#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Learn Thai Language >  >  Rosetta Stone

## poolcleaner

Rosetta Stone has a big name in language materials. here's a quick look at the cd rom.

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## mad_dog

Does it come with audio P-man?

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## buadhai

> Rosetta Stone has a big name in language materials. here's a quick look at the cd rom.


Looks like you bought it to learn English.




> Does it come with audio P-man?


It does. It's sort of a total immersion learning system. You start out just hearing Thai words and (optionally) seeing the written Thai. You pick the picture that fits. At first you get most wrong, of course.

But, pretty soon, by chance you get some right. Then your brain figures out why you got some right and bingo, you've learned some Thai.

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## pasko

IMHO that Rosetta Stone course is VERY difficult!

It is all in Thai.  I understand the total immersion concept but as a beginner it is not fesable (at least in Thai).

There are no English words in the entire text!  How could you learn to read that without a translation?

Maybe if you study Thai for a while THEN try Rosetta Stone it may be more possible.

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## Anonymous Coward

Rosetta Stone works if you totally buy into it. You just keep doing the lessons over and over and over again. At first you'll just be guessing but after a while you start to get it and the learning takes off. I learned how to read from RS. But, I don't know the Thai alphabet or any of the pronunciation rules.

The main problem I have with RS is that it uses very formal Thai that you'll never hear spoken in real life. 

When I ask my GF how to say something in Thai I always ask for the "real" spoken Thai and then the RS version. She's become quite good at reproducing the stilted formality of the RS cast and we always crack up over it.

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## pasko

AC,

If you learned to read from RS you are really good!!!

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## Bobk_nyc

I am looking for something to learn thai, but most have the thai script. and I can't make heads or tales of it.

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## NickA

I've just downloaded the Rosetta Stone...wish I'd done it earlier, seems like a good way to learn Thai, but I've already learnt most of the stuff the hard way.

It seems like a pretty good method and suitable for all ages so I'll let my kids and wife use it to help with thier English....I might try to learn Russian or Chinese meself.

For the Thai course the woman who reads most of it does so in a stilted and unfluent way which makes it unnatural, the guy who does the rest is a lot more natural.

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## ChiangMai noon

where did you download it from Nick.
I'm absolutely fluent of course, but some of my friends who are really thick are interested.

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## Little Chuchok

^ The Pirate Bay - The worlds largest BitTorrent tracker

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## NickA

^^ I got a torrent from Iso Hunt, something called Rosetta Stone Compressed, it was about 6.3 Gbytes.....but that contained loads of languages and you need a bit of computing noodle to use it (burn a CD etc) ....I'm sure I've seen a torrent with just Thai language....

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## NickA

rosetta stone thai || isoHunt - World's largest BitTorrent and P2P search engine

The second one on the list should do you, it's an ISO, so you just need Nero or something like that to burn to a CD.

If you want more languages download the first on the list.

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## Bobk_nyc

I have not done this before, do you need something? or can one just d/l.

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## NickA

^You need a bittorent client....I'm sure there's been a few threads on here...

https://teakdoor.com/the-multimedia-f...orrent+clients (Torrent Sites.)

That should tell you everything you need to know.

Still stuck....search ChiangMai Noon's posts on torrents and then do the reverse of everything he says :Smile:

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## Anonymous Coward

> If you learned to read from RS you are really good!!!


Well, not so. I can read, but I'm too shy to speak and I can't understand a single word.

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## Bobk_nyc

Ha Ha, I sometimes think I have learned a little, but I go to the Thai restruant, and try to order,,, forget it.

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## Bobk_nyc

BTY thanks for the download info. I am trying right now.  I will make a report, if I am sucessful. or I fail.

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## RDN

> ^ The Pirate Bay - The worlds largest BitTorrent tracker


Thanks for the link!

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## barbaro

Anyway to download "Rosetta Stone" via bit torrent or something?

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## RDN

> Anyway to download "Rosetta Stone" via bit torrent or something?


You're new to this BitTorrent stuff, aren't you?  :Smile: 

Click on the link supplied by L'il Chuchok (in my post above) and you will get 5 torrents listed. Click on number 4 (Thai level I Units 1-4) and download the torrent file to your desktop.

When downloaded, click on it and your BitTorrent application should run, eg. Azureus. (If not, run the application and tell it to open the torrent file, in other words, tell it to download the files that the torrent file points to).

Then do the same with number 4 in the link (Thai Level 1).

I've got about 8 MB downloaded so far, so I think it'll be quite a while before it's all down. I'll worry about what to do with the files later. I've got Nero, so I should be able to burn a CD somehow.

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## barbaro

^ Thanks so much, RDN.

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## Bobk_nyc

I could use a serial # for thaitrainer

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## raycarey

does anyone know if rosetta stone is available at pantip?

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## a. boozer

> does anyone know if rosetta stone is available at pantip?



Yes, I have purchased it there. And no, I have not really learnt to speak Thai,  my pronunciation is just not good enough (doesn't help being tone deaf!).


 :saythat: ..................................................  .......................... :St George:

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## raycarey

thanks.

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## mrsquirrel

DL from Demonoid or Oink.me.uk

It's rubbish mind.

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## raycarey

i've heard it's not so good, but then again, neither are my tones....i'm hoping this will help.

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## Butterfly

Got a great CD for learning Thais after watching a demo in those little shops on the BTS platform

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## GooMaiRoo

> I am looking for something to learn thai, but most have the thai script. and I can't make heads or tales of it.


