Experience with Rosetta Stone?

[The Glyphstone]

I'm finally starting to seriously consider learning a second language - specifically, I'm interested in German. But I'll need a good language tutoring software to do it with, since I don't have any opportunities to take in-person classes. Obviously Rosetta Stone jumps to mind as the 800-pound industry gorilla, but has anyone here actually used it to learn a language? Anyone that can give advice or critiques of RS, or if there's a different program that worked better for them, to suggest looking into instead?

[Frozen_Feet]

I can't help you with software, but whatever program you end up using, do listen to a lot of songs in the language you're trying to learn. It's been proven to speed up learning. One specific example even was listening to Rammstein to learn German.

[Fairy]

I'd really recommend you stay away from those ultra-large & standardised learning programs. I figure anything that pumps vocabulary at you will eventually work but I think in the long-term they're demotivating. Admittedly I haven't used Rosetta Stone but I used to use Pimsleur, which I figure is similar.

Music, as you've been recommended, is definitely useful if you use it right. Take some songs and double down on them, try to translate them bit by bit so you can roughly remember the words rather than listen to the melody.
Movies I think work even better. I like to watch them literally phrase-by-phrase. See if I can decode what's being said in each new sentence, write things out on paper. Then repeat the scene using the target-language's subtitles, see what words you missed. See if you can get a better jist of what's being said. Finally use the English subs. Don't passively watch the movie, and that's the same for music as well methinks - use them instead as ways of hearing conversations and training your ears.

As for a 'home-base' for learning, and especially something to use as a starting point - I can't recommend Michel Thomas enough. He has audio-logs of all of his lessons; the man was brilliant for getting the jist of the language across. I haven't used his stuff for German but his lessons for the romantic languages are without-rival. There are... options... for acquiring those audio logs.

For motivation I used to like reading blogs of polyglots and looking out for their tips. Benny Lewis is quite a commercial one but I like his story.
Beyond that it's just a goal of finding ways of utilising the language. Being in the country is obviously best but if you play games they can work - join (quiet) Counterstrike servers in German, et cetera. The ideal is to find ways into conversations where people are happy to slow their pace of speaking to accommodate you (I find listening to natives have their own conversation is just too overwhelming and too hard to follow at the beginning - that's why movies are useful, you can pause them).

Good luck. It's a very rewarding experience.
And don't forget, Michel Thomas. All hail.

[farothel]

Another way to learn a language is to search for books in the language you want to learn. All languages have books at different levels and you can also take a book that you have already read in your native language.

Another way to do this is with movies with subtitles and/or voice-over. Most DVDs have multiple subtitle tracks (at least where I live they do). Then it's just a question of picking one that has the language you want to learn (and preferably a movie you like).
One warning though: translation is never completely one on one.

[Xianthe]

I would say that if you aren't sure whether Rosetta Stone is a good fit for you (and it may not be), I would start with Duolingo on their site/app. It's very much in the vein of the style of learning that Rosetta Stone is, and it's free (Rosetta Stone can be extremely pricey, unless you find it on sale).

When I used to have a long commute where I was carpooling, and could bring my cell phone in to work to use on breaks, I made pretty good progress on German with Duolingo - though I found it more helpful to supplement with a progressive learning flashcard app as well, to really hammer the vocab. Memrise explicitly had card packs that matched up with Duolingo's lesson structure, last I checked. I would do a lesson or two of Duolingo at home every evening, then drill the relevant flashcards during the day. I also had a friend that spoke passable German that I'd have conversations with.

I also ditto the recommendations to read/listen to media in the language you are learning.

[Kato]

I cannot comment on RS but I have been making decent progress with duolingo and I know others who are very happy with it. It's free so... I guess you could give it a try before spending money if you're not sure.

[Peelee]

Glyphstone, if you do decide to pull the trigger on Rosetta Stone, let me know how it goes for you.

[The Glyphstone]

The idea of listening to music is something I'd never have thought of, so I'll definitely look into that. Will also check out Duolingo.

[Mystic Muse]

Thanks for the reminder of Duolingo. I get enough free periods at work, I should work on learning new languages.

[Palanan]

Before spending money on Rosetta Stone, I would recommend seeing what materials are available at your local library. My library has several shelves' worth of audio language courses, most of which have workbooks included.

Looking for books in German is also a good idea. I would recommend books on tape, which let you listen to a spoken narrative. I would also recommend comics and graphic novels, since it's especially useful to have images paired with dialogue. I have a whole stack of Asterix comics in Portuguese, and that's both fun and helpful for learning vocabulary and slang expression.

Also, you might consider looking for fan videos in German on YouTube. I have fun listening to Brazilian fans talk about Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, and again this helps you with everyday conversation and colloquialisms. Once you're comfortable with the basics, you can try listening to online lectures to improve your comprehension at a professional level.

[The Glyphstone]

As far as stuff like videos/music, is the idea to understand what they're saying (so I should be using subtitles/translations)? Or is it just to train my brain with a headspace of recognizing the rhythm and sound of the language, in concert with actual vocabulary building?

