5 comments about Complete Spanish Learning Suite.

1. The complete Spanish Learning Suite is very easy to follow and learn from. The phonetics that are used in the CD ROM are extremely helpful and is great that you can slow the word down to hear the accents of how it is to be said.
   
   Highly recommend this product for those who have never spoken this language and are interested in learning.



2. What a waste of 90 dollars! No set order, everything is completely jumbled around. There's some software and a book, and the book makes absolutely no sense with the software. Do yourself a favor- go to Best Buy and get a computer Spanish course for 20 bucks, and it'll be better.



3. Like everyone else is saying, this is absolute garbage and the company is trying to scam you by posting bogus 5-star reviews on Amazon. All products by Transparent Language are basically a 10-page piece of text spoken aloud by a native speaker. To lay the foundations of your language learning they use short, useless help files (a one-page list of the letters of the alphabet and a very sparse introduction to the different parts of speech) and nothing else. What they're selling individually for $90 was originally all bundled together for $10 on the "101 Languages of the World" CD, but as you can imagine they're making quite the killing doing things this way. There are a few reviewers who seem to actually -believe- the product deserves 5 stars but I seriously doubt they've ever used any other language software in their life. I'm convinced you'd learn more Spanish from Dora the Explorer's Happytime Funland.



4. I have not purchased the Spanish product, but I bought many of the Transparent Language modules for learning French. Transparent Language provides an incredible value for the money. I spent a lot more than $99 for the individual add-ons, so I agree with those who say this is a bargain. You get multi-sensory learning through reading, listening, watching videos (including contemporary TV shows), and through microphone feedback to ensure correct pronunciation. The base program provides numerous tools to facilitate language learning.
   
   I am a parent educator who selected the educational materials myself after considerable research. I am writing this review because I am concerned there are people writing such incredibly disparaging reviews that they have no relation to reality. It is much more likely they represent competing products than the people writing positive reviews. The positive reviews line up with what I found with the French version.
   
   Regards,
   
   
   Phil



5. OK, I think this probably deserves 4 stars, not 5... but frankly, I'm a little bewildered by the 1-star comments. This stuff trounces some of the more expensive packages (in particular, Rosetta Stone and Tell Me More).
   
   I'd like to address what this software has which the others don't.
   
   First, this stuff has actual spoken passages, with various options for displaying the text in Spanish and/or English. You can pick out individual words, which the program translates. This is really helpful if you see a prepositional phrase with "por" or "de" - it will translate those words differently depending on how the phrase is used.
   
   The software also comes with a flashcard program - very comparable to Rosetta Stone's method, but about a 1/20th of the price. It lets you add your own lists, too, complete with pictures and pronunciation (if you want).
   
   It's also got interactive visual software, which is basically rotatable environments with a variety of objects which you can click on. I'd say this is of moderate usefulness.
   
   It's also got a Spanish-English dictionary, which frankly, is not the best I've seen, but it does have a fairly extensive word set.
   
   Finally, it comes with 3 audio CDs for your car, CD player, etc. These are pretty basic in their approach; fairly comparable to other audio courses, although I'd say the Transparent CDs expect you to have more knowledge of the language's grammar than courses like Pimsleur, Rutledge, or Barrons.
   
   Overall, this is a great package for the money. Again, it's not perfect, but it sure beats paying $250-$500 for stuff that's either boring (Rosetta) or utterly confusing (Tell Me More).

5 comments about Rosetta Stone V3: Portuguese, Level 1 & 2.

1. Love the format, but this is the buggiest piece of software I've ever encountered on my Mac. It constantly crashes, tells me there is "minor error" in which case you have to repeat whatever little section your are on.
   
   Very very poor programming.



2. I bought Rosetta Stone portuguese 1&2.Apart from the learning experience which i rate satisfactory i must point out the awkard loading of the disc.
   You need a cd called application before you can load the first cd.When the time came to load the 2nd cd of my course the software went berserk.
   To make a long story short you need to insert the cd application AGAIN
   REMOVE,ERASE FOR GOOD the first learning cd.Thereafter you insert the cd application again so you thankfully can load the 2nd learning cd.
   No answer from support for 2 days so i took matters in my own hands and i fixed ...what? Now i have the 2nd learning part of my course but i had to erase all my previous sessions! What if i need to go back and review some?
   Very stupid company move,there must be a better way to protect your income than this,unnecessarily frustrating your customers.



