SELECTSOFT USA Oxford Hachette French/English Dictionary (Windows) Review

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(More customer reviews)Oxford University Press makes some of the best dictionaries in the world... and now they are available on CD-Rom!
The Pop-up Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary is the CD-Rom version of the Concise Oxford-Hachette French-English dictionary, with 175,000 words, phrases and definitions. Omitted from the CD-Rom are the sections on French grammar, pronunciation and correspondence, but all of the word entries remain... ready for your hard drive!
This is a fantastic tool for students and translators who write and research on their computers. The program is simple to install and use, and uses up very little memory on your hard drive.
Oxford University Press makes dual-language dictionaries for every major European language, for every country participating in the European Union. The CD-Rom versions (Pop-up) can be purchased in module form... You can buy as few or as many as you like, and they interlock and work together as one drop down menu on your title bar! A terrific idea, especially for those who are frequently corresponding or translating from one language to another!
I first purchased the English dictionary and English thesaurus in this series, and recently added the Oxford-Hachette French-English dictionary. I am so thrilled with these, I plan to buy my college-bound niece the English dictionary and English thesaurus for her computer.
It is relatively easy to find the English dictionary and thesaurus, the French-English, German-English and Spanish-English dictionaries in North America. If you are interested in other European languages, you might have to pay a bit more or import them, but it will be worth the effort!

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Instant Immersion French Levels 1, 2 & 3 Review

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(More customer reviews)I started this program along with three other comparable programs and have been using them for 30 minutes every day. For Swedish, I bought Rosetta Stone, and for French, I figured I'd try Instant Immersion to see if it really is comparable to Rosetta Stone. In both languages, I have had about the same amount of learning, i.e. reading about them out of books without hearing the language.
Comparable? Well, the boxes are both yellow, but that's about the extent of it.
I got my masters' degree in German philology and have studied the best methods on how to teach foreign languages. Rosetta Stone demonstrates many of these; Instant Immersion includes some but is lacking. I will list the pros and cons of Instant Immersion first and then those of Rosetta Stone.
Instant Immersion
1. It's cheap.
2. The 9 CDs that it comes with are not connected.
3. The CDs drill vocabulary and entire chunks, such as sentences: "I would like a table for four."
4. Don't expect any lessons on grammar, verb conjugation, gender, adjective placement. As far as Instant Immersion is concerned, none of these sentence elements exist. You just have to already know that French has two genders and how it conjugates verbs.
5. Sure, it lets you record your voice...if you have a microphone. Fortunately, I had one from the Rosetta Stone software.
6. Back to only drilling vocabulary... Students who are not given clear examples with correct grammar and why it works that way will not know how to construct their own sentences. Yes, you can throw out lots of random sentences with Instant Immersion, but good luck knowing how to create your own grammatically correct sentence using a combination of words and phrases.
7. CD 1 part 1 is a different program from CD 1 part 2, which looks like a previous version of Instant Immersion. CD 2 part 1 is different from both of those and also different from CD 2 part 2. CD 3, parts 1 and 2, are similar but mostly give sentences to memorize. It appears that Instant Immersion collected a lot of their old software and bundled it all together to sell in a falsely advertised comparison of Rosetta Stone.
8. The MP3 CD is designed specifically for iPod. I managed to download it somehow by copying and pasting the tracks individually to my computer, but it won't just play in a CD player.
Rosetta Stone
1. The program starts with simple, basic sentences from lesson one.
2. It highlights ALL areas that encompass language learning: speaking, hearing, reading...etc.
3. It comes with a microphone--hallelujah!
4. It remembers things that you miss and periodically brings them back for review.
5. It builds on previous lessons, i.e. doesn't throw long chunks of sentences for you to memorize. Instead, you gradually build up to longer sentences. This leaves a very non-threatening feeling that the learner can actually accomplish something instead of making him want to give up.
6. It grades the learner on pronunciation instead of just recording the voice for the learner to compare.
7. It gives approximate times for how long an activity will take.
8. There aren't 9 CDs full of extra old software.
9. The MP3 CDs will play automatically in a CD player and can be burned directly to the computer instead of being specifically tailored to iPod technology. We don't all have iPhones.
10. Rosetta Stone doesn't give English equivalents, but I've found that I don't need them because they design their program so that you don't really need that, and if so, a basic pocket dictionary is plenty helpful.
Yes, Rosetta Stone is expensive, but it is worth every penny of it. Instant Immersion will work as a vocabulary builder, and is worth every penny for that. Just don't expect to learn more than vocabulary. If pointing and saying nouns will get you through France, more power to you. I'm sorely tempted to give up Instant Immersion and just take a French class in the fall at my local university.

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Berlitz French Premier Review

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(More customer reviews)I used this for a review of my high school and college French before going on a 10 day trip to France. It was a great refresher and allowed me to start off speaking some simple French when I arrived there, and I built from there. I will save and use it again before future trips.


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Instant Immersion French Pro 7 CD Platinum Review

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(More customer reviews)The box says you can "Quickly start speaking, reading, and writing French." Well, though it does have tutorials on quickly picking up the language, it has nothing to show a beginner how to pronunciate the letters and accents.
The first program, Tell Me More, is all French with no English translation. This is four of the 7 CD's that only helps someone review French that already knows it. Example, it'll show you a picture of a boy and a soccer ball, then have some French text and prounce the text in French. You don't know if they're saying "Boy with Ball", "Boy Playing Soccer", "Boy Playing" or what. Does no good for a beginner.
The French Plus CD is a different product and like the Tell Me More is more of a review for those who already know French.
The French Vocabulary Builder is basically a dictionary that pronounces certain words, but again, no syntax on how French is setup... so still no go for a beginner.
And the final CD is an audio CD, which again, isn't for the beginner.
To top it off, the package came with one sheet for instructions that basically says, Put in the install CD and follow the instructions. 7 CD's with a fancy package.
Save your money and choose another package. This is definately not worth it for beginners. The person that rated this 5 stars must work for the company.

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Start speaking, reading, and writing French today. Whether your study is for business, travel, or school, Instant Immersion French 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 French vocabulary builder, French 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 French 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 French 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. French Plus covers speaking, reading, writing, and listening, helping you grow more comfortable with French 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 French-speaking destination.

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