In this post, we are going to give you complete details of Living Language vs Rosetta Stone, stay tuned.
People who want a major change in their life would benefit from learning a new language, as we all know.
The most famous and first language learning programs are Living Language and Rosetta Stone. Both programs still use audio CDs and books as learning tools, even as technology develops.
In this article, we’ll compare Living Language vs Rosetta Stone both of them in depth to figure out which is better.
Living Language vs Rosetta Stone: Overview
If you’re looking for information on Living Language vs Rosetta Stone, we’ve included all you need to know in this post to help you make an informed decision.
What Is Living Language?
A language learning program called Living Language was founded in 1946. At first, it published textbooks for self-study, but now it also offers CD audios and online language learning courses, all rights reserved by Penguin Random House.
The long years that Living Language has been in the market for many generations makes it stand out. There is also a Language Lab on the Living Stone website, as well as limited-time courses that have a three-month validity, such as Passport.
There is also an English as a Second Language program offered by Living Language. As well as Dothraki (from Game of Thrones), Living Language offers American sign language (ASL).
You can currently take advantage of a one-time 20% discount by signing up for Living Language’s newsletter. The online course requirements of Living Language are met.
In addition to Windows or Mac-based computers, it includes a modern browser (such as Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Internet Explorer 11), and audio playback capabilities. Broadband Internet access is often recommended.
Pros
- Easy-to-use for beginners
- Provide short courses
- Resources are available for free
- There are 28 languages available
Cons
- Lessons with flashcards are too tedious.
- Apps for mobile devices are not available.
What Is Rosetta Stone?
Similarly, Rosetta Stone was one of the first language learning software companies on the market. The company was founded in 1992 by Allen Stoltzfus and was initially known as Fairfield Language Technologies.
Students are not able to access Live-tutoring through Rosetta Stones. Furthermore, Rosetta Stone offers a three-day free trial of one of their languages so that you can see what’s inside.
Moreover, Rosetta Stone has an exclusive Spanish version of its official website, Rosetta Stone for Spanish.
A 30-day money back guarantee is offered by Rosetta Stone for software purchased directly from the company. It offers three different plans at the moment. For a limited time, annual and lifetime subscriptions are on sale for full access to all languages.
Living Language and Rosetta Stone both follow minimum requirements for their online courses. You will need a desktop or a laptop with Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.9 or higher.
With the Adobe Player, it works on any web browser which has the latest version. High-speed internet is also required.
Pros:
- Easy-to-learn for beginners
- Your tutor will be a native speaker.
- Apps and websites with substantial user interfaces
- Engaging content such as games, short stories, etc.
Cons:
- A bit pricey in comparison with other competitors
- Occasionally monotonous
Living Language vs Rosetta Stone: Language Catalog
With Living Stone’s online programs, English speakers can learn up to 61 languages.
ASL, Arabic, Dothraki, Dutch, English for Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Arabic and Russian are among the comprehensive courses offered. As these only use books and audio CDs, the Essential and Complete editions cannot be purchased online.
Living Language offers four business language courses, 10 languages for Passport courses, and three language courses for travelers based on the amount of commitment people wish to make.
Those in law enforcement, librarians, and healthcare can also take the On the Job course that combines ASL and Spanish. There is also a flashcards-only course that takes 36 minutes to complete.
There are currently 25 languages available in Rosetta Stone. However, not all are available on every platform. Subscribers to consumer-type plans will not be able to access Dari, Indonesian, Pashto, or Swahili.
The Living Language app has my vote because you can select from a variety of languages. The program allowed you to learn English as your second language, even if you were not a native English speaker.
Additionally, it offered an online course in American Sign Language (ASL). You can also take short courses to become more conversational.
Living Language vs Rosetta Stone: Learning Methods
Living Language vs Rosetta Stone both help beginners to build a solid foundation gradually.
Living Language uses explicit grammar, but Rosetta Stone does not. It does the grammatical explanations so that users know how certain words and phrases should be used.
Learning Spanish, for instance, can be explained by grammar rules based on when to use the La and El. One of the best things about it is that it will teach you vocabulary and phrases you can actually use in real-life situations.
After every lesson, I like to listen to full conversations using the new language. In addition to flashcards, Living Language features recordings of native speakers and images. Depending on your needs, you can choose to see how words and phrases are written.
There are disturbing images and flashcards that are not relevant to the topic. I haven’t been able to enjoy the audio because I find that it sounds too robotic.
Additionally, there is a lot of English in the content, and much of it is out of date and inaccurate.
As for Rosetta Stone, it makes use of images and audio recordings, but that’s all it does. You will just have to look at the pictures to understand the meaning.
You will be given multiple choices regarding how you can interpret the pictures and will be able to think deeply about what you are doing.
It’s great how the software recognizes your pronunciation of the words and phrases. My only concern about the audio is that, even though it sounds like it’s coming from native speakers, there are a lot of pitches and intonations to follow.