3. I rate RS a 3 mostly because of it's expense. I utilized RS after going about half way through Pimsluer and spending five months in Brazil. It was very good for cleaning up poor pronunciation habits that comes from the immersion approach. It's foundation lessons in phonetics is a must that not all courses give you. The audio (great headset) and voice recognition features are first class, and in fact maybe too good, as one gets spoiled by the crispness of the sound. Still it gives you a better ear for the nuisances of the language which was a great help for my stage. Also the replay function is easy to use, much better than Pimsleur's constant stop, and figure out where you are tedium.
   
   RS comes at you pretty quickly on grammar issues and even idioms. It does this without instruction and help. You are supposed to just figure it out intuitively. This is a poor theory, and I would recommend that learners pick up a copy of Da Prista's Essential Portuguese Grammar or you could get stalled and discouraged. RS visual method is good for building vocabulary, and some are even humorous and memorable which breaks the tedium. The word repetition was about right and timed right for me. I had background already in the language so the verb conjugations were easy for me. I wonder about a beginner though. Again you will need more material than RS provides, like Nitti's 500 Portuguese Verbs. You would think for the price tag that RS could just include this text material, cause you will need it. All and all RS is a good tool for the serious self study language student.



4. I spent some time in Brazil last year with a missionary friend and plan to return regularly in the future, but determined to know some Portuguese next time I go. I have studied three other languages in the usual formal, structured methods in class settings. My wife has never studied a language before. We both find the Rosetta Stone program enjoyable and productive (her word for it is "fun"). When I speak with my friend, who incidentally grew up in Brazil and speaks like a Brazilian, he has been amazed at how well I am progressing and how accurately I speak. My only suggestion would be for one using this program to purchase a good Portuguese/English dictionary as there will be a few times when you may be stymied by the absence of English explanation--but those times will be few. We have also found the book Portuguese for Dummies to be very helpful as an added resource. I will soon complete level two and feel confident that I would be quite able to function on my own in Brazil next time and not be dependent on my friends to do all my talking for me!......David Mitchell



5. Rosetta Stone is truly an excellent product. It has a unique way of learning a new language, unlike other programs, it makes learning fun....

1 comments about Rosetta Stone V3: Spanish (Spain), Level 3.

1. This product is sold as licensed software. Users will NOT be able to load it onto more than one computer. This aspect of the product is not clear from the blurbing on the Rosetta Stone website. It is a "single-user" product.
   Don't think that you can share this with friends, or that it is appropriate for a lending collection.

5 comments about Instant Immersion 102 Languages.

1. This is a good program if you are going to a foreign country and would like to know a few words. But, each language is very limited. There is words like Thank you, you're welcome, yes, no, etc. I would reccomend this program for people who like to explore new languages, like me. But don't plan on learning a new language with this program. I suggest getting a book or a program that teaches just the language you would like to learn. But, not a bad price for just $20.



2. Rather weak. The product does not include the foreign words written in English letters, so that it's difficult to tell what they're saying. And the overdubbed models speaking the words are of no benefit whatsoever. Neither does the program help you build a useful traveler's vocabulary. Overall, a poorly designed product.



3. I have checked my PC requirements, and we have determined that it is NOT my PC that has the problem. I received this program as a Christmas gift and several of the more "rare" languages are completely faulty. Welsh, for instance, is completely botched. The clips for the woman's voice were mixed with half of a man's voice...or else they flat out didn't work. Many of the sound clips are just complete junk. I thought it may just be a faulty copy, so I took it to the store and exchanged it for another copy. It messed up on the exact same parts as the other copy did?!?! It's so strange because everything else worked, and I'm running an up-to-date version of XP, so there is no reason why this wouldn't run. Of course the more basic, languages like Spanish, Japanese, French worked just fine. But come on, let's face it, I didn't want it for the common languages!! I thought it would be more fun to hear some of the unusual ones like Swahili and all that. Only to find out that they didn't even load proper sound clips??? I was bummed. I wasn't expecting anything too thorough because there were soooo many languages, but I at least expected the darn thing to work!! It seems very cheaply made and thrown together. Don't waste your time with this one.



