Second Language Software: Reviews

Updated June 2008

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Best all-around language software

*Est. $270 Compare Prices

With more than 850 hours of instruction for most languages and over 4,500 exercises for learning reinforcement, Tell Me More Premium is the most comprehensive software choice for language fluency. Available in nine… languages, Tell Me More Premium has four levels of difficulty and focuses on all areas of development: speaking, listening, reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary and culture. Rosetta Stone (*est. $500), a competing comprehensive program, also gets good reviews and covers more languages, but overall, reviewers prefer Tell Me More Premium, which costs half as much.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

LearningVillage.com: Reviewer Dan Lang praises an earlier version of Tell Me More, stating that the speech recognition function and graphic intonation ...

TopTenReviews.com: Reviewers at Top Ten Reviews award Tell Me More Premium their "Gold Award" in several languages. They praise the speech ...

Bright Hub.com: This reviewer compares Tell Me More Premium against two other popular programs: Instant Immersion Deluxe and Complete Spanish ...

FrenchCourseware.com: Editors of this site call Tell Me More Premium "a complete package in every sense of the word." The reviewers do caution, ...

Amazon.com: Amazon.com sells Tell Me More in several languages; the Spanish, French and Chinese versions between 10 and 20 reviews apiece. ...

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Best language software for kids under 12

KidSpeak

*Est. $30 Compare Prices

KidSpeak is an immersion-type program with plenty of interaction and a relaxed, repetitive training style. Available in nine languages, KidSpeak includes more than 40 activities and 700 vocabulary words, as well as… instruction in basic sentence structure, math and telling time in a foreign language. Experts say KidSpeak has a relaxed pace and attitude that kids find less stressful than other language software.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

Discovery Education: Both the KidSpeak 6-in-1 software bundle and KidSpeak French receive an "outstanding" rating from the Discovery Education ...

LearningVillage.com: KidSpeak is rated "very good" in both design and ease of use by the editors at Learning Village. They comment that the program ...

LearningWareReviews.com: Juline Lambert, a magazine columnist and former teacher, reviews an earlier version of the KidSpeak software bundle. The overall ...

Amazon.com: User reviews at Amazon.com discuss the controversy over the Spanish version of KidSpeak, which presents Castilian Spanish as ...

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Amazon Marketplace

for $26.00

Language software for travelers

eLanguage Learn to Speak Deluxe

*Est. $40 Compare Prices

Designed primarily for travelers, the Learn to Speak series has focused vocabulary lessons and a strong emphasis on speech recognition technology. Although it is not comprehensive and does not lead to fluency, Learn to… Speak allows learners to personalize learning and practice conversing in a real-world environment, preparing them for travel conversations. Reviewers at Learning Village, LearningWare Reviews, SuperKids Educational Software Review and PC Magazine all rave about the ability to carry on conversations with characters in the software.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

SuperKids.com: This site looks at both the Spanish and French versions of Learn to Speak Deluxe and finds them to be enjoyable, engaging, and ...

LearningVillage.com: Reviewer Scott McGregor praises the uniqueness of real-time conversing and the extensive use of speech recognition. He says Learn ...

PCMag.com: Reviewer Shane Mooney acknowledges that Learn to Speak does not lead to fluency. He makes special note of the speech recognition ...

LearningWareReviews.com: Former teacher Juline Lambert begins her review by informing users that the Learn to Speak program is designed for conversational ...

Amazon.com: There are only two reviews here. Both are short and focus on system compatibility, not software features or effectiveness.

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Best for learning less common languages

Talk Now!

*Est. $35 Compare Prices

Available in 110 languages and dialects, the Talk Now! series offers language basics in nine topic areas. Although not as comprehensive as other options, Talk Now! includes listening practice, an easy game, a hard game, a… printable dictionary and speech practice with voice recording for each topic area. The software also targets weak areas and provides opportunities for practice. If you want to learn Zulu or Afrikaans, for example, this is one of the few language software packages available.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

TopTenReviews.com: Although Top Ten Reviews does not give Talk Now! high marks, the program does make their "Top Ten" list for several available ...

Bright Hub.com: Reviewer Larry Gordon praises the game-type format of Talk Now! and notes that it is an enjoyable and effective way to learn ...

101language.com: This site praises the "intelligent" software and voice recording technologies available in the Talk Now! program. Editors like ...

Amazon.com: There are very few reviews here for Talk Now!. The Polish and Cantonese versions have the most reviews, but there aren't enough ...

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Rosetta Stone Value Set *Est. $500

6 picks by top review sites.

Transparent Complete Learning Suite *Est. $120

4 picks by top review sites.

Fluenz 1&2 Combo Pack *Est. $300

3 picks by top review sites.

Mia's Language Adventure *Est. $30

2 picks by top review sites.

JumpStart Spanish *Est. $20

2 picks by top review sites.


	Mia's Language Adventure from Amazon.com New: $7.89 In Stock. Average Customer Review: