From Subtitles To Native Speaking: My Journey With Rosetta Stone

Instead of trying to write a novel or do anything too lofty, my quarantine goal has been to catch up on movies.

I started with the Oscars, and after I saw Parasite, I wanted to see more of Bong Joon Ho’s movies. They were awesome, and it led me to seek out other popular foreign language films!

After a few Spanish movies, I watched Pan’s Labyrinth and realized I could understand a few words that I wouldn’t have caught weeks ago.

I don’t mind reading subtitles at all, but I thought if I could grasp a little bit of each language, it would make watching foreign movies so much better.

Instead of learning every language on planet Earth, I decided to just try to learn some common words and phrases from a bunch of different languages.

I figured Google Translate would help, and I could make a doc, but once I started, it felt like homework.

My friend recommended Rosetta Stone, but again, I didn’t need to learn a full language, just a little bit of everything. She said the app allowed you to try a bunch of different languages.

If that was true, that sounded perfect. I looked into the Rosetta Stone app, and saw that with the annual membership, you have access to 24+ languages!! They also revolve the learning process around bite size 5-10 minute lessons; that’s exactly what I wanted. Just a little chunk of time each day to learn a few new things in a new language.

I decided to sign up for the free trial, and that’s where I got to see all the cool stuff they offer. With some languages, you can create a game plan to focus on what you want to learn first.

Their philosophy is that dynamic immersion is what will help you learn; you learn things in context, so it’s not just boring memorization. I loved that I could listen to native speakers telling Stories, so you can get used to the speed and rhythms, instead of just listening to a computer voice.

There are Audio Companion lessons that don’t require the screen, so I can listen while doing dishes, and if I know I’m going somewhere without WiFi, I can download lessons to use on-the-go.

And not that I’ll be showing off any time soon, but I really liked the TruAccent® feature. You get real-time feedback on your pronunciation, so you can sound like a local.

I’ve taken courses in Spanish, Italian, Korean, French, and Japanese now, and I’m having so much fun! I’m definitely picking up on more phrases in the movies.

It’s a stress-free way to learn something new, and I think I’m learning more than I would if I’d tried to do this in a more rigid way on my own.

If you’re looking to learn one language in and out, I’m sure it’s great, too, but for exploring languages from all over the world, especially since I can’t make travel plans right now, it’s amazing.

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