Rosetta Stone or ???

[tea4one]

I would like to learn a few languages, french, german, latin and possibly spanish. The last two don't have to be learned past the basic stuff for now but I would like to learn french and german well beyond the basic stuff.
Will Rosetta Stone language software take me past the basic stuff and be somewhat of an equivalent of a college education. There are about 4 different semesters in college or is there more??
Is there an alternative to Rosetta Stone that will be easy to learn from? Will I be better off taking classes??
I would like to learn german by Christmas but not necessary. I have to be able to afford doing this too.

[Canice]

You want to learn German in eight weeks??
I loved Mark Twain's line, "If it is to remain as it is, it ought to be gently and reverently set aside among the dead languages, for only the dead have time to learn it."

I've never studied a language independently, but heard very good things about Transparent Language, if you want to consider that one too.

[Gecko]

Wow, that is a pretty big undertaking. I would guess that even if you moved to Germany you would not be fluent in German by Christmas. Also, learning one language is tough, but learning two or more will be even more difficult, especially is you are trying to learn them simultaneously. Anyway, back to your question regarding the software. My daughters all take a language at school and when the question of Rosetta Stone was mentioned it was shot down by all of the language teachers. They didn't go into the specifics but they did not like the program. Although it would be a lot more expensive I think you may be better off with the classes or a tutor.

[tea4one]

I'd like to learn the basics by Christmas. I already know that it will take longer than 8 weeks to learn these languages, ecspecially if I only work on learning one at a time which I will be. I only want to go beyond the basics on two of the four languages. I have to also have the ambition, money and be able to stick with it without getting bored with it, that is half of the problem right now coupled with finding time to invest in doing it.

[AzAnne]

Our local library has Rosetta Stone on-line so that you can sit at home on computer and study.

I haven't throughly researched yet, but maybe there is something similar where you live.

[avariell]

I would look into a computer program (such as Rosetta Stone, but I have no personal experience with it) and once I had some basic comprehension down, I would find a local community college/university/international school/exchange program and volunteer to be a conversation partner. Interacting and talking with someone who actually speaks German will help you learn it much quicker imho. Often these conversation partnerships will go both ways - they will want to speak English with you to learn it better, and you will want to speak German (etc.) with them to learn it better. Sometimes this is free, sometimes someone gets paid.

Also if you live near a large university there are often conversation clubs that anyone who speaks a language is invited to attend. For example, at University of Wisconsin we had "Bate Papo" which means "chew the fat". Every Thursday late afternoon, I was at the appropriate bar and absorbing Portuguese (and beer - funny how alcohol made it much easier for me to be less shy about talking in Portuguese!). I think these clubs help in a similar manner to the conversation partner.

[moonbeam]

Rosetta Stone pulled out of online library offerings in March of 2008. Many libraries have picked up Mango languages as a replacement for online language learning. We borrowed Rosetta from the library a while ago, and I was more impressed with it, because it teaches both orally and through reading, than I was with Mango, which I just looked at online. If cost is a concern, and your library offers Mango, you should give it a try.