5 stars (Much better than expected) - Ok, I bought about 4 CDS for polish an dthis was the best o all.....this CD was great because unlike "teach yourself Polish"...ALL the talk was in Polish with pictures and English written translation...so you could play it 500 times with NO WASTE at all since you'll keep hearing POlish so much much better than ';teach yourself polish " cd. it was also much better than polish immersion which was an insult. I highly reccomend this CD 5 stars (Fun way to learn some basic Polish words) - This program will teach you to read, write, and correctly speak some very basic Polish words and sentences. It's a great way to get excited about learning Polish. It is however quite basic. You will only learn about 300 words. But you will learn them very, very well. And you will speak them very, very well. The program allows users to listen as two native polish speakers say the same words and phrases. You can repeat these as often as you like. And you can record your own speach and replay it until your pronounciation is correct. You will learn basic words, colors, food items, phrases, numbers, how to tell time, names of body parts, names of things you may shop for, and polish names of various countries. As a bonus you can print out a very nice polish picture dictionary. To help reinforce your learning, there are many games that give you the opportunity to be challenged. These too are rather simple...but they are indeed fun. And finally...you do not need to understand english to use this program as a polish instructional tool, you can choose from 72 different host languages. In my opinion, Talk Now will teach you quicker and better than Pimsluer. When you are ready get the intermediate version of Euro Talk Polish called World Talk Polish. And forget Pimsluer, which is overpriced and over-rated. Same goes for Rosetta Stone and a few others. When you are ready for intermediate/advanced learning, then consider courses such as Colloquial Polish..etc. ... EuroTalk :: Polish :: Foreign Language - Dictionaries & Phrase Books :: Learn learning :: Cyrillic :: Foreign Languages (Language) :: Reference :: Education (Educational) :: Co :: Talk Now- Learn Polish - Beginning Level
3 stars (Not a replacement for a chinese teacher ... but can help you to improve your chinese skills) - I bougth this Set after 2 months of intensive chinese mandarin lessons, and it was hard for me to understand the method used by this software to teach mandarin. First, the method starts inmediatly with chinese caligraphy and not with pinyin. Second, some of the test that supose to help you to remember the vocabulary are really bad, for example the software dictates: "Ni hao" (hello/how are you) and if you write "ni hao" instead "Ni Hao!" you have a wrong answer, and you will spend your time until you understand that this software recognize capital letters and exclamation symbols in a dictation. Also one of the test ask for the opposite of the word ... and i don't have a clue where is the meaning of the word (in english), how could i know the opposite of that word in a chinese caracther Third, 3 Cds are just audio CDs with no more information than the others cds with the sofware. Fourth, one cd it's a game! Five the others Cd could be in just one! A+++: However, this pack have good graphics, a good software for voice recognition and a good chinese--->english dictionary. But doesnt replace a good chinese teacher. Lack: It doesnt have an english --->chinese dictionary (very important), just have like four lessons (common expressions, clothes, animals, etc). Doesnt have a tool to help you with your chinese caligraphy (i have another software that includes one, and it's really useful) Starts toooo fast with chinese caracthers. It's a funny software.. can help you... but it's not for beginners and not for advanced students PD: Sorry... for my english ... my first language it's spanish, From the south of the world Carolina from Chile 1 stars (Where to start?) - Wow, I wish I had read these other reviews before buying Instant Immersion Mandarin Chinese Deluxe . I'm a beginner trying to learn the language because my girlfriend is Chinese. But when I put the CD i... Topics Entertainment :: Learn learning :: Asian :: Foreign Languages (Language) :: Reference :: Education (Educational) :: Computer software (programs) :: :: Instant Immersion Mandarin Chinese Deluxe