4. I bought this application thinking it would teach me just the basic phrases I would need as a business traveler or as a tourist. It does not even give you the bare minimum you would need to know when visiting a foreign country.
   
   You don't even learn how to ask for the price of something, what time of day it is, or how to count beyond three. I would like to devote more time to a more insightful review, but I'd say its not even worth the effort. Trust me, this is a big waste of your money and more importantly your time.



5. I bought a copy tis product, knowing full well that it would give the user a taste of each language. However, imagine my surprise when I listened to 3 of the languages and the CD was screwed up -- slurred phrases, jumps and skips. I speak a bit of Welsh and when I listened to that language it was faulty as described. I returned it for a refund.

5 comments about SmartSpanish Cd-rom - Learning Spanish the Smart Way.

1. I've tried a few other Spanish cd's that focus more on grammar, and they have their uses, but it gets boring just repeating words and phrases in isolation. That's why I really like this system--you hear actual native speakers and really get a feel for the language--it's rhythms, idiosyncrasies, intonation, etc. So it gives me more of an appreciation for the language, keeps me interested, and motivates me to keep on learning.



2. If you are interested in learning Spanish the way it's spoken in Spain as well as in South America, this is the language program for you.
   It is an interesting program that if the steps are followed, that is, variations in hearing and repeating the monologs or dialogs with annotated notes on pronounciation or grammar, one can actually begin to understand what is spoken. The monologs/dialogs are spoken by a variety of people in different professions, and from different countries like Spain, Mexico, which makes the CD much more interesting than most language tapes.
   I am really glad I purchased Smart Spanish and look daily to studying Spanish. Having had high school Spanish almost 20 years ago I also feel confident that I will be able to finally speak Spanish soon. I will be comfortable with my Spanish understanding and speaking because of Smart Spanish.



3. I have already tried there French program with success and I am very enthusiastic about the Spanish. It has helped my confidence greatly. I like the format. It's easy to use and a great fun.



4. Before going to Spain, I wanted to become familiar with Spanish. As I taught French to foreign students, I knew what was important. For myself as a complete beginner in Spanish, I looked at several possibilities. I finally selected Smart Spanish as the most likely to get the results I was looking for: constant interaction between me as a student and the teachers, with the ability to repeat and come back to what I had missed, while permitting me to jump ahead. Smart Spanish is by far the best course: it is really inexpensive for what I got from it. When in Barcelona and Zaragoza or San Sebastian I could understand a good deal of what I was listening to even when they spoke so fast with their cigarettes. That made my trip so much more pleasant and I encourage everyone to do the same. This method is the fastest way to understand and even speak Spanish! Smart Spanish is excellent from mornings to never ending nights!



5. I started studying Spanish 20 years ago when I was a union organizer for the Roofers. I took some college correspondence courses. A few years later I left that job to work as a pipefitter.
   
   When I quit organizing, I decided to continue to study Spanish on my own. I bought all the typical educational tapes, the ones where you repeat a
   sentence after the voice on the tape. I started reading Spanish nearly every night, to increase my vocabulary. I read one or two Spanish novels a month, depending on how much time I have.
   
   I recently started to work on big, overtime constructions jobs. The past
   year I have been on big jobs in Texas, where at least half the workers on
   the job speak Spanish. Some speak both English and Spanish, but a lot of the workers speak only Spanish.
   
   I quickly discovered a few things:
   One, I had a great Spanish vocabulary. I am like a walking Spanish
   dictionary. I'd say I've a bigger vocabulary than 80% of the Spanish
   speaking guys on the job. Spanish speaking guys often ask me for the most
   correct Spanish word for certain things.
   Secondly, I discovered I couldn't understand anything spoken in spanish. There is a lot of slang, but that wasn't the problem. When somebody said something, or when I listened to someone talking on a spanish TV program, a spoken sentence or paragraph sounded like one long, hundred sylable word. It all ran together, I pick up a work here or there, it sounded like it always did before I learned any spanish.
   And thirdly, when I spoke spanish to anyone, it was as if I were looking words up in the spanish dictionary and talking, slowly, haltingly.
   