Also, the images used by Rosetta Stone are somehow unclear and no explanation is given for the phrases and words that aren’t appropriate to real life.
Among their contents such as games, short stories, and etc., Living Language and Rosetta Stone promote engagements. Living Language adapts to new technologies through continuous development.
However, I find the games added to the program to be dull. Floating bubbles and flipping cards seem inappropriate to me. These activities may be more engaging for younger students. It is better to use Rosetta Stone for this activity.
Living Language is my preferred method of learning over Rosetta Stone. Living Language offers grammar rules that help make the language easier to understand.
People can learn the language using it quickly even if it is not as engaging as Rosetta Stone.
Living Language vs Rosetta Stone: Price & Program
Living Language vs Rosetta Stone both offer a variety of subscription plans that will suit our needs. However, the prices vary from one subscription plan to another.
So, Living Language offers four subscription plans (except for American Sign Language in which there is not a monthly plan): a one-month plan costs $39, a three-month plan costs $50, a six-month plan costs $75, and it costs $150 for a one-year plan.
A beginner would benefit from taking this course since it can teach them how to become advanced speakers. The course has three levels, and there are 46 lessons.
The other special series of Living Language is also available for $60 for three months. In addition, a three-month subscription for Passport is also available for $50 (individual) or $75 (learn with a friend).
Its flashcard-based language programs cost $15 per month, $30 per three-month period, and $50 per semi-annual period. Monthly, three-monthly, and semiannually are available for on-the-job training, but the prices differ.
Living Language provides a free lesson to those who are interested in trying out the program first.
Even if this is just a limited preview, at least it will show you what a language learning program looks like. The Language Lab is another great aspect of Living Language, in that anyone can use it.
However, Rosetta Stones is offering special offers: 3 months for $35.97 (retail price), 1 year for $95.88 ($179 retail price), and lifetime subscriptions for $199 ($299 retail price).
Subscriptions that expire will automatically be renewed at full retail price. Online tutoring is also available through Rosetta Stone. A class will cost you between $14 and $19.
For $99 and up, Rosetta Stone offers either a three- or five-work payment plan. While Living Language is available for both iOS and Android mobile devices, Rosetta Stone is only available through mobile apps.
Language learning programs can also be accessed offline, in any location, at any time. Rosetta Stones wins over Living Language in terms of price and features.
Living Language’s one-month subscription costs $39, where Rosetta Stone’s three-month subscription costs $35.97? Wow, that’s a big price difference.
Rosetta Stone also offers a 20% discount on average, according to something I read. Offline access is also included with the subscriptions.
Living Language vs Rosetta Stone: Standout Features
We have some standout features between Living Language vs Rosetta Stone.
Living Language
1. Language Lab: Living Language has this feature that is my favorite. There is no need to sign up for this resource, as it is a free one. It is available in 18 languages.
2. Dothraki Language: Based on the Game of Thrones series, this is a fictional language.
3. American Sign Language (ASL): Learners can communicate effectively with deaf people through its visual learning programs.
4. Special Series: Using these programs, you can learn a foreign language for specific purposes. You can take the Passport course if you want to be able to converse in a foreign language when you travel. Also available are flashcard-based courses, business courses, and on-the-job training.
5. English as a Second Language (ESL/EFL): This class is designed for people who do not speak English and would like to learn how to communicate in English.
6. The Essential and Complete Editions Package: Traditional learning tools are these. Audio CDs and textbooks are among them. These are still available from Living Stone, especially for educators.
Rosetta Stone
1. Rosetta Stone Spanish: Rosetta Stone’s Spanish website version is available here. With Rosetta Stone, it will help people learn Spanish, and it will also help Spanish speakers learn other languages with this website.
2. Full Access to All Languages: A lifetime subscription is available with purchases of one, two, or three years.
3. Available to Androids and iOS: As part of Rosetta Stones’ subscriptions, you can also download contents and learn wherever you are.
4. Easy Payment Plans: Rosetta Stone lets you pay its $99 and higher purchases in smaller monthly payments with no interest.
5. Personal Tutoring: As soon as you reach a certain number of lessons, you will be prompted to book tutoring. The first class is free, and subsequent classes are either $14 or $19.
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The Verdict: Living Language vs Rosetta Stone
My thoughts on Living Language vs Rosetta Stone. Both of them are suitable for beginners. There are differences between these two in terms of the method, the features, the variety of languages offered, and the pricing.
Therefore, if I were to choose between Living Language vs Rosetta Stone, I would choose Rosetta Stone.
It has been around for more than 70 years, but I love how Rosetta Stone is adapting its programs to new technologies. It is also flexible and includes explanations to help students learn the language in a better way.
Ultimately, choosing the right platform for language learning is all a matter of your preferences and learning style.
