Rosetta Stone vs Babbel vs Duolingo

Many of us have probably heard about benefits of learning a new language. You get to meet new friends from around the globe, advance your career opportunities, build your self-confidence and creativity, and stay smarter for longer. One of my favorite quotes says: “learning a new language to the mind is what exercise does to your body.” So, what’s stopping you from learning a new language? We’ve all heard excuses like “I do not have time” or “I do not want to travel far to study a language.” Luckily for all of us, nowadays you do not need to leave the comfort of your home to add a new language to your collection. You can easily have language lessons via Skype, WattsApp, and other platforms.   In addition to that, you can explore e-learning sites like Rosetta Stone, Babbel, and Duolingo. For the past two months we have used the above sites to study Spanish and here is our review of the resources.

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Let’s start with Rosetta Stone. Rosetta Stone was founded in 1990s and currently offers lessons in 28 -languages. It is a paid service with fees ranging between $180 and $224 for a 24-month subscription. You can go with a CD, software download or an on-line access. Spanish course consists of 20 units and each unit has 33 lessons. Lessons are divided into Core, Pronunciation, Writing, Listening, and Vocabulary sections. Rosetta Stone uses a repetition approach to help learners memorize the material. New words and grammar concepts are introduced in Core Lessons and are repeated throughout the unit. Rosetta Stone is a so-called dynamic immersion program where all of the lessons are provided in targeted language only, which is Spanish in our case. Through the dynamic immersion approach you are forced to learn a language as if you are a baby who is learning sounds, words and then attaching meaning to those words. You will be figuring our word meanings and lesson structure based on visuals and already accumulated knowledge. Rosetta Stone caters to visual and auditory learners since it uses a lot of images and recorded phrases. Extended Learning offers Games, Reading Activities, Phrasebook and a Chat Option. What we really liked about reading activities is that you can read or listen to a pre-recorded text, record yourself, and to then hear yourself reading the text. Phrasebook gives you an opportunity to go through words and phrases learned on Rosetta Stone. Rosetta Stone also gives you an option to schedule a private one-on-one Skype session with one of its instructors.

Babbel was founded in 2007 and currently offers courses in 14 languages. You can take a placement test or start your course from the very beginning. Courses are divided into Grammar, Listening and Speaking; and Countries and Traditions. You have an option to focus on a new language specifically for a vacation; in which case you will learn how to make a hotel reservation, order food, recover lost property, and words for visiting a doctor. If you choose to study a language for everyday life you will be immersed in simple dialogues, and phrases on buying food and entertainment. Under Colloquial Speech, you can learn  idioms, which in our opinion are a very important part of any language that is not appreciated enough. Under Specials, you can find True Friends and False Friends. True Friends are words that are similar in English and Spanish and that have the same meaning, like “el actor” or “the actor.” Under False Friends, you will see words that sound similar in English and Spanish but have different meanings, like “el exito” which means “success.” First lesson in every course is free and after your first lesson you can pay $12.95/month if you go with a monthly payment or $6.95/month if you buy a 12-month subscription.

Duolingo was founded in 2012 and offers courses in 28 languages. Like Babbel, Duolingo has a free and a paid version. Except for when it comes to Duolingo, it is not limited only to the first lesson. You can take an an entire course for free as long as you do not mind seeing an occasional ad. If you want an ad-free option with downloads, the fees are $9.99 for 1 month or $6.99/month for a 12-months subscription. Just like Babbel, Duolingo provides instructions in Spanish with English translation and explanations. Duolingo has a pretty cool feature, Duolingo Events, which lets you meet with other fellow language learners around you. For example, there is a Informal Night of Spanish Conversation and Salsa Dancing offered for Spanish learners in DC area. Stories are where you can practice a language using listening and reading comprehension. Another cool feature offered by Duolingo is language podcasts which are becoming increasingly popular among language learners.

After spending several weeks exploring the three systems, we can easily say that all of the options are really good to supplement your language learning routine. When it comes to choosing a platform, think about if you want an immersion approach or explanations in your native language, what topics you would like to focus on, and what aspects of a language that are important to you. Our personal preference was Duolingo. Duolingo not only saves you money but provides cool modern features like podcasts, discussions, and stories. Whichever platform you decide to go with, we wish you the best of luck in your language adventure! Finally, do not forget to contact Lingo Rocket for any of your foreign language or translation needs.