Bright Hub explores just how useful Rosetta Stone language learning software is for those on a quest to understand--and speak--Irish, Irish Gaelic, or as the Irish themselves call it, Gaeilge.
| Cost | Rating  |
I've long wanted to learn what should be my native language--Irish Gaelic. With no Irish speakers in my hometown, or at least none willing to sit with me for endless hours helping me to learn, my only option for learning, short of a trip to Ireland, was language learning software.
While Rosetta Stone is one of the more expensive language learning programs to be had, it also has a reputation for being one of the best. I still would have hedged my bets and gone for something less expensive if it had been available--but it wasn't. So I saved my pennies, watched for a sale, and purchased the Rosetta Stone Irish Level 1 to get me started. At least it's less expensive than an actual trip to Ireland: Buying straight from Rosetta Stone will cost you between $200 and $300 per level (higher levels are more expensive). Amazon.com seems to consistently offer a discount of about 10% over Rosetta Stone's prices.
Final verdict on the cost: It's incredibly pricy, but you do get a lot of bang for your buck, so four out of five.
| Computer Interface | Rating |
The actual interface between you, the user, and your computer is the first hiccup that any language learning software has to get you through. Rosetta Stone does an admirable job of it: As long as you follow the on-screen instructions, the only way you could possibly mess installation up is if you've lost the registration code that came with your product. Once you've got the software up and running, you have remarkably little to do. Roll the mouse over images to magnify them for easier viewing, click when prompted for an answer, or repeat a native speaker's pronunciation. That's it. All in all, very easy and intuitive to use. If you spend too long fumbling in the wrong direction, a pop-up window will appear, instructing you as to how you should proceed.
My only complaint about the Rosetta Stone interface is that, when running it on an older PowerPC Macintosh (iBook G4, OS X 10.5.5) I sometimes received a message telling me that a small error had occured. When this happened Rosetta Stone would often hang (cease responding entirely) although sometimes it allowed me to continue with the lesson or return to the home page and restart the lesson. In the case of the last option, some or all of my progress in that particular learning segment was usually lost. These frustrations went away when I upgraded to a newer Intel MacBook.
| Speech Recognition | Rating  |
Learning to properly pronounce words in a new language is critical if you're planning on actually putting those words to use. The lack of feedback in many language learning software programs or audio discs is one of my long-standing pet peeves. Rosetta Stone remedies this nicely: Their speech recognition interface allows you to adjust just how close the program watchdogs your pronunciation, and if you're really struggling with a particular word or phrase you can click a small button to watch a graphical representation of a native speaker saying the word or words, plus a slowed-down, exaggeration pronunciation. You can practice pronouncing and compare your results to the original speaker's until you're satisfied that you've got it right.