Rosetta Stone English Review - Dynamic Response to American English

A trademark of Rosetta Stone software is its vibrant photographic images of actions, events, situations, and objects, both animate and inanimate, in association with strong, clear, masculine and feminine voices with impeccable pronunciation. Rosetta Stone English Level 1 follows in this tradition.

The focus of this language software is to get you to understand and respond in the shortest time possible by eliminating the need to hear the phrase in American English and translate it back into your native language, and then formulate an answer in your own language and translate that answer into American English. The translation approach takes up too much time, is tremendously cumbersome for everyday communication, and tires too many brain cells. Rosetta Stone’s English Level 1 takes all learning directly into American English for spontaneous comprehension and conversation. In other words, the translation method will not be necessary because you will be thinking and responding in English the same way Americans do.

Rosetta Stone English Level 1, with its Dynamic Immersion features, has communication as its objective. The sooner you can communicate in American English naturally, the sooner you will feel at home on American shores. Learning with Rosetta Stone’s English Level 1 is only surpassed by living in the United States itself.

The user interface is incredibly easy to use with a menu containing a column of eight units, with each unit containing 11 or 12 lessons. Click on the unit in the left-hand column and the lesson you want out of that unit in the right-hand column. For more information, check the Start Here card and the User Guide Levels 1 & 2 included with the software.

Once you choose a lesson, the Activities screen appears with the left-hand column for Skills labeled A for Listening & Reading, B for Listening, C for Reading, D for Speaking, and E for Writing. To the right of the Skills functions are the Previews and the Guided Exercises. To the right of the Guided Exercises are three icons: a blindfolded man for delayed images, award ribbons for tests, and a clock for timing your exercises. At the bottom on the right-hand side are three buttons with icons: the first one is to access the Options screen, the second one is a question mark that accesses the help screen, and the third button is to back out of screens and exit from the software program.

In the different skills of Listening & Reading, Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing, you are able to personalize the software to your preference in the User Options, where you can choose from nine languages for the user interface, the volume and feedback sounds for correct and incorrect answers, glossary, text size, auto-scrolling, and the volume of the background music.