citation needed] In December 2007 they began offering a special Military version of Arabic (http://www.rosettastone.com/global/press/news-20071203-rs) in order to help troops deploying to the Middle East learn the skills needed for conversations and phrases important in a military situation faster. It is available to all US Army Personnel, US Military Academy Cadets, Contracted US Army ROTC Cadets and other special guests with a sponsor.
The United States Air Force also offers a similar version to company grade officers. [1]
The United States Marine Corps Also offers an online version of all the languages that Rosetta Stone offers through their MarineNet Distance Learning portal. (http://www.marinenet.usmc.mil) [2]
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security offers levels one through three to Special Agents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.[citation needed]
The Peace Corps offers Rosetta Stone to its volunteers who are required to know a second language before beginning their service.
[edit] Endangered language communities
In 2004, Rosetta Stone Ltd. established its Endangered Language Program to contract with endangered language communities interested in custom software development to support language revitalization efforts.[3]
[edit] Awards
Rosetta Stone has won a number of awards from software magazines and associations concerned with language learning such as textbook publishers and homeschooling magazines, among them the Gold Awards for Best CD-ROMs Used in School and Best CD-ROM for Language Learning i-Magic Awards in 1996[citation needed] and the Best Software in Second Language Foreign Language Learning Program annual awards by ComputED magazine in 1994 and 1996.[citation needed]
[edit] Versions
The latest version is version 3.3.7. Not all the languages are available in version 3, and some of them are still in version 2. The version appears on the exterior of retail packages and this information is apparent through their website.
Macworld had reviewed version 3.0 several months earlier.[4] A demonstration is available at rosettastone.com.
Rosetta Stone version 3 software has a built-in feature to download and install upgrades from the online Web site. Newer versions have featured a larger interface, new functionality, improved learning experience and better-quality pictures than their predecessors.
[edit] Criticism
The most frequent criticism of the program is its lack of sensitivity to the differences between the various languages it comes in and their respective cultures. All programs present the same concepts in the same order, using the same images taken mostly in the Washington, D.C. area a couple of hours drive northeast of the company's headquarters at the time in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
[edit] Russian
In a review of the Russian Version 2 in 1997, Mark Kaiser, director of the Language Media Center at the University of California, Berkeley called the program "woefully inadequate for a number of reasons"[5]. Not only did he cite the lack of cultural context, stating that the images contained in the program were not only clearly not Russian, but that they contained such objects as paper towels, which Kaiser attested to never having seen on any visit to Russia at that point, and its lack of any way to test conversational skills; he also noted the tendency of some words and phrases to be too English-based.
As an example, he noted that one early lesson depicts two people rowing and associates it with the English phrase "They are using a boat." In Russian, this is rendered literally as "Они пользуются лодкой." But, according to Kaiser, no native Russian speaker would use the verb "use" in that context, preferring instead verbs specific to water-based travel, "Они плывут/катаются на лодке", "They are sailing/riding in a boat."[5] He also noted that the prepositions introduced in the first lesson take several different cases with distinct endings, "rather overwhelming to a student just beginning to study Russian."[5]
"The entire package lacks any pedagogical foundation," he concluded. "Rather, it utilizes the glitz of the multimedia capabilities of the computer, a dearth of quality foreign language software, and clever marketing to create an economically successful product."[5]
[edit] German
A few months earlier, Donald McRae of Brock University had been far kinder to the German Version 2, calling it "very good, but with some reservations."[6] In contrast to Kaiser, he called it "good pedagogy and extremely effective. The authors of the program never lose sight of solid teaching methodology."[6]
He did, however, take issue with the company's claim that the software can substitute for a beginning-level language course. Like Kaiser, he noted one point on which the software didn't indicate a subtle distinction among the German verbs used for "to run". A running dog is shown using laufen, which normally indicates walking; and rennen, which means "to run at great speed" is used for a picture of a horse. McRae noted that without context, a student could reasonably conclude that rennen applied only to animals. "I am convinced," he wrote, "that any [foreign language instruction] program requires the timely intervention of a good teacher."[6]
Another frequent issue is the use of more formal vocabulary than that regularly used by native speakers. MacWorld reviewer Cyrus Farivar noted that the Persian CD he had been using gave khodrow for "car", although most native speakers use a French loanword, ma:sheen. He called the company regarding the picture sets, and was told that four are in use, one for Western languages, another for Asian, and two sets unique to Swahili and Latin.[4]
In 2008, author Tim Ferriss, who is fluent in multiple languages, reviewed Rosetta Stone as follows[7]:
"I do not recommend Rosetta Stone or similar “we’ll teach you to think in a language instead of just speak it” and “we’ll teach you to learn like a child does” systems. Most cognitive neuroscientists who do semantic/phonetic mapping will agree the former is impossible, and learning languages like a child is slower than learning like an adult. If you read the research of Hakuta or look at anecdotal evidence like mine, adults can learn much, much faster than children by using their native language for associations.
Using “learn like a child” is a great excuse for a company to produce materials with the same images for every language and minimal tweaking of translation, which = lower cost of production. It’s designed to be simple to produce en masse, not for best results.
Here’s the thing, though: any system you stick with is better than a fantastic system you don’t stick with. If you absolutely love Rosetta Stone and enjoy the CDs, you will eventually learn the language. For me, and many I suspect, “eventually” isn’t good enough. I’m happy to do some hard work to get really good really quickly."
[edit] Corporate structure
Rosetta Stone, Ltd., formerly Fairfield & Sons, Ltd. d.b.a. Fairfield Language Technologies, has two subsidiary companies:
- Rosetta Stone (UK) Limited is based in London in the United Kingdom and handles the sales within the European Union.
- Rosetta Stone Japan Inc., formerly Rosetta World, is based in Tokyo, Japan, and handles sales in the Asian markets.
[edit] IPO
On April 15th, 2009 Rosetta Stone raised $112 million dollars in its Initial Public Offering of stock, with shares valued at $18.00.[8] In its first full day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange, the stock closed at $25.12 per share, up 39% from its opening price.[9] The stock trades under ticker symbol RST.[8][9]
[edit] Offices
Corporate headquarters are in Arlington, Virginia.
Main offices are in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Production takes place at this location, the shipping facility is in the same area.
There are also offices in Boulder, Colorado; London, United Kingdom; and Tokyo, Japan.
[edit] References
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ Associated Press. "New software to aid in keeping Navajo language alive." SantaFeNewmexican.com. Jan 06, 2008. (accessed July 06, 2008).
- ^ a b Farivar, Cyrus; January 19, 2006; Foreign-language software provides a comprehensive approach to learning; MacWorld, retrieved July 12, 2006
- ^ a b c d Kaiser, Mark; September 25, 1997; Review: The Rosetta Stone for Russian, CALL @Chorus, retrieved October 22, 2006.
- ^ a b c McRae, Donald; June 24, 1997; Review:The Rosetta Stone for German; CALL @Chorus; retrieved October 22, 2006.
- ^ http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/01/20/learning-language/#comment-31570
- ^ a b CNBC Article Covering the IPO, retrieved 4/17/09
- ^ a b Stock Coverage of Rosetta Stone at Wikinvest
