Amazon.com Product Description

This English-German talking dictionary is designed for anyone who needs to use English or German, from the beginning student to the language professional. The dictionary comes with a set of tools for speedy look-up of any words, checking their meaning and pronunciation, and verifying translations of any text on the computer. The variety of settings and levels makes the software simple and straightforward to use.

The Shooting Gallery exercise helps the user learn new words more quickly. The program offers different levels of difficulty and different word ranges to suit the language level, including the 500/1,000/1,500/2,000/2,500/3,000 most commonly used words. The crossword puzzles included in the software are never repeated, and are also offered in various levels of difficulty.

The AudioPad module is designed to teach correct pronunciation. With the help of AudioPad, the learner can listen to the original speech of a professional native speaker and also record and listen to his or her own speech. In addition, each sound fragment is graphically displayed, which makes practicing more vivid and helps the user to imitate all nuances of the pronunciation with greater precision. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Face your mistakes and try to improve by playing!
This item offers a basic bilingual dictionary and some tricky games as well.
By using the dictionary, the first thing that catches your attention is the grey background on which bright words in yellow, blue, green, violet and red lie to be read. All entries have IPA transcriptions in bright green, and a yellow loudspeaker offers their pronunciations. Useful information follow in dark blue.
If you think to be extremely good at a foreign language, just try the crosswords, but mind you, if you are unable to finish them and you click on the white flag, a voice will tell you how bad you are! So, I'll advise you to start with the "learning mode" where a list of terms appears for you to study - and you not only get their translations, but also their meanings and pronunciations. Once you have studied the list of terms, you are ready to try the crosswords as well as the "shooting gallery," a game where you have to type quite fast the translations of the words shown in green on a blackboard. The software continues to repeat the game till you have memorized all the words. If you do it well, you'll get some applause.
The software recognizes different users, and you can sign in your name to have your efforts memorized and displayed in colourful graphs!
I'll advise all foreign languages students to try it. It's a way to improve their knowledge by means of interesting and quite difficult games.

A fine dictionary, you get what you pay for
This dictionary has it all it helps one with grammar and sentence structure, The pages are thick and the font is very easy to read. ... Read more

Features

• Multiple games and quizzes introduce basic elements of Kurdish culture, while explaining simple words & phrases
• Fun quizzes and challenging Memory games will reinforce learning
• Handy print & picture dictionary with both text and pictures to help you look up unfamiliar words
• Recording tools let you record your own voice, to compare pronunciation with a native Kurdish speaker
• Track your abilities and measure your progress, for greater improvement - you can even print out special certificates to prove you completed the Program

Features

• Comprehensive interactive language learning; ideal for beginners
• Easy and hard quizzes, plus a challenging memory game
• Compare yourself with native speakers; monitor progress
• Topics include phrases, food, shopping, telling time, and more
• On-screen help available in over 75 languages; printable dictionary

Features

• Comprehensive interactive language learning; ideal for beginners
• Easy and hard quizzes, plus a challenging memory game
• Compare yourself with native speakers; monitor progress
• Topics include phrases, food, shopping, telling time, and more
• On-screen help available in over 75 languages; printable dictionary

Amazon.com Product Description

This unconventional language-learning series offers games and quizzesthat make the learning process fun, relaxing, and, as such, more successful.Ideal for beginners, Talk Now! Swedish includes such topics as vocabulary,phrases, culture, and more. A handy print and picture dictionary producesentries with both text and pictorial references. This interactive software titlealso features a recording tool, so you can compare your pronunciation to that ofnative speakers (microphone required). Quizzes and a challenging memory game letyou test your newly acquired skills. You can also track your scores and printawards to celebrate. Best of all, you can change Talk Now! Swedish's onscreenhelp and menus to the language of your choice. With more than 70 languages fromwhich to choose, this software makes learning Swedish accessible to everyone. ... Read more

Features

• Swedish language learning software
• Study vocabulary, phrases, culture, and more
• Recording tool lets you practice with native speakers
• Games and challenging quizzes make learning fun
• On-screen help available in more than 70 languages

Reviews (2)

not recommended
I read the online reviews of this product and thought it looked good or at least good enough. It isn't.

The image editing is incredibly jerky and the actors' smiles are downright creepy when seen time and time and time again! (Were the option available to exclude the actors from the screen while still hearing them speak, it would be a better product.)

Though some of the vocabulary presented may be useful, the content of the CD does not offer much in the way of sentence or phrase help.

