What's the best foreign language software out there?

[Chaotic42]

I'm interested in obtaining a true fluency in Russian. I realize that this is a long term thing, but I've always wanted to become fluent in another language, and I really like Russian. I took Russian 101 way back when, so I'm comfortable with the alphabet and a very small amount of grammar.

I have two text books, a Penguin Russian course and a text book that appears to have been published at the end of the Soviet era in Moscow. I hear good things about Rosetta Stone, and I've done a few lessons in Japanese using it and it seemed pretty neat.

I realize that the best way to become fluent would be to take a class or better yet move to Russia, but both of those aren't options.

Is Rosetta Stone really useful for true language understanding? If not, is any software?

 

[LS20]

Pocceta Ctohe

 

[RapidSnail]

I don't have much experience, but you could try combining Pimsleur and Rosetta.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: LS20
Pocceta Ctohe

Cyrillic font broken?

 

[Throckmorton]

All I know is the Rosetta Stone cart at the mall is manned by a hot girl.

 

[gamepad]

I tried Korean with Rosetta Stone. I quickly uninstalled it.

 

[zinfamous]

Pimsler ftw.

 

[paulney]

I haven't heard good things about Rosetta Stone. You can advance, but only to a certain point, after that it's just beating against the wall.
You need a good tutor, and preferably one who can explain grammar and special cases, so that you understand the core structure of the language. Then you can feel it, and get a good grip on conjugations and word inflections.

If anyone tells you 'we'll just start talking and I'll teach you basic conversation' - run away. I've yet to see one student who was able to speak/read Russian after those tutors, and I've seen quite a few.

Another option is to try your local community college. They may have a good instructor, although chances are pretty slim. Again, if all they do is read Dostoyevskiy with you for the whole semester (so that they can slack off) - this is not the course for you.

We used to give group and individual classes in Russian, but now we moved completely into translation/interpreting.

 

[AnyMal]

The only way to become fluent in a foreign language is to move to a country where it's spoken.

 

[thescreensavers]

Originally posted by: gamepad
I tried Korean with Rosetta Stone. I quickly uninstalled it.

True that Rosetta stone, is the worst by far

 

[potato28]

Originally posted by: AnyMal
The only way to become fluent in a foreign language is to move to a country where it's spoken.

QFT. This is the way I picked up most of my French.

 

[TruePaige]

I kind of like Rosetta Stone, have been using it in my free time to try and pick up some Russian. Though it doesn't explain a lot, you just build these little mental trees, I think it teaches you how to speak well, but if you have to read you are screeeewwweeed.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: TruePaige
I kind of like Rosetta Stone, have been using it in my free time to try and pick up some Russian. Though it doesn't explain a lot, you just build these little mental trees, I think it teaches you how to speak well, but if you have to read you are screeeewwweeed.

Is Rosetta Stone the first method that you've tried? I seem to do okay with language books, but they can be dry at times.

 

[alkemyst]

mail order bride will probably be the best software.

 

[WildHorse]

like I already said in another pst,

the BEST software to really learn a foreign language

comes in a real short skirt.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
mail order bride will probably be the best software.

There are some hot Russian women, but Russia's got some STD problems.

 

[alkemyst]

dear god, 90% of posts about women end up with STD's mentioned. It kills me. The world has STD problems.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
dear god, 90% of posts about women end up with STD's mentioned. It kills me. The world has STD problems.

Here you go.

I swear to God, sometimes I think it would be better to just bang my head into a wall than to try and have a discussion about something on these forums.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: alkemyst
dear god, 90% of posts about women end up with STD's mentioned. It kills me. The world has STD problems.

Here you go.

I swear to God, sometimes I think it would be better to just bang my head into a wall than to try and have a discussion about something on these forums.

So you were researching mail order brides?

Also the purchase of a mail order bride here was in jest. If someone is meeting Russian women stateside, chances are they are not fresh off the boat.

Anyway as a man with a condom even HIV women are 'relatively' safe to have plain sex with. I wouldn't go out and chance it, but a random encounter with someone infected with something is not the guaranteed infection that people make it out to be.

Feel free to bang your head into a wall though, maybe you will realize context of posting.