Resisting Language Learning: the Rosetta Stone Vs. Duolingo
There are so many resources available for language learning right now that it can seem a little overwhelming. Rosetta Stone and Duolingo are two of the most popular options, but each has its own quirks and quirks. Let’s translate their key features so you can choose the right tool for your language learning.
Applicants
This confrontation in language learning is truly a battle between two generations and two ideals. In one corner, we have a company that has been around since the early 90’s and has been selling people effective language learning software for 25 years. In the other corner is a newcomer to the block, advocating the belief that language learning should be available to everyone for free. Let’s take a closer look at our rivals before ringing the bell:
- Rosetta Stone : This language learning software has been around since 1992, making it one of the oldest computer-based language learning (CALL) tools on the market. Rosetta Stone’s approach to learning is called dynamic immersion , which involves gradually introducing images and sounds, words, sentences, conversations and concepts in a way that accelerates the learning process. The Rosetta Stone listing boasts 28 languages and can range in price from $ 80 to $ 250 (no discounts). It is available on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices.
- Duolingo : Duolingo, our beloved reader favorite , was launched in late 2011 and has been steadily gaining popularity ever since. So by 2015, Duolingo was worth more than double the price of Rosetta Stone . He uses a crowdsourced model for all of his translations and lessons, and mainly teaches through gamification the translation of words and phrases. Duolingo offers 21 languages and is completely free. It is available on Windows, iOS and Android devices.
Both options can also be used in a browser, depending on which services you choose to use. And while the high price tag of Rosetta Stone may scare you off immediately, that by no means makes Duolingo an automatic winner. It won’t be perfect for everyone, but there are many more reasons to fork out.
Duolingo offers popular languages, but Rosetta Stone has more and more variety
You can learn over 20 languages on both platforms, but there are a few key differences in their offerings. Let’s deal with this.
The 28 languages of the Rosetta Stone include :
Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain), French, Italian, German, English (American), English (British), Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Dari, Dutch, Filipino (Tagalog), Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Irish, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Pashto, Persian (Farsi), Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, Swedish, Turkish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
Duolingo’s 21 languages include :
Spanish, French, German, Italian, English, Portuguese, Dutch, Irish, Danish, Swedish, Russian, Polish, Romanian, Greek, Esperanto, Turkish, Vietnamese, Hebrew, Norwegian, Ukrainian, Hungarian and Welsh.
As you can see, Duolingo has a good selection of popular languages. But do you notice anything when you compare them? Duolingo has almost no Asian languages other than Vietnamese. In fact, it has very few languages that use non-English, non-Latin alphabets. This means that if you want to learn Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Tagalog, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Pashto, Turkish or Urdu, you will have to go with Rosetta Stone or another program . Of course, it’s hard to complain too much about this when Duolingo isn’t charging you a dime.
Rosetta Stone charges arm and leg, Duolingo for free
As mentioned, the biggest benefit of Duolingo is that it’s free to use. All you have to do is create a Duolingo account and you will have access to pretty much everything it has to offer on your computer, iOS or Android device. There are a few paid deals on Duolingo, but these are mostly cosmetic items or things like “Repairing a Series” when you interrupt a series of lessons.
Rosetta Stone, on the other hand, offers two tuition-paid training options:
- CD or software download : You can pay a one-time fee to access Level 1 of the language – five to six hours of lessons – for about $ 124, for levels 1-3 for about $ 200, and for about $ 250 for levels 1- 5. You can download lessons or receive CDs in the mail. However, this option is only available for Windows and Mac computers.
- Subscription Option : For a recurring subscription, you can access all levels of the selected language for the duration of the online subscription. They offer three months ($ 79), six months ($ 119), 12 months ($ 179), and 24 months ($ 250) subscriptions. These tutorials can be accessed on your computer, iOS or Android device. Although I would not recommend using the web interface, as it seemed to me quite awkward.
If you want to access lessons on the go, a subscription plan is your only option. It’s also cheaper if you think you can complete the entire program in a certain amount of time. If you will be learning by accident and don’t mind doing all the lessons on a computer, the boot / CD option is the best choice.
Regardless, Rosetta Stone is going to be quite expensive compared to Duolingo. But it’s not hard to find deals on Rosetta Stone that will bring the price down a bit. For example, I just purchased a 12 month subscription to all levels of Japanese for only $ 114 instead of $ 179. And Rosetta Stone offers payment plans if you don’t want to pay all at once, as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee if you don’t like it. However, Duolingo is free … Free!
Duolingo teaches you faster, Rosetta Stone teaches you deeper
The real question in your head is probably “Which one works best?” Well, like most forms of learning, it depends on how much effort you put in. Both are very effective language learning tools . But if you want something a little more specific, a 2012 study found that people actually learn faster with Duolingo . The study suggests it takes 34 hours of Duolingo lessons to study, which is the equivalent of one semester of college, but 55 hours of study with Rosetta Stone. However, the study only included one language, Spanish, and both instruments dramatically improved the participants’ ability to speak Spanish.
Before you stop reading and choose Duolingo because it’s free and won one comparative study, it’s important to think about how they teach. Both share some similarities, but teach in different ways, and one style may be more in line with your teaching preferences.
Duolingo’s gaming lessons focus on direct translation of words and phrases, and your learning remains largely bilingual, meaning you almost always translate from one language to your native language, or vice versa. This makes learning faster and easier, but less exciting. The Rosetta stone almost immediately ceases to hold your hand, forcing you to put together and describe what is happening in different photographs. It can be frustrating at times, but it is most like a real life scenario, and it makes you start thinking in the language you are learning. And the use of the target language in the thought process is one of the cornerstones of its study.
Rosetta Stone also has slightly more features than Duolingo. For example, it has a customizable speech recognition engine that you can tweak to increase or decrease the difficulty of your pronunciation tests. As you progress through the lessons, you can increase the difficulty of your speech recognition assessment. The Rosetta Stone is also especially useful when you are learning a language with a different alphabet because it will abandon the English alphabet from the beginning. You not only decipher what is shown in the photo, when you see the words, you see them the way you need to know them. You will learn to decipher, pronounce and identify words and symbols.
If you’re not sure which approach you need more, you can try both. Duolingo is free to use and Rosetta Stone offers a free trial to give you a taste of learning. Try them both and see if one of them grabs you more.
Duolingo is best for beginners (and is FREE), Rosetta Stone is best for keen learners
In truth, both of these tools are good for different reasons. In my opinion, it all depends on why you want to learn the language.
If you’ve never tried learning a new language before, go straight to Duolingo, don’t go through Rosetta Stone, don’t pay $ 250. This is a fantastic introduction to the languages on offer, and it gives you a lot of options for free to work with. It’s also a lot of fun. They are always updated with new features , lesson types and ways to keep you motivated . Duolingo is very easy to use on your smartphone or tablet. It is ideal for the traveling traveler who wants to gain basic knowledge of the language . You will learn enough to communicate and have simple conversations. Just try it. You have nothing to lose.
If you are very serious about being fluent in any language or the language you want to learn is not available on Duolingo, Rosetta Stone is a great choice. This immersive learning method forces you to learn a language from scratch, not just a deck of common words and phrases. People avoid it because of the price tag, but it’s effective – I’ve used it for French and now Japanese too – and things like temporary subscriptions and payment plans make it more affordable than the sticker price suggests. It is ideal for aspiring students looking to learn a language inside and out. And there is something to be said about paying for lessons. When money is at stake – or a time limit – you’ll have more motivation to really follow through with lessons. Make no mistake, Rosetta Stone won’t get you fluent, but I think it provides the conceptual building blocks you will need on the long journey to fluency.