When you just need to hear it...
I was having a great deal of trouble learning Swedish from books because I just couldn't "hear" it inside my head. A friend of mine loaned me this CD and it helped a great deal to get past that challenge. It is a very simple program and there isn't much depth, but I did find it useful because (as Swedish is uncommon here in rural New York) I needed to hear phrases to orient myself. The vocabulary and phrases taught are primarily for tourists. I would rate it higher if the price were just a bit lower, more in line with it's true value. ... Read more

Features

• Comprehensive interactive language learning; ideal for beginners
• Easy and hard quizzes, plus a challenging memory game
• Compare yourself with native speakers; monitor progress
• Topics include phrases, food, shopping, telling time, and more
• On-screen help available in over 75 languages; printable dictionary

Reviews (1)

Talk Now Urdu
The Talk Now series is good because they are available in almost any language you can think of. It's one of the few available in Urdu. As for really learning the language, Talk Now falls short. It completely neglects teaching grammar and verb tenses. It teaches many nouns, but is lacking in adjectives and verbs. The only section where you learn any kind sentences is the "phrases" section, but without any knowlege of sentece structure, I had a hard time figuring out all the words of each sentence.
It also doesn't convey Indian or Pakastani culture. For example, half the words in the "food" secition are english. The abundance of english words wastes my time. If you're going to Pakistan, when do you need chopsticks? It should include pakastani foods.
There are other poor odds and ends. Overall it is lacking in verbs, adjectives, grammar, sentence structure, and cultural flavor.
On the other hand, the recording ability is an excellent feature. Being able to hear yourself and compare it to a native speaker is very good for pronounciation. It also includes a bunch of games that makes learing easy and fun. If you are planning on taking a language course or supplement, this program is good for starting you off, but don't count on it advancing you very far. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Can't run software on a computer with 1GB memory
I have the same problem on a computer running Windows 2000 with 1GB memory. The software won't start and gives me the error message "Director Player 6.0 - This program requires at least 3MB of free virtual memory to run". I know there is more than 3MB of free virtual memory on my computer. I tried different virtual memory setting and found that setting virtual memory to 128MB would cause the software to run. It is obvious that the software has mis-calculated the available virtual memory. It interprets virtual memory > 1GB as less than 3MB virtual memory. I have sent email to the technical support at Encore and are waiting for their reply. I share the previous reader's opinion that setting the virtual memory to a lower setting is not an acceptable solution.

However, after I started the program, I like the interface and graphic. The software is better than "Mind Power Math Middle School" from the Learning Company. I also like that it has a game where you can test your skill.

I will write an update after I receive a reply from Encore.

Way around memory problem
Haven't tried this software but had same problem with some other software, the error message: "Director Player 6.0 - This program requires at least 3MB of free virtual memory to run". The only fix is to change your virtual memory settings to something below 500mb or to exactly 4000mb. Of course, I chose 4000mb since I have a large hard drive and almost 1 gig of memory on this pc.

So the full fix is:
From the Windows XP desktop, select the Start button, right-click on the My Computer icon, and select Properties from the resulting menu.

Click on the Advanced tab to bring it forward, and then select the Settings button within the Performance section.

In the Performance Options window, click on the Advanced tab to bring it forward, and then select the Change button in the Virtual Memory section.

Click the Custom size button...
Change the Initial size (MB) setting to 4000
Change the Maximum size (MB) setting to 4000

Select SET to accept the change, which will close the Virtual Memory window. Select OK to close the Performance Options window. And select OK to exit the System Properties window.

$40 + junk = angry customer
This is a faulty and buggy piece of software. It will not run on my PC (XP Home)without me changing my Virtual Memory from 1000 mb to 200 mb...what an absurdity! The developer offers no solution other than to change my VM everytime I want to use their software.

Well, forget it. They're not the only game in town.

It's Great!!
I have the Elementary Advantage, and I'm about to go into Middle School Advantage. I find these programs are excellent. I am a homeschooling parent, and the Elementary Advantage suite have done a great job in assisting me with teaching my child. I've learned a lot myself. My son is about to enter middle school grades, and as I explore the the Middle School Advantage suite, I marvel at how well its put together. I have not run into answers that are wrong as was the claim of one reviewer. But, that does not bother me because you will find wrong answers in educational books written by the best educators. I focus on the how well I am taught the subject. If I can catch the wrong answers then I was taught well. I paid only $24.99 for each suite. I also have a Dell Dimension 4600, and the programs run fine. For all those having a problem running the program. You better get a Dell, Dude! For the money, IT'S GREAT!

