Rosetta Stone Version 3: Chinese Level 1,2 & 3 Set with Audio Companion | 
 enlarge | From: Rosetta Stone
Category: Software
List Price: $549.00
Buy New: $494.10
You Save: $54.90 (10%)
Rating:  39 reviews
Sales Rank: 194
Format: Cd-rom
Platforms: Mac Os X, Windows 2000, Windows Vista, Windows Xp
Media: CD-ROM
Edition: Level 1, 2 &3
Operating System: Windows XP
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 6.4 x 3
Model: 20285
UPC: 794678202858
EAN: 0794678202858
ASIN: B001AFCWBO
Release Date: June 16, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | Rosetta Stone helps you understand everyday language through proficiency-based listening and reading activities, proprietary speech recognition and analysis tools | | • | Contextual Formation makes sure you have the confidence and the cues you need to get the words out on the spot | | • | Milestone activities quickly give you confidence to engage in real-life conversations; Adaptive Recall reinforces language so it sticks with you | | • | Audio Companion allows you to take Rosetta Stone anywhere: in the car, the gym or on-the-go | | • | Build a foundation and navigate your surroundings: learn fundamental vocabulary and essential language structure, from greetings and introductions to simple questions and their answers |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Rosetta Stone Personal Edition contains everything you need to start learning a language. It's built around our award-winning Rosetta Stone curriculum, which has been adopted by organizations around the world including the U.S. Army, NASA, major corporations such as Deutsche Telecom, IKEA, Royal Dutch Shell, and over 10,000 schools worldwide--and is available in 31 languages spoken by over 90% of the world's population. | The comprehensive language-learning solution that fits your life. 
Learn Naturally
Learn your next language the same way you learned your first language. Dynamic Immersion empowers you to see, hear and comprehend without translating or memorizing. You already have this ability, Rosetta Stone simply unlocks it. Engage Interactively
Get feedback to move forward. You learn best by doing, and you'll apply what you've learned to get to the next step. Rosetta Stone adapts to your individual needs and skills, because you drive the program with your progress. Speak Confidently
Start speaking immediately. From the very first lesson, you'll speak. You'll begin with essential basics, which form the building blocks of the language. Soon you'll create new sentences on your own using words you've learned. Have Fun
Best of all, Rosetta Stone is addictive. With every entertaining activity, you'll feel success. You'll want to use Rosetta Stone to have that next moment, that next breakthrough. So you'll keep using it, and you'll learn more! | The Fastest, Easiest Way to Learn a New Language Proceed at Your Own Pace
Rosetta Stone is considerate of your time. Anytime, anywhere, you can learn a new language with Rosetta Stone. You learn comfortably without feeling pressured or overwhelmed. Rosetta Stone provides guidance to make your language learning effective, fast, and enjoyable with a process that is intuitive, interactive, and visually engaging. At the end of each lesson, you are given the opportunity to test your new skills. And, since Rosetta Stone automatically records your progress, you can easily pick up where you left off, when other priorities arise. Make Language Learning Intuitive with Dynamic Immersion
Rosetta Stone uses rich visual imagery to help you learn. You will be presented with sets of images to match correctly with a spoken or written phrase in the new language. You will advance to the next set of prompts once you've successfully matched words and images and pronounced the words correctly. With Dynamic Immersion, you learn by directly associating your new language with images--nothing is lost in translation. Fun, Easy, and Immediate Reinforcement
Interactive exercises create a learning environment that is engaging and game-like--it's fun! How It Works As children, we gradually learned our first language through a process of associating mental images with words or phrases, accompanied by complete immersion in our environment. This approach was simple because it was natural and allowed the brain to adapt to increasing complexity. Rosetta Stone recreated this natural way of learning by developing a method that uses a computer to mimic the environment in which we learned our first language. We call this Dynamic Immersion. A simple, intuitive interface and advanced technology confirms learning at every step of the process by prompting you to make connections between images you already understand and the new language. You receive immediate feedback, which helps you to reinforce learning. This systematic structure builds from simple nouns and verbs to more complex concepts and phrases very quickly, helping you achieve your language-learning goals faster than you ever thought possible. Level 1, 2 & 3--Connect With the World Connect with the world around you. Build a foundation of fundamental vocabulary and essential language structure. Quickly gain the confidence to enjoy social interactions such as greetings and introductions, travel, dining out, giving and getting directions, shopping and other recreational activities. Learn to share your ideas and opinions, express your feelings and talk about everyday life, your work, your interests, current events, and much more. Features & Benefits Faster and More Effective