2 stars (Poorly designed screen functions) - Although this dictionary's contents are extensive, the screen functions are relics from the DOS era. They are laborious and clumsy. To find a word for difinition, it has to be spelled perfectly, there's no list of proximations to the word entered. Changing a word selection is also clumsy especially in the thesaurus when the cursor doesn't show up in the entry slot. If someone knows of a better software, I'd sure like to hear cause this thing sucks!! Maria McGowan 2 stars (Good basic reference, lousy interface.) - The definitions and thesaurus cross referencing are very good. The user interface is quite honestly shameful. Software companies got away with this years ago, but there are now accepted standards for windows user interfaces (e.g keyboard short cuts are missing). Integration with Word 2003 is weak. Numerous bugs and exceptions and very slow. 5 stars (Great product with a lot of features) - I had an old version of this software (2.0, I think), which requires Mac OS 9 or classic. This new version runs in native OS X. I agree with other reviewers: the interface is ugly, but it does the job. I like the audio capability. English is not my first language so I find the pronunciation feature indispensable (don't forget to install it; it's not included in the "easy" install option). Another great feature is the "Defining text contains" search. You can find a word by entering the words that are in the definition. What is the word that denotes the noise a duck makes? You can easily find that, of course, ducks "quack," not to mention that you will also find all kinds of ducks -- the blue-winged teal, the bufflehead, the eider -- and all sorts of duck relatives and even duck dishes. You can also find words that rhyme with duck: cluck, guck and many more. Other ways of searching include usage paragraph contains, forms a crossword, homophones, cryptograms and more. I don't understand why these features are not prominently ... Fogware Publishing :: Learn learning :: Portuguese :: Spanish Espanol :: Foreign Languages (Language) :: Education (Educational) :: Dictionary (Dictionaries) :: Encyclopedia (Encyclope :: Merriam-Webster-s Spanish-English Dictionary
3 stars (Instructional CD - Talk Now! Learn Tagalog ) - Teaches a working vocabulary. Games provided are based on repeating the words so it does imprint the words. However, they do not provide any basics as to how to put words together to create sentences. It's still OK though as it does claim to be appropriate for "absolute beginners". 1 stars (You won't be able to talk back and forth with this.) - If you are looking to buy this software in order to speak to someone back and forth, this is not the product for you. It will teach you phrases and questions, but you won't be able to understand any answers that a native speaker might give you because it doesn't teach you that. You will be able to identify objects in a house or building, but you won't know how to use them in a sentence or even in a fragmented sentence. This is also true for colors. If this is what you rely on to travel somewhere you might find yourself in the middle of a croud just saying azul(blue)......pula(red).... malalim na azul(dark blue)....Nasaan ang maipaparada ng kotse(where can I park the car?) and then even when you ask where can I park the car you won't know where to park it because you won't understand anything that people will tell you because it doesn't teach you that(people might think you're retarded haha). It only teaches you numbers up to 20, so you're out of luck if you ask magkano ito? (how much is this?) and the answer is 150 pisos. You'll just have to hand a merchant a wad of cash and hope he is honest and gives you your change. However, with all the bad things out of the way, this might make a good start for you to learn how to say the words correctly, even though the guy that talk doesn't pronounce the words correctly on there, just click on the girl(she says the correct pronunciations). After completing the CD, Which only took a bout a week and a day a... EuroTalk :: Asian :: Learn learning :: Foreign Languages (Language) :: Reference :: Education (Educational) :: Computer software (programs) :: :: Talk Now- Learn Tagalog - Beginning Level
5 stars (A good way to learn Kana/Hiragana) - I don't have this version of the software, but the previous version can really teach you to read and write kana. I have tried a lot of language software and books that did not work for me. If you follow this program, you will be able to read and write the Japanese phonetic language. It won't give you a lot of vocabulary, but you will be able to sound out Katakana and Hirgana. You also won't be able to actually read Japanese since many chinese characters (Kanji)are also used in written Japanese, but it is agreat start. ... Transparent Language :: Learn learning :: Asian :: Foreign Languages (Language) :: Reference :: Education (Educational) :: Computer software (programs) :: :: Power Japanese (DVD Case)