Not Recommended
If this program can confuse X and Y intercepts I can only imagine what else may be wrong with it. I just purchased this for my son today, but will be returning it tomorrow. He has a placement test in 2 weeks and I don't want him to blow it because of this faulty software. ... Read more

Features

• Practice the basics of Italian by participating in pre-designed conversations
• A set of audio & video clips guide users through the intricacies of the language
• You'll listen in on other people's conversations, improving your ability to understand
• Read interesting articles written in Italian, for better comprehension
• Master survival phrases and build vocabulary from a dictionary of over 10,000 words

Reviews (1)

Works great!!
This is the first time I have ever been so excited about learning a language. I've tried using just about every other method to learn Finnish (except actually going and living in Finland.) I tried out this program for the first time today and it measures up. The plusses of the program is that you can get English instructions easily if you need them (a safety net) but otherwise the program immerses you into the language. The program feels like you are playing a game but the stinky trick is you are actually learning at the same time (awesome!). The only minus is that I have yet to find a quit button on the World Talk Finnish program (but I tend not to be overly observant or patient) and the Talk Now program had better graphics. Mind you my experience with the Talk Now program is more extensive, but the World Talk program definitely reaches par. Using this program is the best way to learn especially if you have difficulty learning languages using books and tapes and don't have the luxury in enrolling in a Finnish language course. ... Read more

Features

• Learn to speak by learning to understand -Listening activities will tune your ear to the subtle points of communicating with another language
• Wide variety of interactive skill-building exercises build understanding of any language -- from Arabic to Zulu
• Pronunciation analysis makes certain you speak like a native
• Participate in real, native dialogs to improve your skills
• Record and playback your conversations to hear your pronunciation and grammar

Amazon.com Product Description

This unconventional language-learning series offers games and quizzesthat make the learning process fun, relaxing, and, as such, more successful.Ideal for beginners, Talk Now! Vietnamese includes such topics as vocabulary,phrases, culture, and more. A handy print and picture dictionary producesentries with both text and pictorial references. This interactive software titlealso features a recording tool, so you can compare your pronunciation to that ofnative speakers (microphone required). Quizzes and a challenging memory game letyou test your newly acquired skills. You can also track your scores and printawards to celebrate. Best of all, you can change Talk Now! Vietnamese's onscreenhelp and menus to the language of your choice. With more than 70 languages fromwhich to choose, this software makes learning Vietnamese accessible to everyone. ... Read more

Features

• Vietnamese language learning software
• Study vocabulary, phrases, culture, and more
• Recording tool lets you practice with native speakers
• Games and challenging quizzes make learning fun
• On-screen help available in more than 70 languages

Amazon.com Product Description

World Talk is the perfect language-learning follow-up to EuroTalk'spopular Talk Now! series. In addition to new activities, the creators have addeddictation, worksheets, and a brand-new recording section. Topics are designedfor the intermediate learner and include reviewing the calendar, buildingsentences, asking directions, and translating weather terms and numbers. Theinteractive TV quiz is another useful learning tool, pitting learners againstthe resident champion or one-on-one against a friend. ... Read more

Features

• Designed for intermediate-level language learners
• Helps learners speak and understand a new language by hearing and practicing authentic every-day speech
• Learning topics include calendar, sentence building, asking directions, the weather, and numbers
• Monitor your progress with dictation, worksheets, and a recording feature
• Features an interactive TV Quiz

Reviews (2)

BASIC -BASIC ...VERRRRY BASIC
I bought this CD ROM to learn some practical basic words and phrases to communicate with some friends who speak Punjabi. The program DOES teach some words and phrases (and names of colors, foods, body parts, etc.,) But it only allows you to learn so much. (I was hoping to learn a bit more than "please, thank you, sorry, Where is the bank?" I was hoping for enough basic grammar to put together even something as basic as "The dress is pretty." The program DOES make learning the limited words and phrases fun! I'll give it credit for that.
I just wish it had been a bit more in-depth. Also according to the pamphlet that came with the program, there is no "intermediate" program for Punjabi from Eurotalk. (Attention: Eurotalk!!!) If there were, I'd buy it!

oy mere paiyo te unade paana
Chukde phaate. Eh cheeg bohth kant hai. This program will help you learn the first two sentences I wrote. So if you are a gabru jaat sher of punjab, definately give this book a learnin'. BRDRDRDRD-AAAAh! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

I love it
I never thought that I would be this impressed by a Hebrew language learning program but I love this. I was very impressed with the system this software uses to teach you the language it has everything from voice recongition (to correct your pronunciation) to games to literature in Hebrew. The variety of different ways to learn the language in this program, to me, is one of its greatest assets because there is so much of the language for you to learn(over 10,000 words and thousands of phrases) that a variety of ways to learn it is necessary. The program also has many conversation practices which I found to be very realistic, imformative, and even fun. This program really earns the 5 star rating and my review just touches the surface of what Hebrew Now really has to offer.