Rosetta Stone will teach you as fast as you can learn! Leveraging your natural language-learning ability, Version 3 immerses you immediately in the new language, providing just the right context to prompt you to speak, pronounce, read and write in the very first lesson! Intuitive, sequential learning builds progressively and makes every lesson count. Our Dynamic Immersion method is so fast and so effective, it's used by the Fortune 500, the U.S. State Department, and over 10,000 schools. Convenient
You pick the time, the place and the pace! We are ready when you are because there are no class schedules or missed lessons to make up. From your desk or your dining room, your valuable time can be turned into productive language learning that fits your lifestyle. Enjoyable
When something is fun, it captures your attention...and holds it! The interactivity in Version 3 instantly engages you. Rich, vivid imagery, real-life context and voices of native speakers make Rosetta Stone different from any other product out there--never tedious or boring. Rosetta Stone provides a captivating, game-like experience. Milestones
Learn and apply! Our MILESTONE feature lets you try out your new language knowledge in real-life situations. Track Your Progress
New ADAPTIVE RECALL feature tracks your progress, reinforcing your strengths and revisiting your development areas. New Speech Recognition Technology
State-of-the-art new speech recognition technology helps you learn to speak your new language even faster. And our new Speech Analysis Tool compares your voice to that of native speakers, helping you perfect your pronunciation. Life-like Context
Our New CONTEXTUAL FORMATION feature uses real-life simulations and vivid imagery to give you exactly the context you need to produce new language--all on your own! Level 1, 2 & 3 Set Includes: The Basics
Nouns, verbs, adjectives, numbers, questions, colors, clothing. Friends and Family
Ages, family relations, household items, introductions, landmarks, states, descriptions. Work and School
Times of day, greetings, calendar terms, body parts, speaking, personal hygiene. Shopping
Buying, selling and shopping; entertainment and sports; merchandise, speed and weight, comparing and contrasting. Travel
Destinations, transportation, directions, locations, telling time, distance, cost, weather. Past and Future
Tenses, letter writing, school subjects, signs, workplace terms, polite requests. Friends and Social Life
Months of the year, arrivals and departures, social interaction, celebrations, meal courses, quality terms, apologies. Dining and Vacation
Future tense; terms for art, architecture and music; emotions, places of worship, travel and lodging. Home and Health
Terms for home, garden and backyard activities; household items and appliances; terms for strength and physical activity. Life and World
Emotions, continents, life milestones, oceans, botanical terms, terms for animals. Places and Events
Opinion and judgments, currency exchange and transactions; measurements, household repair tools, culinary terms. Talking About the World
Nationalities, governmental leaders, political terms, media terms, business terms, religious terms. Doing things!  Audio Companion allows you to take Rosetta Stone anywhere: in the car, the gym or on-the-go. | Audio Companion--Taking Rosetta Stone to the Next Level Introducing Audio Companion from Rosetta Stone, the newest enhancement to the world's #1 language-learning software! It's a great addition to the Rosetta Stone experience, allowing you to take Rosetta Stone anywhere: in the car, the gym or on-the-go! What is Audio Companion?
Audio Companion CD-ROMs enhance language learning anytime, anyplace. You can learn new skills on the computer, and then reinforce them with Audio Companion. Play the CDs on a stereo, or download them to a MP3 Player and go! Enhance the Rosetta Stone Learning Experience
Audio Companion activities correspond to Rosetta Stone CD-ROM software lessons. You can listen to Audio Companion and practice what you've been learning, turning travel time into productive language learning time. Extend Study Time
Now, you don't have to stop learning when you leave your computer. Audio Companion lets you access lessons whenever and wherever you want. It empowers you, and works within your busy lifestyle! Build Vocabulary and Pronounce Words and Phrases
Audio Companion features distinct words and shorter phrases to make them easier to hear and repeat. Build good enunciation habits by hearing native speakers pronounce them first. Speak and Converse
The speaking portion of Audio Companion lets you listen to questions and answers, repeating them to use later. To help them build your conversation skills, first you'll listen to a conversation and then repeat phrases individually.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 34 more reviews...
