Question

Has anyone used the Rosetta Stone resource for learning Mandarin? If so, do you recommend it or are there other quality resources for at-home study?

Answer 1

I have - it's not a magic bullet & for Chinese specifically I think it's harder for beginners to start with.

If you have used RS for other languages & like the format, then *maybe* for Chinese also but I think it's more effective after you have a decent understanding of the language. Couple 3rd party reviews: (disc: I run studymorechinese, no affiliation with other sites)
http://studymorechinese.com/page/chinese-rosetta-stone-review
http://www.tomschinablog.com/rosetta-stone-mandarin-chinese-independent-review/
Tom's blog disagrees with some points I note above so you'll want to compare. I know some people like RS but many are disappointed once they realize how much effort it takes to learn.

Personally, and much cheaper, I like http://chinesepod.com/ a lot for learning (goes great with coffee) because so much of Chinese is listening/speaking & they have entertaining content.
Skritter & RememberIT's Chinese flashcards both seem decent / popular for characters - I haven't used though.
MIT, BBC, youtube and lots of other free resources available also but usually less structured learning.
Good luck.

Answer 2

Thanks, studymorechinese, for all your tips! I will check out the chinesepod and your site. I haven't tried RS but see all the ads. Are you fluent or a native Chinese speaker?

Answer 3

No problem, I wish I was that good - I started about 10 months ago. I did RS to start (had a "borrowed" copy) but wasn't really working. Enrolled in a formal class & subscribed Chinesepod after arriving in Shanghai. Use cpod daily, although sometimes while playing video games at the same time so hard to call it real studying. But that's what I need, something I have no excuse to skip. I started the website as a different way to practice - if I had a site to keep up to date it meant that I had to keep studying otherwise the site would fall apart. Having it helps with commitment, which is one of the hardest things for me.

Answer 4

Thanks for sharing. If you're in Shanghai, then you'll have plenty of practice to become more fluent. I studied Mandarin in college, used it in Taiwan, and then have not used much while back in the U.S. Good luck with your class---is that in a college or private class with other folks from U.S./UK ? How's your reading and writing?

Answer 5

I agree with studymorechinese, except I would go further and say that Rosetta Stone is a complete waste of time; Chinesepod is worlds better. I used RS before I came to China for a month and learned almost nothing. Started using Chinesepod after being in China for about two months and learned a ton. Now been living and studying here for two years, and I still use Chinesepod every day; speaking is no longer a problem and I am working on buffing up my reading and writing so that I can handle reading the paper without looking up the characters every five words.

Answer 6

Rosetta Stone is completely useless for any non-European language, because at least with conjugations you can discern grammatical rules and you don't have to brute force learning characters. Chinesepod is infinitely better.

Answer 7

It was pretty amazing for me to learn. I think it's different for everyone because everyone has different learning types, but I learned the language within about a year or so. Highly recommend it if your a quick learner.

Answer 8

I have personally used it, for Mandarin, Tagalog, and Japanese and Rosetta Stone is not a very good language learning tool at all. It doesn't provide explanations, grammar information, or translations: it's picking and guessing based on pictures.
There are several studies that prove that it is not a good language learning tool as it claims, and based on my experience, I agree.