Hebrew Now
This product, Hebrew Now, is amazing. I work for the US Embasy in Israel and only had a basic understanding of Hebrew before taking this job. In order to learn more Hebrew I decided to pick up some software and got this. This program was a good choice to make. It is very interactive and uses multimedia very well. It allows you to perfect your pronunciation and practice conversations through its audio features. I was able to add a huge amount of words to my vocabulary through the many games/activities. This program has the capability to teach Hebrew to someone with very little or no knowledge of it and I highly recomend it.

Learn Hebrew Now by Transparent Language
I found this program very difficult to use, counter-intuitive with very clumsy and amateurish looking graphic interface. It doesn't have step-by-step lessons that allow to progress from basic topics like alphabet and pronunciation to more advanced topics. I would only use this program for as a "speaking" dictionary. I'm an experienced educational software user and have multi-lingual background.

Really like it so far
I already knew the aleph-bet from a class at the local synagogue and I bought this to help me continue from there. I really like what I have seen so far. The clips from the "Benny Zinger" show that are included are not the ususal dry dialogs I've seen in other language programs. I had few good chuckles with it. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

In Europe, it's no secret that the vast majority of people are either bilingual or trilingual. The Euro Method is the easy and simple way many Europeans learn to speak a second language. Based on the same tried and proven techniques that allow a four-year old to learn to speak a language long before that same child can read or write, Instant Immersion Hebrew is guaranteed to be the best method for learning to speak Hebrew quickly.

For years, linguists have known that immersion--being surrounded by native speakers and culture--is the absolute, fastest way to learn a second language. The two CD-ROMs enclosed, Talk Now! Hebrew and World Talk: Hebrew, simulate immersion and will move you from beginner to intermediate speaker faster than any other language learning software.

Talk Now! Hebrew is designed for beginners who want to learn as quickly as possible. Whether on business, vacation, or meeting a foreign visitor, Talk Now! is the disc to get you started. Hearing and practicing authentic everyday speech develops your natural ability for language. The disc's quizzes, games, and stories are fun as well as educational, and you'll be amazed at how much you remember after a surprisingly short time.

World Talk: Hebrew is the next level up, featuring additional activities, more dictation, and a recording section that lets you hear and compare your voice with a variety of native speakers. Topics include the calendar year, building sentences, asking directions, and using numbers. The interactive TV quiz is definitely a hit, where the resident champion may turn out to be more intelligent than you think! You can also compare your skill with a one-on-one match with a friend. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

2 Discs, 1 good, 1 bad...
Contains Two CDs. I really liked the first one. The Talk Now! CD is good for learning vocabulary. The double pronounciation between a male and female speaker was a good touch. I learned a lot of new vocabulary from this CD.

But in the second CD (World Talk), there was a big jump in level. They start giving directions in Hebrew and using words that you would need to learn elsewhere. Verbs are used and conjugated without defining them or explanation. Useless for a true beginner. If I had just used the first CD-ROM and then started the second disc, I would have been totally clueless as to what was going on.

Series doesn't deal with the Hebrew Alphabet or Grammer.

Don't be fooled by the name!
This is not immersion. It is a series of games in Hebrew. The games will teach you vocabulary, but it will not teach grammar nor will it help you make sentences.

On the positive side, I did find the games were useful in getting down vocabulary that I had a hard time memorizing. The other good thing about the CD is that there is no English. ... Read more

Features

• Comprehensive interactive language learning; ideal for beginners
• Easy and hard quizzes, plus a challenging memory game
• Compare yourself with native speakers; monitor progress
• Topics include phrases, food, shopping, telling time, and more
• On-screen help available in over 75 languages; printable dictionary

Amazon.com Product Description

Start speaking, reading, and writing Spanish today. Whether your study is for business, travel, or school, Instant Immersion Spanish Pro's teaching methods and technology combine to create a language experience that delivers results. This seven-CD set features four Tell Me More language learning CD-ROMs, a Spanish vocabulary builder, Spanish Plus with 22 interactive lessons, and an audio CD that lets you practice your conversational skills anytime, anywhere.

Tell Me More's four-CD-ROM suite offers beginning, intermediate, and advanced lessons, and forms the core of this comprehensive Spanish language series. You'll be guided through lessons complete with video clips and animations on vocabulary, grammar, phonetics, conversations, conjugation, cultural traditions, and more. Interactive speech recognition even corrects pronunciation and intonation. And because everyone learns at his or her own pace, lessons can be personalized.