[Fairy]

As far as stuff like videos/music, is the idea to understand what they're saying (so I should be using subtitles/translations)? Or is it just to train my brain with a headspace of recognizing the rhythm and sound of the language, in concert with actual vocabulary building?

For me videos are to have an opportunity to listen to a native speaker; words spoken quickly within a sentence sound very different to how they do on Google Translate and the likes. I pause and start constantly, try to decode the words, then repeat it with subtitles.
Music I think it's more possible to use kind of passively but you should be hoping to be able to sing the words along, and then try translating the words - hope being that you sooner or later absorb the song's vocabulary.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by The Glyphstone
As far as stuff like videos/music, is the idea to understand what they're saying (so I should be using subtitles/translations)? Or is it just to train my brain with a headspace of recognizing the rhythm and sound of the language, in concert with actual vocabulary building?

Yes.

On my first trip to Brazil, I picked up several CDs, which I listened to over and over when I was back home. The lyrics and liner notes were in Portuguese, but that helped me listen for the words as they were sung.

On my next trip, I picked up several Disney movies with Portuguese audio tracks. What I would do is watch a movie in Portuguese to try to follow as best I could, then watch it in English to get the full story, and then watch it again in Portuguese to listen for everything I’d missed the first time around.

Also, I would also recommend you try to get some German translations of your favorite edition of D&D. I was fortunate and found a great gaming store in one city I visited, so I had the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting and several modules to practice with. It’s fun to see which words are adopted directly (elfos and hobbits!) and which use equivalents already in the language. Plus, it’s hilarious to read about Drizzt in Brazilian Portuguese.

Obviously this is much easier to do if you actually visit the country, but I assume Germany is a large enough market that there are copies available online if you search hard enough. A brief search on eBay turns up German-language copies of Sunless Citadel, Speaker in Dreams and the 3.5 PHB, although the pricing on some of those is a bit much. But I’d say it’s worth the effort to find affordable copies, since knowing the material gives you a strong edge in learning the vocabulary.

[The Glyphstone]

My library had an audio disc collection for Learn German In Your Car. It's very tourist-oriented with memorized phrases a visitor would need, but it'll be a decent start.

Can anyone suggest a legitimate place to get Mp3s of Rammstein's music/albums, though? Amazon seems to only sell physical CD's, and Qobuz isn't available in the US.

[redwizard007]

My library had an audio disc collection for Learn German In Your Car. It's very tourist-oriented with memorized phrases a visitor would need, but it'll be a decent start.

Can anyone suggest a legitimate place to get Mp3s of Rammstein's music/albums, though? Amazon seems to only sell physical CD's, and Qobuz isn't available in the US.

Tada! You Tube to the rescue.

https://youtu.be/W3q8Od5qJio

Also try Meshuggah. Not as much fun for language, but much better music.

https://youtu.be/qc98u-eGzlc

[The Glyphstone]

Tada! You Tube to the rescue.

https://youtu.be/W3q8Od5qJio

Also try Meshuggah. Not as much fun for language, but much better music.

https://youtu.be/qc98u-eGzlc

I was more looking for something I can use offline, but thanks.

[Tvtyrant]

I was more looking for something I can use offline, but thanks.

When I learned German in university we were encouraged to watch children's shows and listen to children's rhymes and songs. The differences between the English and German grammar structure are less extreme in children oriented programming and in spoken German, academic German is a little overwhelming.

[Jan Mattys]

The idea of listening to music is something I'd never have thought of, so I'll definitely look into that. Will also check out Duolingo.

1- Learn the basics from a children school book
2- Buy those 600-words books, then those 1000 words books, then... you get the idea
3- Music. I second Rammstein
4- This is what made all the difference to me when I self-taught myself both english and french: start watching movies you already know well, but watch them in german with german subtitles. Already knowing what happens next will help you a lot with context, and you will pick up both a lot of new words and a decent ear for pronunciation.

Once you can consistently enjoy the movies with subtitles... take the subtitles off. And start buying newspapers (or browse them online) :)

In my experience, it takes about one year and a half of (serious) effort to be able to reach 100% reading comprehension.

Talking fluently is, sadly, another matter entirely. In my experience, the only real need for in-person classes is for fixing pronunciation and actually become fluent. In that regard, taking simple speaking sessions with a mothertongue will be almost always necessary.

[Iruka]

My library had an audio disc collection for Learn German In Your Car. It's very tourist-oriented with memorized phrases a visitor would need, but it'll be a decent start.

Can anyone suggest a legitimate place to get Mp3s of Rammstein's music/albums, though? Amazon seems to only sell physical CD's, and Qobuz isn't available in the US.

Is there some kind of region lock onthis?

Thirding the recommendation of Duolingo. While it does not explain any grammar rules, it is pretty good for daily vocabulary practice. The german pronunciation is okay, in my opinion.

For music, I'd also recommend 'Die Ärzte' or 'Die Fantastischen Vier', if the style is up your alley. On a trip to London, we once visited a german class and to our horror and embarrassement 'Mein Block' by german 'gangster rapper' Sido was part of the lesson.