Rosetta Stone Catalyst Reimagines Language Learning for Business
Most of us are at least cursorily familiar with Rosetta Stone. As the pioneering interactive, software-based language learning solution, Rosetta Stone helped to popularize e-learning for consumers and online training for businesses. Today, the company has unveiled Rosetta Stone Catalyst, a new training-based tool designed to foster business communication across 24 languages. Although this isn't Rosetta's first foray into enterprise e-learning, the company hopes Rosetta Stone Catalyst will provide a streamlined and more granular approach to language learning.
Rosetta Stone Catalyst is a self-paced language-learning software solution that combines business-focused and casual activities to provide users with multiple, language-based use cases. For example, do you need to train Erica, your Vice President of Sales, in Japanese to help her entertain executives who will be traveling in from Tokyo? Catalyst is designed to instruct Erica on how to use common social phrases that you might hear at an authentic sake bar.
Conversely, if Erica needs to deliver a business-saving presentation, Rosetta Stone Catalyst will train her to use professional Japanese phrases similar to what you'd hear in a boardroom. You can also tailor your solution to focus on things such as vertical-specific terms, sales and support-focused language and tone, and language that would be used at specific, work-related locations (e.g., on a factory floor or in an emergency room).
Unlike Rosetta's previous enterprise and consumer language learning products (which were sold as separate tools broken down by skill level and English versus non-English learning), Rosetta Stone Catalyst will instead serve as one cohesive product that spans experience levels. Rosetta Stone Catalyst will come in three different tiers: one for e-learners only, one for e-learners who will also be able to take group tutoring sessions, and one for e-learners who will have access to one-on-one tutoring sessions. Like most other enterprise software products, Rosetta Stone Catalyst will be priced and sold according to tier and the number of seats you purchase (although 10 seats is the minimum).
Executives will likely enjoy the robust reporting of Catalyst, which enables training managers to oversee the progress (or lack thereof) of each individual's learning path. Managers will be able to specifically zero in on how far each employee is within his or her specific training program, how often the learner is using the software, and how proficient the learner is at speaking the new language. More importantly, managers will have granular oversight over how well an employee is performing at specific tasks.
Unlike previous iterations of Rosetta Stone (which measured success in a larger scope), Rosetta Stone Catalyst will allow administrators to focus on how well someone is performing in a very specific subset of a learning program. For example, instead of finding out that Jim has reached the intermediate level of Spanish, managers can use the report to determine that Jim is on the beginner level, that he struggled with vocabulary, but that he did really well with his pronunciation.
"Many organizations and specifically global companies don't necessarily find one solution with all of the unique and diverse needs that their entire organization has," said Ms. Sheerin Vesin, Senior Manager of Enterprise Marketing at Rosetta Stone. "What we've created is a single tool that will help companies do business on a global scale."
As organizations move into new markets, Vesin said Catalyst can serve as the company's primary tool to ensure that its employees can communicate effectively—whether they're new learners who train on the software or whether the company is testing an employee's proficiency.
Rosetta Stone Catalyst is a new addition to Rosetta's roster but the company won't be phasing out its former tools. Anyone who is on a Foundations, Advantage, or Advantage for Business product is welcome to continue to use their legacy solution. Additionally, if new or current clients want to implement or add the legacy tools to their existing suite, Rosetta Stone will work with them on a case-by-case basis, Vesin said.
Rosetta Stone Catalyst is currently available on Android and iOS devices. All of the apps offer online and offline modes. Beta testing for the solution began in December of last year, with 16 global customers and 1,535 learners in 55 countries. Citi Corp. and Experian were among the first companies to test Rosetta Stone Catalyst.
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.