The Spanish Vocabulary Builder combines visual and memory learning to maximize retention. Use the recording feature to practice vocabulary and compare your speech to that of a native speaker's. Spanish Plus covers speaking, reading, writing, and listening, helping you grow more comfortable with Spanish over its 22 interactive lessons. Explore tenses, culture, directions, and more. In no time, you'll be able to communicate effectively. An added audio CD rounds out the collection, so you can practice anywhere, even en route to your Spanish-speaking destination. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

this is a very good piece of software.
This is an effective language learning program. most of the negative reviews revolved around the difficulty of the content, the lack of guidance or the "unorganized" interface. I feel the approach of this software is one of the best in its price range. lets face it, learning a language is difficult no matter what claims are made on the box! this program (like the name suggests) immerses you in spanish language. it's your job as a motivated student to find your way around (not unlike stepping of a plane in a foreign country) and in the process learn a good amount of spanish. yes, the video appears difficult at first but you can pause it at anytime and if you right click on any word you get a translation and pronuciation of the word. you can also click on the translation button and see the text in english as you hear it being spoken. there is even a control panel where you can change the difficulty level and the speed of dialog among other things. the grammar sections are comprehensive and there are plenty of exercises which relate to and reinforce the lessons. the interface and navigation bar lets you jump to any are of the program you want to work on. the exercises change depending on which lesson is selected and there is a progress screen where you can track your progress. if you supplement what you learn here with other stuff like watching your favorite dvd's with the spanish subtitles on or reading bilingual magazines you will really benefit from the solid foundation this software offers.

Piece of crap!
I can summarize my feelings regarding this product in three words: PIECE OF CRAP! This is quite a pathetic program hiding in a nice glossy box. The software is like so ten years ago- makes an atari game seem like i am playing xbox! I feel fleeced and am unable to get my money back due to a no return policy where I bought it. There is no cohesiveness to this "program" whatsoever; rather a mishmash of nonsensical puzzles and drills. And for someone who has no prior Spanish knowledge--you will indeed be instantly immersed -- immersed into chaos!

Huge Disapointment
All in all I am very displeased with this product. It was very hard to use at first and from a learning standpoint it was ineffective. Your best bet is to check out a product called Spanish Now by a company called Transparent Language, they seem to have the best software available for language learning.

Glad I paid nearly nothing for it
This UK-produced language-learning software title is pretty bad. I'm glad I paid nothing for it after rebate (except sales tax).

The box design is attractive, and you think you are getting a good deal with 7 CDs. But opening the package you'll find no manual, just a single installation note apparently written by a non-English speaker. The installation program is a joke; it would crash on my Windows 2000 machine unless I chose the "maximum" option. Very crude indeed.

Then, I ran the demo as instructed, which doesn't even have a quit button! I had to use Task Manager to kill the program! Not to mention that annoying, echoing "Tell Me More" at the beginning. Really annoying... childishly so.

Which brings us to the actual content of the package. There are 4 components to this "deluxe" package. Four CDs make up the Tell Me More program, which is basically a language exercise program. For example, in one set of exercises you'll be asked questions and expected to answer them. The computer will analyze your answer and respond accordingly. In another set, you watch some poorly produced video footages and just listen along. There are also word puzzles like hangman, etc. Overall a very poorly put-together package. For some reason, it would only run in 256 colors on my machine, which is a very unpleasant experience.

Another CD contains a program called Spanish Plus basically teaches you the language, and this is where you should start, since Tell Me More requires you know something about the language already. But there's not too much material in Spanish Plus to make a satisfying learning experience. And sometimes the program would just crash on my Win2k machine.

A third component is a vocabulary builder CD-ROM. Again, very crude. The 4th CD-ROM is an audio CD, although I actually haven't been able to play it in my portable CD player so I don't even know whether it works or how it is. Judging from the other reviews, not good.

I also bought the German package, and was glad I didn't open it so I could return it after finding out how poor the Spanish package was.

If you can get this for free, it can indeed be a good value if you don't mind the poor interface and poor exercises. Otherwise, do not spend money on this.

Worth what we paid - nothing
This program, which claims to be WIndows XP compatible, is nothing more than a Windows 95 program. It would not install into the Program Files directory until I used the Progra~1 form. Next, when the program launched, it resized my screen to EGA resolution - yes, this program is THAT old. Finally, it claimed it couldn't fidn the CD even though it had just been installed from that CD.

As the title said, it is worth exactly as much as we paid - nothing. ... Read more