Rosetta Stone features program packages in more than 30 languages that are tailored for homeschool and public school use, as well as for personal and organizational use. Rosetta Stone's approach is to create an immersive environment on the learner's computer. This program eliminates traditional foreign language learning through flash cards and memorization. Instead, Rosetta Stone has created an activity sequence that lets the learner learn naturally, beginning with words and graduating to phrases, sentences and conversations. The Rosetta Stone website posts numerous program awards, positive customer reviews, and its use by such organizations as NASA and the U.S. Army. Each language has multiple levels that you can buy together or individually. According to Rosettastone.com, as of May 2010, each individual level costs $229. If you buy them in a set, they are relatively cheaper.
Rocket Languages was created in 2004, and it has become very popular with more than 800,000 registered users. Rocketlanguages.com promotes the program as fun, easy, and a quick way to help people learn foreign languages. Rocket offers downloadable and iPod/MP3-compatible audio lessons with conversations between speakers of the foreign language you are learning. Conversations are broken down, and the learner interacts by pronouncing the words and phrases aloud. Each lesson is only about 25 minutes long. Rocket has programs for numerous languages, including Spanish, Arabic, German, Chinese, Hindi and Italian. Course enhancements are included with Rocket membership, and they include software language games, interactive quizzes, certification tests and online member forums. If you are unsure whether you want to commit to the entire program, which costs $100 as of May 2010, Rocket offers a free six-day course where you can experience lessons from the full program. There is even a 60-day money back guarantee.
Pimsleur Language offers language learning programs in more than 40 languages. These programs re-create the way one learns his native language, which Pimsleur claims makes language learning more effective. Dr. Pimsleur, an applied linguistics expert, found that 30 minutes is the optimum learning period, thus, each lesson is only 30 minutes long. However, the programs should be used every day. These short programs are solely audio and based on the Pimsleur Method of Learning, which includes the Principle of Anticipation, Graduated Interval Recall, Core Vocabulary and Organic Learning. According to the Pimsleur Language website as of May 2010, each comprehensive language program level costs just more than $200. Compact language programs cost only $50.