   These cds were like the missing piece of my spanish education. I'm not even done with the first set yet, since I am working 7 days a week, 10 or 12 hours a day. But shortly after starting listening to the cds, playing them over a few times, my listening comprehension increase dramatically. This is really a major turning point for me. The more I can understand by listening,the more spanish idioms and slang I learn. Now, turning on the TV and watching a spanish movie is a learning experience for me. Listening to guys talking at work is a learning experience, since I can understand them. I am now conversing much more on the job, with much more confidence.
   
   Again, I believe these cds were the key. What a great product. I wish I had them years ago. -Greg

5 comments about Instant Immersion Spanish Deluxe v2.0 (old version).

1. I am sure they intended a great program but the software is very very difficult to navigate. Once you figure out how to use it, you learn well enough but I would not buy another one in this format. I had used other Instant immersion programs that were much simpler.



2. It appears to be a relatively standard foreign language program. Difficult to naviagate and requires many tries to become oriented. Spanish-English Dictionary requires a code number for installation, and no matter how many combinations of serial number, proof of purchase, etc., you may try none will work. Have to email maker for solution which interrupts any learning routine. It would seem resonable to offer an easy reference to whatever code is required for installation in an obvious place on the box.
   
   Program appears to be very comprehensive. I would prefer more CD-ROM's and fewer Audio CD's. The combination of four of each type disk makes for a confused schedule for learning.



3. I purchased version 2.0 of this program and immediately had numerous problems. As a learning tool it was not very useful with the default settings. When I tried to change them, I could not. After hours of trying to get help (as there was no manual included), I was finally able to contact tech help. Here is the email I received the next day:
   
   TOPICS Entertainment is a publisher of third-party software applications and distributes software on behalf of the software developer. We make every effort to select titles to distribute that provide an excellent choice for the consumer. The programs that the developers created are more complex and have more features than what we contracted to publish. That is why some advanced features are disabled. The full programs can be purchased directly from the developers, but most of the time they are more expensive. We try to maximize the value that you get, while keeping the price of the product as low as possible.
   
   Those instructions to enable Free-To-Roam Mode and the other advanced options are valid only for the original Deluxe series, not the Deluxe 2.0. Unfortunately I do not have instructions on how to change those settings on Deluxe 2.0 (if possible).



4. this is a good program for PC. no reason to waste time with Rosetta stone. truth be told, learning a new language requires ready, WRITING, listening, repeat drills, etc......any program you buy for PC will end up being a re-enforcement tool and refresher but I seriously doubt any computer program will be the "END ALL" of what you need. Barrons mastering Spanish would be the best study(its boring but effective)



5. I am reviewing version 2.0 of this package, but I am sure that many of the same problems are present in version 3.0. I certainly would not even think of buying version 3.0 to see if it has improved. In addition, I am specifically reviewing the "Talk To Me" series of discs and the included Spanish-English dictionary software. I am not reviewing the audio CDs, in part because I haven't really made use of them, and in part because, no matter how good they might be, they simply cannot save the 1-star rating I must give this package. The software is the star of the show anyway, right?
   
   And boy is the software terrible. The only reason I could make any use of it at all is that I already know a good deal of basic Spanish. If you do not know any Spanish yet, this product will NOT help you in the least. There are NO vocabulary or grammar explanations. The only way you can learn is by watching/listening to the dialogue (and optionally asking for translations) and doing really, really lame activities like crossword puzzles and word searches that won't teach you anything at all. That might not sound so bad if the questions for these puzzles were questions phrased in Spanish, but unfortunately it's much more inane than that: the word is simply read aloud and you have to type it in or find it in the word search. Nothing to it. Yawn.
   
   In addition, the translations can sometimes be misleading, although I don't think this actually happens very often. For example, "¿Qué te parece si nos tratamos de tú?" is translated as "How about if we call each other by our first names?" This would be a fine translation if you were translating a book, but it's not a very good translation for a lesson, because the sentence has nothing at all to do with first names. The sentence actually means, "How about we call each other 'tú'"? That is, "How about we address each other using the informal pronoun?" Of course, the program never discusses the distinction between formal and informal speech in the first place, and it would be impossible for a student to pick up on it merely through this "immersion" method.
   
   And that's the fundamental flaw of the software. Immersion doesn't work... not like this. You can't learn Spanish solely by watching TV in Spanish, and neither can you learn it just by interacting with a program in Spanish. If you want to learn by immersion, you still need the fundamentals, fundamentals which are sorely lacking here.
   
