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Monday, February 10th
Rosetta Stone might be one of the most well-known language learning platforms out there. It has been around since 1992 and uses cloud-based technology to help people learn to read, write, and speak over 30 languages. It began with founder Allen Stoltzfus's frustration with trying to learn Russian through traditional methods. He found it difficult and dreamed of using computer technology to simulate the way people learn a new language. In 1992 Rosetta Stone was available only on CD-ROM, but now can be accessed through your mobile device or computer for individuals, businesses, or schools.
Learn like you did as a child
The method used by Rosetta Stone is meant to mirror the way you first acquired language as a child. It provides maximum exposure to Hindi through audio spoken by native speakers, written words, and images from the real world. Visual and conceptual clues are given to help with interpretation of new phrases, words, and sentences.
Personalized 6-week plan
Your Hindi lesson plan will be personalized based on why you're learning the language and your current skill level. Rosetta Stone will curate a 6-week plan for you to follow with regular reminders to stay on track.
Glitching free trial
Rosetta Stone offers a 3-day free trial where you can access the first lesson, but they don't make it easy to find. As an added frustration, once we signed up for it, the website continually glitched and didn't let us get started on our lesson. There was no way to actually access the free trial. This is just one issue of many that some people have complained about when it comes to backend issues with Rosetta Stone.
3-month, 12-month, or lifetime subscription
The paid version of Rosetta Stone isn't cheap. You can either do a 3-month plan that is billed at $15.99/month, a 12-month plan billed at $13.99/month, or buy a lifetime subscription for a one-time payment of $399. This also includes the content for all 25 languages taught through Rosetta Stone. There is a 30-day money back guarantee on all purchases that ensures you'll get your money back if you aren't happy with the program.
Deceptive marketing
Many customers who have purchased the lifetime subscription have written furious reviews about the product after realizing that they were locked out of their accounts and that it ultimately expired. This has especially been the case for people who spent hundreds of dollars on the program when it was in CD form only to find that when it went online they no longer could access the program. Even those who subscribed online to a lifetime membership say it expires after 5 years. This is really deceptive marketing.
Downloadable lessons
Even if you don't have an internet connection, you can download the audio files from Rosetta Stone and practice on-the-go. In these lessons you'll hear a native speaker say words and phrases that you'll repeat back to practice vocabulary and solidify pronunciation.
Join live lessons
25-minute live lessons can be streamed where an instructor will cover a specific topic with cultural relevance that you can interact with through a live chat feature. Examples of these lessons are food idioms, how to describe people, or vocabulary related to traditions and cultural celebrations.
Separately purchase one-on-one tutoring
You can separately purchase live tutoring sessions to help you learn through interaction with others in either individual or small group settings. In these sessions you'll be able to ask questions, converse, and get personalized feedback. Once you've completed enough lessons, you'll be prompted to sign up for a tutoring session. The first one is free and the subsequent costs are either $14 or $19 per session.
Major issues reported by customers
The Better Business Bureau gives Rosetta Stone an "A+” rating. They've also been awarded and recognized by Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Codie, Tech Learning, The Edtech Awards, TechCrunch, and Today. While all this is fantastic, we are mostly concerned with individual user experiences. This is where Rosetta Stone has been falling short. Some major issues people are reporting are serious technical issues that go on for months, poor customer service for existing clients, and a lack of clear explanation of the nitty gritty details of a language like tense, phrasing, and grammar.
Disappointed
Rosetta Stone was somewhat of a pioneer in the online language learning world. They were the first exposure many people had to being able to learn a new language from the comfort of their home. As other companies have risen up and started to dominate the space, Rosetta Stone has had a lot to compete with. Not only are they expensive, but there seem to be a lot of issues with the program and some holes in the content for helping people progress as far as they want with the Hindi language. When compared with some other really great Hindi teaching methods, we were disappointed with Rosetta Stone and they've earned one of our lowest ratings.
If you ever took a French, Spanish, or other second-language class in high school, you know how difficult it can be to learn in a fast-paced group environment where it's easy to fall behind. Many people walk away from these classes without the knowledge sticking long-term and feeling discouraged about how hard it is.
This is where new, robust online platforms come into the picture. Taking a Hindi class online lets you progress at your own pace, utilize multiple forms of methods that fit your learning style (one-on-one tutoring, flashcards, practice quizzes, conjugation charts, practice dialogues, and more), refer back to previous lessons and notes, and practice your skills right away.
If you already have a basic understanding of Hindi, you can shape your online learning experience to build on this and take you to the next level. If the only thing you know about Hindi is that it's the most common language spoken in India, you can start from scratch and work your way up to fluency. There are amazing programs out there that are built for everyone and they couldn't be easier or more convenient to use.
There are over 336 million people across the world who speak Hindi, making it the third most commonly spoken language. In a time of global connection and communication, it's an exciting time to take your learning skills to the next level and start incorporating second (or third or fourth) languages into your toolkit. If you're looking to travel, build a business, become a more valuable employee, or connect better with your colleagues, neighbors, and friends, learning Hindi would be an incredible skill.
The biggest perk of learning a language online is that you can do it your own way. Some platforms let you choose a topic you want to learn about to make it more interesting and get you started that way. For example, if you're connecting with colleagues in India and need to be able to converse about business topics, you could start there.
If you're traveling and need to be able to ask for a bathroom location or restaurant recommendation, you could focus your study there. Or, if you want the basic building blocks of language learning laid out for you and to have the program lead you through progressive lessons that broadly cover all topics, there are options for that too. When you find a program to fit your learning style, it will make learning Hindi so much easier and more thrilling.
There are major opportunities for those who know this important language, so now is the time to start. When deciding where to take Hindi lessons online, take the following things into consideration:
Are you ready to take your Hindi language skills to the next level? Top Consumer Reviews has reviewed and ranked the best places for you to take Hindi lessons online from the comfort and convenience of your home. We hope this information gives you the tools you need to become confident in the Hindi language. Aasha hai aapko kamyaabi mile!
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