Important Facts About Rosetta Stone
Named for an ancient Egyptian language artifact, Rosetta Stone language learning software is one of the most famous of its kind. Commonly used by corporate and government interests, Rosetta Stone is also popular among individuals looking to teach themselves a foreign language. If you're considering purchasing this software, or just need to know a little more about the company, familiarize yourself with some of the most important facts about Rosetta Stone.
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History
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Rosetta Stone's software was first developed in 1992 by the Rosetta Stone company, then known as Fairfield Language Technologies. The primary pedagogical developer, Allen Stoltzfus, conceived of the software after being frustrated by the difficulty of learning Russian in a classroom setting, in contrast to the ease he found in learning German through natural immersion in Germany. The product first hit the market in 1999. Since then, the software has developed three additional versions, plus a home-school version. The software is now available in 31 languages.
How it Works
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Rosetta Stone's popularity, and primary selling point, stems from the software's pedagogical method. While more traditional language software programs generally function in a manner similar to classroom learning (featuring translated vocabulary lists and memory drills), the Rosetta Stone software uses what the company refers to as a "Dynamic Immersion Method." The Dynamic Immersion Method simulates the situations under which infants learn their first language. Exercises, therefore, are based on allowing the user to observe the language and experiment with its use, discovering correct vocabulary and use through trial and error.
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Reception
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The Rosetta Stone software has won awards from a number of software and language learning organizations. Common negative responses to the software, however, cite its lack of separate cultural contexts in its presentation of different languages, as well as the unsuitability of the program's techniques for gaining a solid mastery of grammar.
Usage
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The Rosetta Stone software is commonly used for international businesses whose representatives need to rapidly learn a foreign language for the sake of business dealings. The software is also used by the U.S. government in the Department of State, Air Force and Marine Corps divisions. In addition, a special version of the software was commissioned in 2007 to help troops deployed in the Middle East learn the Arabic language, specific to conversations related to military situations.
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