 Chinese is Hard, Rosetta Stone Makes it a Bit Easier September 5, 2008
Stephanie Sane (from the Asylum)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Chinese is not an easy language to learn. Let's face it, they're all hard. I was fortunate as my sister and I were kinda raised all over the world. We both speak fluent French and Spanish, both do a smattering of Italian and Portuguese, because my old dad really wanted his girls to be world wise.
I've spent the last couple months with Rosetta Stone for Japanese and it's working well for me, so now I'm doing the Chinese as well. It's harder than Japanese and like Japanese, the grammar is very different, but Japanese isn't tonal, so maybe that's why I find it easier. Also, I learned Hiragana and Katagana right away, you can't do that with Chinese. Reading in that language is going to be forever beyond me, I'm afraid.
So other than that how do I like the Rosetta Stone for Chinese? Well, having actually been immersed in a few foreign languages when I was a child, I have to say that I like it a lot, though I imagine it's a bit harder for students of English than Spanish or French would be, because, as I've said, the grammar is so different and I think you probably have to spend more time on your listening and repeating skills than you would have to with a language that uses the Roman alphabet.
I don't recommend more that forty-five minutes or a hour a day with the program, because I think you need time for the lessons to sink in before moving on. Actually a half hour in the morning and again in the afternoon, if you can swing it, would be good, I think anyway.
And the most important thing about the Rosetta Stone is that it doesn't make Chinese a chore. Just take it slow and easy and let it gradually sink in. Rome wasn't built in a day, after all.
You get what you pay for September 7, 2008
David M (Zionsville, IN USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I have been studying Chinese loosely for several years. I have cobbled together informal classroom settings, audio lessons via Pimsleur, several software packages, and most recently Rosetta Stone. I have gone to China a few times for brief stays and practiced there. So how does Rosetta Stone measure up as a way to acquire Mandarin?
Several years ago, I explored Rosetta Stone in an earlier form: it didn't quite provide what I needed. However, in its latest incarnation, it has been a most important complement to other the other techniques. First, I can compare the strengths of the other approaches. Classes are slow, methodical, complete, and the feedback on pronunciation essential. You get the best writing practice in courses. However, the pace requires several years of steady, hard work. Second, Pimsleur is a great audio device that adds ear training and speaking practice. Because you listen in your car and other "in between" places, there is a lot of time on task. It's much faster than classes, because we obtain useable phrases and speaking training quickly. It is difficult to develop complex ideas, but you can acquire good "street training." I could barter in markets and get around Beijing comfortably. Software packages (not Rosetta yet) are helpful reinforcement of vocabulary and reading, including some clever uses of word order and basic grammar. From all of this, I could cobble together rudimentary communication, but no total comfort zone.
For years, I really wanted to try Rosetta Stone, but it has always been a bit more expensive than I wanted to spend. But after I think what I invested in the other formats, it doesn't seem so expensive these days. My review is from the perspective of having some conversational ability, but a minimal level.
Version 3 is a much more complete program than I remember. It now offers a relatively complete, immersive forum for learning Chinese. The approach is "discovery" rather than dry syntax lessons. Visual contrasts are used to insert both major and subtle differences in usage, develop intuition about word choices and order, but not translate passages (but identify them with pictorial sequences). Since there are elements in Chinese that do not occur in English (measure words or other phrasing constructs), it is interesting to see them appear differentially visually and how syntax is introduced in the lessons. This would be the way children first learn language, and that context reinforces the learning. Lessons are woven together to reinforce differences in word use. New vocabulary is introduced at a rapid pace; both the Pinyin (Roman letters) and Chinese characters are both used. However, the drill and review approach is evident and effective: the lessons move you through usages and sentence construction. You get scored on each lesson, so you can raise your performance level before proceeding to more advanced lessons.
A USB headset-microphone is included in the box so both ear-training and speaking are integrated throughout. The learner speaking performance is evaluated by the software, and it does differentiate subtleties of tone. I sometimes think I'm saying something correctly, and it says no. But it does differentiate pronunciation. I think I will need to go further to accurately assess their evaluation of my speaking, but I am thus far impressed.
I am currently in unit 1 (level 1) and have completed three of four parts. The pace is not lightweight. It is a very well engineered product and the cognitive leaps are there. This is not a simplistic program, and if the escalation of complexity continues at the current rate, I might be pretty good by the time I get to Level 3.
Tough review sessions are integrated as you move through the lessons. The program does manage to continue integrating many past elements that effectively reinforce learning. Milestone markers address those elements as well. The set also contains Audio Companion to give you on-the-go practice.