 I really liked the first two books (which apparently now come with CDs) by Benjawan Becker. The first (orange colored) one eases you into learning the script. Very practical, logical stuff. The second (purple) one is very useful, too. I would forget the third book, unless you can read and understand Thai fluently.

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## yod4

The rosetta stone series didn't really help me as much as pimsleurs and the books mentioned in the post above. A problem that i had with it was that it was totally based on you memorising the sound and the picture associated with the sound.

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## Zenman

> ^ Thanks so much, RDN.


Is there any other good learning program ?

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## buad hai

> Got a great CD for learning Thais after watching a demo in those little shops on the BTS platform


Can you give us some more info, such as the title of the CD or the method used? Is it just an audio CD, or something that runs on a computer?

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## Hootad Binky

You can only learn a language if you practice communicating it with another human being in a meaningful way.

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## raycarey

i completed Rosetta Stone last year, and IMO it's too easy. there's a fair bit of useful information, but it's just not very challenging. also, some of the vocabulary is really 'dated' and the level of formality is a bit over the top in some instances.

i'd still recommend it--especially since you can get it for 100 baht--but don't expect to significantly improve your thai....particularly if you've lived here a while.

too bad there isn't a second level like they have for many other languages.

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## buad hai

^Ms. B loves to make fun of the formal language of Rosetta Stone. Sometimes she falls in to "Rosetta Stone" mode and we both crack up over how ridiculous it sounds. No one really talks that way.

I'd say it's good for beginners (as long as you're willing to buy into it's methodology) and for people like me who will never work up the courage to



> communicate with another human being in a meaningful way


.

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## Hootad Binky

^ Thais just laughed at my pronunciation, so I gave up. Like many other languages, Thai language instruction lacks:

- a varied currriculum: books, class texts, games, grammar/vocab practice activites, dvds, cds, flash games, courses (for instance "Thai for specific purposes" and theme-based lessons)

- a motivating, 4-skills, communicative syllabus with genuine, useful, everyday, functinal language

- properly-trained language teachers, who don't lecture and can create a student-centered, fun, motivating learning environment

This could be a useful and relatively-inexpensive way for the Thai government to create more interest in Thailand and its culture. Other countries are starting down this path, for instance Antigua, Guatemala is becoming known for its Spanish language instruction, homestays, reasonable cost, etc. Result? Promotion of tourism, money for local families and businesses, positive image, etc.

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## buad hai

> Thais just laughed at my pronunciation, so I gave up.


Ditto....

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## a. boozer

> Originally Posted by Hootad Binky
> 
> Thais just laughed at my pronunciation, so I gave up.
> 
> 
> Ditto....



I'm in the same boat too!

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## Bill Donnell

I have Rosetta Stone. As one gets older it is more difficult to learn a new language. I find it works well for me as I am up in years. The pictures with the spoken language help in remembering the phrases. My short term memory seems to fade as years go by.

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## buad hai

> My short term memory seems to fade as years go by.


What was this thread all about, anyway?

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## a. boozer

Something about houses or gardens I think!

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## gamerdude

> Originally Posted by buad hai
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by Hootad Binky
> ...


When I speak my (warped) Thai to a pretty office gal in Bangkok, and they subsequently laugh, I find it's a good icebreaker.


When a pretty Issarn lady in Nana will try for 10 minutes to get my Thai right then I know I'm 'in.'


Amazing, isn't it?

 :sexy: 


BTW, I learned my Thai at a school in Chotlom. 20 days of intensive Thai when I first arrived a year ago. It's done wonders for me.

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## Tukata

Guys, if you really want to learn to speak Thai without any Thai script or confusing tone marks you should try this:
Spoken Thai Dictionary

 :Smile:

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## sabang

I've recently started on Rosetta Stone Thai (level one), I reckon it's a pretty good way to learn actually. It certainly beats anything else I've tried.

A Tukcom copy cost me 300bht- a bit expensive compared to torrent though.  :Smile:

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## raycarey

i completed it last year, and it is pretty good....but be aware that some of the vocabulary is decidedly 'old school'.

btw, as far as i know there is only one level.

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## sabang

I figure theres no harm in learning the 'proper' if archaic language- i get planty of lessons in the colloquial language from the local bar staff.  :Smile:

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## DrAndy

> When a pretty Issarn lady in Nana will try for 10 minutes to get my Thai right then I know I'm 'in.'
> 
> 
> Amazing, isn't it?
> 
> .


yes, I find that amazing

10 minutes is a long time

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## killerbees

ba-zing.

i've found RS to be useful. my main problem is that i'm just too lazy or tired after work to fire it up and bang out a lesson. i bought a copy at phantip back in december after picking up my laptop. only used RS for a month or two but the difference it made in my reading and writing was huge (i could already read and write a bit before). in addition, i think it probably gave me a bit more confidence as far as my pronunciation. 

and i don't think it hurts to learn a slightly archaic, more polite way of speaking. imagine the difference between someone (an immigrant or tourist in whatever your home country) asking, "would you mind if i sit here?" and saying, "hey, move your ass. i wanna sit down." you never know when you're going to be rubbing shoulders with the hoi polloi (most likely, never) but at some point you will need to meet potential in-laws, potential employers, the BIB, immigration... it can be useful stuff. 

hell, the only reason i'm learning thai is for chatting up women. being able to talk to the fuzz is just a bonus. i usually avoid them like the plague anyway.

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