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When I was younger I wanted to become a United Nations interpreter.  I loved learning foreign languages and took up both Spanish and French in high school. Then I added American Sign Language (ASL), Polish and a bit of Russian in college.  Years later I continue to use my knowledge of Spanish and ASL on a daily basis, but had forgotten much of my French.  So, imagine my joy when Rosetta Stone asked our 411Voices team to learn  a foreign language and then let others know about their Totale Program by blogging.  I decided this was my “grande”  opportunity to have a “redo” with French.

Many of us remember studying a foreign language with a lot of redundancy.  There was no real application for the language except for an occasional “dinner night” or school trip.  This is not the case with Rosetta Stones Totale program.   The first step to using the Rosetta Stone programs is to FORGET how you learned a foreign language before using Totale.  Next, sit back and enjoy the amazing photography and great audio incorporated in this intuitive learning acquisition program which allows you to become immersed in the language and culture. I use the program about 30 minutes a day and truly the time flies by.  Plus, I am competitive by nature, so having a progress score given to me at the end of each module keeps my interest. My only complaint so far, is that I don’t do as well as I wish on the pronunciation section.  I tend to put too much Spanish in to my French pronunciation.  No 100’s here on pronunciation – yet!  But, no worries – Rosetta Stone is a “patient teacher”.

Now bring in David, my concierge tutor supplied to all who use the Totale program.  David called not once, twice but three times until we could finally talk.  We have yet to set up a tutorial session (my fault, not his)- but I am really looking forward to chatting with him.  In time, I can also join the online community of native speakers who will hone my skills. In fact, this program is so comprehensive that it does not allow for failure.

I plan on writing several blogs about my Rosetta Stone experience.  Not because I am getting paid to do so (I’m not).  Or that I have nothing else to write about ( Double- NOT) But, because as a person who has a deep interest in language acquisition I want to see how effective the Rosetta Stone program is with groups such as these: 1) English Limited Learners or Second Language Learners (ELL / ESOL), 2) Home Educated students 3) Deaf students 4) Children with Special Needs, such as Autism. ( I already know that they are the “platinum standard” with the military and for corporate language learners.)

So here is my request… if you have tried the Rosetta Stone Totale program and you have a deaf child, a child with autism or are a home educator- please connect with me.  I would love to learn about other people’s experiences with their product. If you are a home educator to a deaf or child on the Autism spectrum please connect with me.

I hope you will take a few minutes to check out their website and think of this….

College graduates and those looking for new career opportunities who have a good command of a second language often secure employment easier than their peers who do not have another language ‘under their belt’. 

  I will be writing at least two more blogs about my Rosetta Stone experience, including how the pronunciation section helped improve my vocal quality post thyroid cancer surgery. 

Thanks for reading!
~Louise

To listen to my interview with Duane Sider, spokesperson for Rosetta Stone (Fall 2010) please click here

Learn more about 411Voices by clicking here