Overall this is an excellent product, and it fits my needs to maintain some credible level of Chinese language proficiency. I think it is a product that novice learners can use effectively, and you WILL learn Chinese. I think with all approaches, there is no substitute for immersion with real people speaking Chinese. But this product offers sufficient interest and charm to engage the learner. This is often the most elusive part of learning and the interface sustains interest. The individual learning "quanta" is 5 to 10 minutes in most cases, so like Michael Phelps, you can practice between races.
I highly recommend this product. It would have helped me earlier in my learning, but it is also doing so now. Like so many things, this is a product where the quality measures up to the cost. Don't expect $50 software to do what Rosetta Stone can do. However, the real learning? That is now up to me.
The Great Wall and Rosetta Stone: World Wonders September 5, 2008
Leah M. Brown (Anchorage, Alaska USA)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
I have wanted to learn Chinese ever since I visited Beijing two years ago but thought the complexities of the language would make learning it forever out of my reach. Besides, it's not like there are a lot of Chinese Language instructors at local universities.
I took Japanese at my local university last year and did not learn nearly as much as I did using the Japanese Rosetta Stone.
So, when I saw they had the Chinese version, I decided to give it a try.
Here's what I love about this program:
1. What I really love about this Rosetta Stone is that you can wear headphones, listen to a word or phrase, and then repeat back what you heard. If you say it wrong, the program corrects you and has you say it again. We did not do that in my university class...it was all rote memorization and listening to our professor yammer on and on.
2. Rosetta Stone costs about the same as a university course, but allows you access to the "instructor" after you have completed the lessons. You can refresh your memory whenever you want.
3. Rosetta Stone is so easy to use, you literally plug and play.
4. The program tracks completed lessons.
5. Rosetta Stone has impressive photographs that help cement the word/phrase in your head.
6. The lessons are brief. My university class lasted 2 hours. By the end of the period, my head was swimming with unfamiliar words. I like that the lessons on Rosetta Stone are only 30 minutes long.
7. Rosetta Stone is so convenient. You can learn Chinese from the comfort of your home, before work, after dinner, in between your favorite tv shows. (You can even order sweet and sour chicken from your favorite Chinese restaurant and eat it while practicing with no worries about the smell annoying your classmates. How cool is that?)
It's fun, it works because it's multidimensional September 1, 2008
Dave Millman (San Jose, CA USA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is not like French class in high school! No grammar, syntax, or conjugation!
I really want to say, I'm very excited by this product. I've always been intrigued by the possibility of learning Chinese, but each time I looked into the options, I quickly gave up. The other books and tapes I've looked at are difficult and "flat", as in uni-dimensional. You either repeat what's on the tape ad nauseum, or read what's in the book ad nauseum, you get the idea.
The Rosetta Stone Chinese program is very different. It's multi-dimensional in the sense that it gives you several ways to learn. You can use the computer-based tools to speak and get instantaneous feedback. You can use the Audio Companion CDs in your car (actually, on my iPod!) to practice while driving or whatever. Within the computer based tools are several ways to learn, including a cool Milestones test that inserts you into a real life situation where you have to speak the right answer. I was actually intimidated to try this for a few hours, because I didn't want to screw up, but eventually I tried it, screwed up, and learned more by doing so.
I really like the Rosetta method of presenting you with visual images and spoken language for you to repeat, then visual "puzzles" for you to deduce the correct response. This is very natural once you get into it. It took me a while to get the "rhythm" and patterns of the language, but this method in particular helped me over that hump. That's the main reason for my 5 star rating. I couldn't get that from a "flat" book or tape series.
This set includes everything, including the computer headset and microphone, so you just drop it all in and go. It worked flawlessly on my vintage 2006 Windows XP laptop.
Important: You are going to have to set aside time to learn Chinese with this or any other system. Five minutes here and there won't work. The program is broken up into lots of modules, so it is easy to focus on a small amount of related material at once, but FOCUS is the issue: I recommend 30-90 minutes at a time with no distractions (audio or visual!).
The downside: I don't think I'm going to become fluent reading or writing Chinese from this system. I didn't expect to be able to read written Chinese, so I did not reduce my review for this limitation. Perhaps others will have more luck, because the features are there to help you read two kinds of Chinese writing, but I don't think that part is going to make me literate. I can recognize some Chinese characters at this point, but there are thousands you have to know to be literate.
