Learn Italian Now! 9.0
With the modern PC having a variety of possibilities of which traditional language-learning methods could only dream–voice recognition, video dialogues, and so on–the past few years have seen an extraordinary boom in language-learning software packages. However, as picking through this surfeit can be tricky, it is important to find a reliable brand, and the Learn Now! series is definitely among the best software packages.
The program comes equipped with 2 CDs, one of which has various key sections–useful “survival phrases”, fun activities, conversations, and practicing speech against the voice of a native speaker–while the other has a thorough grammar tutorial. This combination is certainly a valuable one for people who are serious about learning a language, and the product is clear and easy to use: in role-plays, phrases are highlighted in a box and their English translations placed underneath, while the voice recognition software allows you to measure your own voice against that of a native speaker, and the games hone the things that have been learnt. Sections are tailored to various activities, such as getting around, going out, and business situations, while at any point you can call up a grammar tutorial which explains a particular point on which you are unsure.
In addition to these sections, the part on survival phrases will be of much use to those who have already reached a basic level. There are several practice dialogues based around commonplace situations–in the hotel, the bar, the airport, etc. Although some of the advice borders on the infantile (”When you decide to travel outside the USA, you will probably need a passport”), much of it is useful, and rounds out what is a well composed package for someone starting out on the road to using the language overseas. –Toby Green, Amazon.co.ukLearn Italian Now! 9.0 Deluxe takes you from beginner to confident speaker in no time. Listening and speaking activities, grammar tools, and vocabulary games build a solid foundation, while real-life video content lets you interact with native speakers. Learn Italian Now! also adds online features that create an interesting and authentic atmosphere, making learning Italian fast, fun, and highly effective.
Learn Italian Now!’s four stimulating titles include: Fundamental Italian, Survival Phrases for Italian, Conversations in Italian, and Around Italy with Gabriella and Piero. GrammarPro!, the software’s comprehensive grammar tool, adds more than 10,000 words, extensive tutorials, and grammar quizzes to your desktop. Installed, GrammarPro! integrates seamlessly with all four Learn Italian Now! titles to provide detailed grammar analyses with just a click of your mouse.
Online features, fun interactive games, and conversations and phrases round out this deluxe suite. Practice your pronunciation using the integrated speech features, then record your voice and replay your conversation. Learn at your own pace by deciding when you need translation. The software even includes GlobalWriter98 for Microsoft Windows users and a handy screen saver. GlobalWriter98 is a word-processing tool that helps you write in more than 100 languages.
User Ratings and Reviews
2 Stars Good start but lacks cohesiveness in its (Italian) method
The single major flaw in this product is its lack of direction for the beginner. I purchased the Italian version to compare it to Rosetta Stone’s method. The difference in price will tell you which is the better one. This product has good ideas (dialogs & memory games) but Rosetta Stone’s approach is sound and well organized.
This product DOES have more resources than Rosetta Stone but they’re left to the user to figure out how to utilize them when studying the lessons. For beginners this will lead to a lot of wasted time and frustration.
Stuffing the product with goodies does not make it better. They need to concentrate on the HOWTOs. Until such time this product is not very useful to beginners.
4 Stars Best used as supplement to other programs
The good side of this program is that you can click on each word separately to hear it pronounced slowly and then you can click on the entire sentence to hear it spoken at a normal speed.
After going through the section with some essential words and phrases, there is a leap to dialogues and also to the language which moves to intermediate / advanced level. If you already speak Italian, but your Italian got a little bit rusty, this may be a fun way to review it. If you’re just beginning to learn Italian, this may be frustrating and you will need to supplement this program with other more solid books both related to language and grammar.
On a side note, Transparent Language has additional CDs as add-ons to this program, which as far as I know are only available through their website. Add-ons deal with different applications of language - for business, travel, entertainment, literature, etc. There is one CD from the entertainment section that is very funny to watch. The main benefit from getting this add-ons which contain TV shows (after all you can just go to Italian video store and rent Italian movies) is that you can click on each word separately to hear it slowly and as many times as you like and then listen to the sentence or the entire episode. It helps you to accustom yourself to understand the spoken language.
3 Stars Eh, good if you get them cheap
You will NOT learn a foreign language by one of these programs. The vocab is way too limited, and neither the Version 8 series nor the Version 9 series addresses past or future tenses substantively. I have purchased six of these over the past couple of years, four Version 8 (German, Irish, Latin, Hebrew) the other two Version 9 (Spanish, Italian), and for some idiotic reason, the Version 8s are SUPERIOR to the upgrades. The Version 8s have more texts and thus more variety. LatinNow Version 8 is probably the best program I have seen from this company, good texts of various grade levels, plus you can fresh up on your Roman mythology!
These “tapes”, and that is basically what they are, computerized language tapes, are only going to be useful if you plan on dedicating time for rote memorization of grammar and vocab outside of the program. These programs can be good to help supplement textbook study, as we need to hear the language and grammar for it to sink in. If you think any one of these programs in and of itself is going to make you fluent, you’re very sadly mistaken. I would recommend finding them cheap and working on them while you eat breakfast, then spending 15+ minutes a day per language w/ grammar, vocab, writing (ie thinking w/in the language), out of a textbook. That way you can cover your bases, if you are the self-guided student looking to master a new language to get a head start on college credit or to learn it just for the heck of it.
Also, the Hebrew keyboard layout is atrocious and barely functional. I assume this might be a problem w/ all non-Latin/Germanic alphabets, like Chinese and Russian. This makes the games worthless–and the games are probably the best part of the program.
1 Stars The worst possible way to learn a language
The user interface is so hard to follow it’s unbelievable. You have to scan up the screen, then down to the right, then over to the left and track all of this while trying to learn vocabulary.
I bought this thinking that it was only $40 so how bad could it be…well it is BAD!
Buy the FSI courses or Rosetta Stone - they are much more expensive but worth the price, especially if LanguageNow is the alternative. I have French, Spanish, German, and Russian and each of them are fantastic. Of course they are two different methods of learning but both are effective in their own way. At the end of the day you need to go to the country where the language is spoken and spend some time to really learn a language…
5 Stars Good, but spend the extra & get Deluxe Edition…
All of the interactive language software programs by Transparent Language are useful.
This Italian version is no exception. Over 10,000 words, see & hear native speakers of Italian on your computer, and one of the neatest features is the pronunciation analysis - with the ability to record yourself speaking to check for correct pronunciation & accent.
But if you buy it, make sure to the Deluxe Edition - the features really shine. It has enhanced video, bonus multilingual word processor, works with any version or Windows/Mac. Learn to speak, read, listen…through traditional exercises, games, creative tools, and more.
If you want to learn Italian, spend the extra money and spring for the Deluxe Edition.
Filed under: Learn Italian Software Reviews