3 stars (Not for beginners) - I don't know any German and I am really struggling with these CD's. They don't give you any instructions on which CD's to use first. I installed the beginner software and tried that first - I couldn't understand most of what they presented. Then I listened to the audio CD's (there are three, each with different content,) and that helped a little. The audio CD's are more helpful and I think you're actually supposed to listen to those first before trying the software. I hope to use this software when I become a little bit more familiar with German. 3 stars (Not beginner software) - I received a B.A. in German in 1998 and spent a year in Kassel on a university exchange in 1996-1997. Since I haven't used my language skills in several years, I wanted to get something to help me get my skills back. I seriously doubt a beginner will enjoy this software. The beginner disks don't have any introductory phrases, doesn't discuss the alphabet, or numbers until you have already been forced to learn that hundreds of people get off the train everyday, creating a large crowd. How about teaching, "Guten Morgen," "Guten Tag," and "Guten Abend," or "Mein Name ist..." before learning "Erscheinung des Totes" is a "Gespenst"? As for the person who said "...the software recognizes your voice and can correct your pronunciation mistakes." Not true. I can say "Morgen" with a thick Southern accent and poor inflection and still receive 7/7 bars! If you want the ROMs for your computer, save yourself some money and buy the 5 disc set for $20. If you are a true beginner, listen to the additional 3 audio CDs in the set to get some basic "listening/speaking" skills, before using the ROMs. As for someone who already has a background in German and needs to brush up, this software will do. 5 stars (Self Paced Instruction) - This is really a great tool that fits a variety of needs. First of all, it helps someone like myself continue my study of the language that... Topics Entertainment :: German :: Learn learning :: French :: Foreign Languages (Language) :: Reference :: Education (Educational) :: Computer software (programs) :: :: Instant Immersion German Deluxe
3 stars (fun and easy to learn...) - However, quite basic, so once you've finished the first CD, you'll need something else to get to more advanced practice. Even so, this CD worked perfectly for me and did not require me to download any additional software in order to get it to run. I'm using Mac OS X, 10.3.4-Panther on a G4 iBook. The fact that I'm running a Mac version may explain the differences in my review from the other reviewers the same software, who are likely windows based users. The games are quite fun and the graphics are crisp. We've not yet utilized the voice comparisson option, but look forward to doing so as soon as my microphone arrives--the program allows you to have your pronounciation/voicing compared to the native speaker's voices on the CD. For the price (I purchased on sale for under 15$), it's darned good. Not sure what the other reviewers paid, but considering most shareware costs about that much, this is a solid performer. We supplemented this starter program with Pimleseur Croatian. Imati velik dan! (have a great day!) Nina 1 stars (do not buy this item) - I have given this item 1 star because there is nothing lower. It might be a good product, I will never know. The first thing you will find is that in order to view the product you will need to download a software package costing an additional $15. The next thing you will find is that if you want a refund from Amazon, you will pay the shipping because this is not their fault (even though this is not mentioned in the description). The next thing you will find is that if you delete the program on your computer you will lose shared files. 3 stars (OK, but . . .) - Everything said in the editorial review is true. This method is a lot of fun and the interactive bit really helps. The most useful feature is getting to see a picture, record the word or phrase in Croatian, and then playback your recording next to a recording of a native speaker. Obviously, your computer must have a m... EuroTalk :: Cyrillic :: Learn learning :: Foreign Languages (Language) :: Reference :: Education (Educational) :: Computer software (programs) :: :: Talk Now- Learn Learn Croatian - Beginning Level
5 stars (Fun Fun Fun!!!) - This product is amazing. After learning my husband was taking me to Mexico for our 25th anniversary, I was nervous about going into a foreign country without knowing Spanish. This game is amazing. It is the fastest way to learn a language without long drawn out grammar explanations. Afterall, I just wanted to learn the basics, phrases for restaurants, banks, airports, shopping etc. This game was so much fun, you couldn't tear me or my husband off the computer. We kept wanting to play because learning was so much fun. The phrases I learned contributed to a much more enjoyable trip and now I have enrolled at the local community college to further my Spanish. This product is perfect for any one travelling and wanting to learn the phrases and colloquial expression fast. ... Kutoka :: Learn learning :: Portuguese :: Spanish Espanol :: Foreign Languages (Language) :: Mac Macintosh Machintosh Apple :: Social Science (Studies) :: Culture (Cultural :: Eazyspeak Spanish Levels 1 and 2 (PC - Mac)
