Russian with Rosetta Stone Totale 4

I’ve just started learning Russian using the Rosetta Stone Totale 4 software. I’ve got levels 1, 2 & 3. This is my first impressions of the programme.

Installation went smoothly. I had to install the base tool, which is on the first disk. It insisted on running upgrades to this from the internet. It also needed to update the Adobe Air software on my PC – I guess this is how they managed to make it work on both PC and Mac. Once it was ready, I could install the language levels. It has to put all the files in the same place, so I picked a drive with lots of space. If ever I add the next levels I’ll want to have enough room to install them. It’s easy, just follow the on screen instructions to add another level.

The licence key is hidden inside the box on the back of a plastic card in the front flap and has to have a silver security covering scratched off. Confusingly the software presented me with three boxes for codes but I only had one. It doesn’t allow cut and paste, so I typed it in and it magically filled the remaining two codes in for me.

I guess what most people reading this might be interested in is… is it any good? Well it seems to teach in a very different style to other methods I’ve seen. It’s not phrase based, so even though I’ve completed lesson one with scores over 80% (this takes about an hour) I don’t yet feel like I’ve learnt anything. I suspect that it’s like this because it’s introducing sounds and concepts into the language centres of my brain in a way that will promote long term learning as opposed to remembering phrases and regurgitating them parrot fashion. There are four lessons in the fist level, so logically I’m 25% through it. The first lesson is slightly shorter than the others, so it’s more like 20% progress. If I get to the end of the first level I will be very disappointed if I can’t say anything useful.

The speech recognition feature is pretty cool, especially with the included headset. I’ve already got a great headset, so I opted to use my Corsair HS-1 mostly because they have a mute button and volume control on the cord unlike the included set. The speech recognition is configurable, so it’s possible to turn up the accuracy and the difficulty. Mostly  the lessons seem to consist of a word being pronounced, then either you repeat it (and the computer accepts what you just said), or you click on the matching word. The writing part shows an onscreen keyboard and you have to fill in the blank. The grammar section is also a fill-in-the-blank game, but multiple choice.

I’ll probably know in a month or two if this is going to work for me, but I’ll probably have to supplement this with other learning activities.