By the way, if you want to get a taste of the Rosetta Stone method, go to their web site where they have an online sample of the watch-listen-try system (for Turkish!). The online sample does not include the instant feedback on your spoken words included in this package, or the Milestones or other features. It just grades your point-click responses, which will give you a taste. Plus, there's a Michael Phelps testimonial video about the Chinese program (recorded before he won all the medals in Beijing!)
Once again, exceeded this military linguist's expectations. September 18, 2008
W. C. Bryant (Columbus, OH USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
A month ago I had the opportunity to review Rosetta Stone Version 3: French Level 1, 2 & 3 Set with Audio Companion, and while my immersive learning experience for Korean while a Marine had made me skeptical that a piece of software could actually teach someone a language, I came out thoroughly impressed by Rosetta's approach, and high on its potential. I noted, at the time, that I had a few years of French going in, and that I wondered what the experience would be like if I were going into a new language completely blind with this system -- so when the opportunity to try Chinese came up, I was both intrigued and excited.
Backing up briefly to the nuts and bolts, this is easy software to install. You install the base learning platform, and then each of the modules (Chinese 1, 2, and 3, in this case) individually within. The happy result of this modular system is that you still only have one install even if you have multiple languages on the system. Which is to say that because I had already installed the software with French, when it came to install Chinese, all I had to do was load the new modules into the existing software. Whether you'll be doing a new install, or adding modules to an old, it's quick, easy, and intuitive -- just like the software itself. Post-installation, you're taken into the learning process straight away. After calibrating the included microphone headset, I was invited to repeat and pronounce "ni hao," just as "bonjour" had been the first of many steps for the French.
As I said in the French review, the software is intuitive, and the approach is intelligent. You don't have that native speaker standing in front of you scowling because you're butchering the music of their language in the early going, but you do have the software giving feedback and similarly identifying where you might require a little more attention. The program constructs in the user a solid base of simple vocabulary, establishing a basic understanding of the mechanics of the language on which additional vocabulary and structure may be built. With regard to the interface, the absence of a tutorial (as far as I saw, though I didn't look hard because it was so easy just to start using) was a bit surprising, though it took a very small amount of time to get into the swing of things. The earliest exercises range from matching phrases to their appropriate pictures to out-loud (through a microphone) pronunciation tests to proper spelling and grammar training. The pronunciation recognition ability of the software is pretty sharp -- if you're off, it will tell you, but the program allows the user to improve before moving on to the next test.
Chinese is one of the most difficult languages for Westerners to learn and master, simply because of the complete departure from the basic construction and rules of those with Latin and Greek roots. Which is to say that you can often apply basic logic learned from English mastery to concepts in French, Spanish, Russian, and the like. Chinese is also character based (as opposed to alphabet-based construction of words), and tone is often critical to meaning. We may pronounce "boat" any way we choose, and our audience is likely to understand what we mean. In Chinese, a single word given different tonal inflections may carry several different possible meanings.
So, getting back to my closing question from the French review, can someone come in completely unfamiliar with a language, and master it with Rosetta Stone? I don't like to speak in absolutes, but that certainly seems a stretch after a month of working with Chinese. Despite my background with Korean, which employs a small range of Chinese characters in its own fashion, and despite genuinely enjoying the process, Rosetta alone won't bring you to mastery, and perhaps not even to a point where you could cleanly communicate with native speakers without real help. But that's not the point, which is why it's not a knock on the software, or their (in my estimation) brilliant approach to language learning. Rosetta builds a foundation, a very strong foundation, upon which you may pursue mastery through use. By building a cornerstone of vocabulary, concept, and a basic framework of common means of communication, you are given almost everything you need to to practice, practice, practice -- and in the process, learn. I would argue that the most difficult part of learning a language (though this varies from person to person) is the foundation, and Rosetta is a terrific solution, either as a standalone approach, or as a supplement to other classes or exposure. In my case, with Chinese, it's only been a month, but I'm already building that base. Another month, tossing in a few hours of learning time here and there? Who knows, maybe by then it will be time to go looking for patient native speakers who might be able to further mold and instruct me. Foreign languages are out of no ones reach, it's just a question of how far you might try to take it. Rosetta levels 1 through 3 aren't going to do for you what 47 weeks with native speakers at the Defense Language Institute will, but it will definitely put you on the same path, and I can assure you it's much more fun this way. As before, I find myself an enthusiastic fan of this software and approach.
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