5 stars (Awesome....learning fast!!!) - My husband and I bought this item in hopes of being able to understand some of the locals in Mexico (we go there quite often). So far, we absolutely love this program! We've both learned more in one weekend of using the program than in the months we spent trying another program. I am currently on the second disc (out of 5) and he is nearing the end of disc one. We've also looked at disc 4 (the picture dictionary...a great disc!). We also downloaded the Spanish-English Dictionary bonus disc. I would buy this item again in a heartbeat! 1 stars (Beware, only Castillian spoken here) - This set is fine if you only want to learn Spanish in the Castillian accent. Castillian is a rare accent that you will encounter in certain areas of Spain. No Latin American countries use Castillian! You'd be better off with a different set of software if you truly want to learn the Spanish that most native speakers use. 5 stars (Very Helpful for Beginners) - Excellent in presentation, the only disappointment is that it is teaching the "th" sound that you find in Spain, not in Mexico, but all in all an excellent product. ... Topics Entertainment :: Learn learning :: Portuguese :: Spanish Espanol :: Foreign Languages (Language) :: Reference :: Education (Educational) :: Computer software (programs) :: :: Instant Immersion Spanish (5 CD-ROM Set)
1 stars (Instant Aversion) - Bought version 2.0 of this at a local bricks & mortar retailer. I couldn't get the software on disc 1 to work. Exchanged the disc - tried it on a few different computers but no luck, so I'm shopping for something else now. 2 stars (Not practical for actually speaking Italian) - I received this item as a gift to prepare for my vacation in Italy. This CD is good for a young child who just wants to learn very, very basic words and phrases. You learn a handful of phrases you might need but that is about it. And the other customer was correct, the 2nd CD in Talk Now is completely italian and contains words and complete sentences that were never even introduced in the first CD. If you want to have your 7 yr old child impress his/her grandparents by knowing how to count in Italian or know how to say colors in Italian, this is great. However if you want to learn to actually somewhat converse in Italian, skip this CD. 3 stars (Hard to actually learn the language) - The first CD teaches vocabulary. After having fun with this, I popped in the second CD. I found that the second CD is all in Italian and that the vocabulary words I learned from the first CD were not nearly enough for me to understand the full Italian sentences spoken on the second CD. There is nothing here -- on any of the CDs -- to really teach Italian sentences. It's a struggle to learn anything but vocabulary from this. Caveat emptor. ... Topics Entertainment :: Learn learning :: Italian :: Foreign Languages (Language) :: Reference :: Education (Educational) :: Computer software (programs) :: :: Instant Immersion Italian (5 CD-ROM Set)
5 stars (Fantastic Program) - I have been meaning to learn French for quite some time and have picked up some books and audio tapes but got quickly frustrated and discouraged. However, after ordering this software I am starting to think that I may actually be able to learn French. As a little background I have never been good at languages and I was not very good at my foreign languages in school (could barely speak a word). I am an absolute beginner at French an was very nervous that my past performance in learning languages would prevent me from learning French. I was also a little nervous when I read some of the other reviews that said this might not be the best program for beginners, but I ordered it in the hopes that I could at least try something new. I am extremely happy with my purchase. The proram walks you through French in a very intuitive manner, and though there aren't any explanations it starts you out so slowly that you are easily able to figure out the meanings of what you are seeing on the screen. There is something to be said for learning a language by recognition and repetition rather than learning the grammer rules first. I do use my grammer book occasionally (I bought it before this) but only to satisfy my curiosity about certain thins like feminine and masculine articles, and singular and plural nouns... Honestly this is a fantastic program that teaches you how to speak and hear French with amazing success. You do learn the grammer rules, but you figure them out for yourself by comparing phrases and by building on earlier lessons. It really is similar to the way a child learns to talk (without ever having to know what a past participle is). Bottom line - fantastic proram and I would have no problems suggeting it to anyone. Even if they know nothing about French and have struggled with other languages. 3 stars (Rosetta Stone; Not best for everyone) - I'm aware that Rosetta Stone is highly regarded in pedagogic circles. However, I hav... Fairfield Language Technologies :: Kids (Children) :: Learn learning :: French :: Foreign Languages (Language) :: Reference :: Education (Educational) :: Computer software (programs) :: Mac Macintosh :: Rosetta Stone French Personal Edition Level 1
