Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)After working for several months with Rosetta Stone I decided to give Fluenz a try. There seems to be a bit of an argument between these two so I figured I could benefit by standing on solid middle ground. Truth is, there is such middle ground, but also both products are opposed to each other in many respects. By this I mean that I have profited from learning with both, but because they are so different. These are the highlights of my experience:
1. Rosetta Stone will bombard you with words, many of them, one after the other. That's their strength. The idea is that you learn words by matching them to pictures. They have technology to recognize your voice, and it works. But you do feel like a child, because many words are irrelevant and a little childish, because you don't understand what's going on beyond the words thrown at you, and the words and images just keep on coming. That's how you start.
2. Fluenz begins with a teacher, Sonya, who explains the whole program, how it works, whats coming next, etc, etc. Half-way through the introduction I just skipped to the first lesson because I wanted to know what it was all about. And what I found is that right off the bat I was coming up with my own sentences, understanding how they worked, and using the verbs with different nouns. First you hear a conversation for which you can see subtitles, then the teacher Sonya come and gives a really good explanation of how it all works, and then you plunge into exercises that gradually take you up in terms of difficulty. Both the teaching and the exercises make the whole thing exciting because you can see the progress right there.
3. Back to Rosetta, the program falters when it comes to actual sentences and phrases. Truth is the matching of images and words is fun and I can go on forever, but when it comes to full phrases I wanted to understand how they were put together. Also the voice recognition technology is for words, not full phrases. On the positive side I kind of like their open-ended thing where there are no lessons per se, no organization beyond what you make up as you go along.
4. Back to Fluenz. I already knew many of the words from having worked with Rosetta, but I was still pretty unclear on how to use tehm, and that's where Fluenz really shines. They explain how the language works and manage to keep you practicing so that your sentences are solid. And I appreciate the confidence of knowing that I'm saying something right, that I know why it's right.
5. And here I think is where both programs have to be judged. Rosetta helped me learn single words but I just didn't really know how to use them to make actual sentences. I could point, say a word, but not a whole lot more than that. With Fluenz I understood how Spanish worked, and so I was able to actually form sentences on my own.
6. Back to my middle ground. Fact is you do learn a ton of words with Rosetta, and that's good. And the fact is that you can really put them together with Fluenz.
Click Here to see more reviews about: "Fluenz Version F2: Spanish 1+2 with supplemental Audio CDs and Podcasts
The only interactive language program offering an immersive environment that recreates the best elements of great one-on-one tutoring. Be Fluent in Spanish On-screen tutor Sonia Gil, a recent Cornell graduate, and alumni from Harvard and the University of Chicago created Fluenz Spanish to be the kind of application they had always wanted when learning languages. The result of their work is ideal for those who seek common sense explanations, sophisticated workouts that lead to real learning, and who thrive on a great teacher to keep them focused and engaged. Love Spanish, Actually Learn It The team of passionate language learners behind Fluenz Spanish wanted to move beyond what they felt was wrong with computer language education: simplistic methods that boast a natural, passive way to learn a language and treat adults like children. Instead, Fluenz brings the magic of a great teacher to lead, challenge, and inspire adults and teens with real learning. An effective approach for English Speakers It's impossible to understand many of the important subtleties of Spanish speech without a clear explanation, such as how Spanish nouns must agree in gender and quantity (plural or singular) with articles and adjectives. Fluenz is the only interactive program offering tutor-led explanations in English that guide learners through the strategies necessary to reach fluency. The Magic of Learning: Audio CDs for Your Car or iPod Fluenz Spanish 1+2 comes with two audio CDs: one recorded by Edgar Ramirez, one of Hollywood's emerging Latino actors, and the other by Ivan Loscher, one of the most recognizable voices in Spanish through his work with HBO Latin America. Edgar starred opposite Keira Knightley in Domino, played the fearsome "asset" in The Bourne Ultimatum, and has worked alongside William Hurt, Forest Whitaker, and Ben
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