   A big part of the software is speech recognition. This is one of the better parts of the software, since every language learner needs to practice speech, and a computer is a good way to practice speech if there are no native speakers around. After all, you can't really practice speech well with a book, and with a CD you can't proceed at your own pace. And the computer can listen to you and tell you if you're pronouncing it right! Well... almost. It's terrible at it. It will very often accept very bad pronunciations -- even deliberate and obvious ones -- and sometimes reject good ones. There are occasional (thankfully rare) sentences where it's almost IMPOSSIBLE to get the computer to accept your sentence, no matter if you're saying it exactly the same as the original, to the point that I wonder if they adequately tested every sentence.
   
   Getting a score of "100% complete, 100% correct" is tricky, too. There are these dialogue sections that take the form of multiple-choice questions where none of the answers are right or wrong, they just give the product some semblance of interactivity. That's OK, although, again, it's rather useless unless you can already understand what they're saying. The problem is that sometimes the conversation takes slightly different paths depending on your answers, so you have to go back and find the parts you might have missed. That's pointless and annoying. Nevertheless, I did make it to 100% complete and correct on the Beginner Spanish CD. I popped in the Intermediate CD and prayed that it's better. It's not. It's exactly the same, just with different lessons.
   
   In short, there is nothing the program gets right. Nothing. I think I've only bothered with it as long as I have because, apparently, I am masochistic.
   
   And, as everybody else has complained, yes, the box has a map of Mexico on the cover, while the Talk To Me program is entirely European Spanish. Of course, European Spanish isn't so different that it wouldn't be useful in Latin America, but it sucks that the dialect is misrepresented this way.
   
   The dictionary itself is decent, but nothing remarkable. However, the dictionary's software is horrible and I can say without exaggeration that I could have written a better program myself. There are all sorts of problems such as occasional dead-end links, links that don't go quite where they should, and so on. There are quirks such as, if you type a word incompletely and then pause, it will try to look it up anyway, which I usually find disruptive. It seems that they didn't do their homework, either, since the software proudly displays it's a "Español-Inglès" dictionary on the toolbar. The problem is that it should be "inglés", not "inglès"; Spanish doesn't even use grave accents. Although that is a minor quibble and doesn't hinder the program's usefulness, I think it perfectly exemplifies the sort of incompetence that is displayed here. View the dictionary software as the small bonus that it is. There are free dictionaries online that are almost as good anyway.
   
   I've written a lot, probably too much, in this review. But it can all be summarized in one word:
   
   Avoid.

5 comments about Instant Immersion Spanish Deluxe.

1. This program is very difficult to use, as well as learn from. i've taken 2 years of spanish, and found this program to be NOT useful at all for learning spanish, continuing to learn spanish or even as a fun program to brush up your spanish. The program itself is not intuitive, and there are no installation directions. My recommendation is to find something else or go to a class.



2. i know no spanish even though my father is mexican. i bought this to help me learn...wel i am almost through the first less ion and am having problums so its not really for beginers. it askes you to finish and questtion and place in the missing word and such but to say the sentence as fast as them and correctly is not possable if you dont know the language well enough so its crap. the idea behind it is good but how they go about teaching you is messed up.



3. To tell you a little about my background, I am the editor of the
   Learning Spanish Products Reviews (LearningSpanishProductsReviews)
   "your site for free Spanish lessons and unbiased reviews of Learning-Spanish products." I am also a native Spanish instructor. In addition, I am the author of two learning-Spanish products offered here at Amazon:
   
   1. Anna Rivera's 1000 Plus Most Powerful Spanish Words
   
   2. Anna Rivera's 800 Plus Most Powerful Spanish Phrases
   
   This is a fun, entertaining, and informative tool that you can use to supplement your learning. It has lots of content for the price. The product not only consists of audio CDs but also CD-roms (software). The software has an interface that will allow you to practice Spanish regardless of your native language. The software can be installed so that the interface will appear in "American" (although I didn't know American is a language) Dutch, English, French, German, Italian and even Spanish.
   
   The software also features several exercises using picture/word association, pick-the-right-word, fill-in-the-blank, mystery phrases, crossword puzzles, and dictation. There is also a useful glossary with over 8,000 words. Some of the other features of this software are a progress chart, spoken error tracking system, and 3D phonetic animation. The product also contains an abundance of material for beginners, intermediate level students, and even the advanced.
   
   Despite the fact that this software has lots of games, exercises and a great deal of content, you may be disappointed in this software if your sole purpose for buying it is to quickly and efficiently learn how to speak Spanish. The method used in Instant Immersion Spanish Deluxe is not one of the most effective ways to learn Spanish. But if you are using another course to learn Spanish, and you simply want to find another product to supplement your learning or break the monotony that often results from using one learning method, then this product can be a great addition to your list of learning-Spanish resources.
   
   I should also advise you that some of the speakers are apparently from Spain. But I don't consider this a drawback of the software because I think that at times it can be interesting to learn from Spanish speakers from different parts of the world.



4. An unorganized mashup of goofy games that do nothing but possibly slightly reinforce your existing knowledge of Spanish. I don't see how they expect someone with no Spanish speaking ability to learn anything with these CDs.
   
   If you're looking to learn Spanish, go elsewhere. Waste of money.



5. I bought this a couple years ago and never got around to using it. Today I installed it on my new Vista machine and it doesn't run on Vista.

2 comments about Instant Immersion Spanish v2.0 [Old Version].

1. Good way to learn some basics if you've have some intro spanish or if you're learning for the first time. Very reasonably priced. However, since it's completely self-directed, the amount of useful spanish you'll learn really depends on the effort you put into it. And it's no subsitution for classroom learning.



2. I thought instant immersion would actually immerse you and TEACH THE LANGUAGE IN DEPTH!! This is fine for travelers who want to learn a little here and there but a serious person who wants to learn the language on the computer - buy something else

5 comments about Rosetta Stone V3: Spanish (Spain), Level 1 & 2.

1. This product is sold as licensed software. Users will NOT be able to load it onto more than one computer. This aspect of the product is not clear from the blurbing on the Rosetta Stone website. It is a "single-user" product.
   Don't think that you can share this with friends, or that it is appropriate for a lending collection.



2. For the first time after many times,I think I will be able to learn Spanish. It is a great product.



3. The product is great. Easy to use interactive lessions. My 12 year old son love it. Customer support is terrible. It took over a week to get the product re-activated when my son's PC crashed. I sent Tech Support an email and I am still waiting for a reply. Finally called, spoke to someone who would not do anything till I emailed her a copy of the order. I emailed her the copy within 15 minutes. When I did not hear from her, I called again the next day and finally got the re-activation. So beware, if your PC crashed it will take a long time to get the product working again.



4. I had 2 years of high school spanish a couple decades ago! I live in a predominantly spanish speaking community (South Florida) and want to spend alot of time or possibly move to Cental America. I accidentaly ordered this instead of the Latin American version I wanted. I was very pleased with the way that customer service allowed me to return the opened product for a refund so I could then purchase the correct version for a small return fee. I have been using Rosetta Stone for several weeks now and it is definately helping. It seems to use the intuitive and immersion methods to help me learn. I don't feel like I remember a whole lot from the lessons, but as I keep progressing, I realize that the things I didn't think I really knew from a few lessons ago, I now have no trouble with. I think it will take about an hour a day for about 6 weeks to get through Level 1 and I guess the same to get through level 2. I have put a little more time than that in and am about 3/4 done with level 1. It is not a tedious program and I am excited about continuing, because I feel like I will soon be speaking pretty good. I have installed this on my desktop and on my laptop with no problem so unlike the previous review, I have had no trouble with multiple computer installations.



5. Wow, all of the reviews are going to tell you that this program is the s#$t. But why pay this much when I could be in a community college learning more for the same if not less price? Not only that, the lessons are (to create a word) stupidly short? How the h*&l am I to learn a language when the lessons are only teaching me nine different ways of saying "Esta es bocadillos?" What a waste of my hard earned money. Que es esto? Ohhh, s^&t I could have learned from my high-school spanish teacher, that's what.

1 comments about Spanish With Phonics.

1. This is a great CD for a kid wanting to learn some basics of Spanish. Colorful, easy to use and informative. My grandson loved it, and I learned some Spanish as well.