Learn Swedish Now! 9.0 Review

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(More customer reviews)The Macintosh version included in the box is an older version (8.1), lagging behind the advertised Windows version (9.0).While I'm thrilled it runs as native "Carbonized" application on Mac OS X, I've run into a few minor glitches: 1) The application help uses Apple's Help Viewer, but the Swedish grammar reference uses QuickHelp, which crashes often and won't print.2) The cool Speech Correctness feature works with my PowerBook G4's built-in microphone, but doesn't work correctly with my higher quality iSight microphone.3) The user interface looks horribly outdated when running in Mac OS X's Aqua interface.
That said, this is the best language software I've seen on a computer.Yes, it includes canned quizzes and games, vocabulary and grammar tutorials, just as you'd expect from educational computer software.However, its primary teaching mode is non-structured and passive, as an interactive digital textbook. It took me a while to understand this. You can read the titles in any order and have it speak any word or phrase.Using your computer's microphone, you can record your voice and compare it against the native speaker's. But it can also analyze your voice based on pitch, frictive, and vowel sounds (to varying degrees of success, but enough to make it useful). So, the usage is completely open-ended (what they call the "Successful Immersion Approach").In a way, this is better than human instruction.I sat there trying to nail the pronunciation of a phrase, repeating it over and over, and I thought: a human would never be so patient!The reward comes not from flashing "congratulations, you passed this quiz!" at your face, but from within yourself as you experience the joy of entering a foreign language with software "training wheels."
The technical problems on the Mac version, while frustrating, are not severe enough to prevent usability.
You have to have self-discipline to get much out of this software. If you're willing to be your own teacher, it provides a deep and individualized medium for learning a new language. However - if you're in a hurry, I recommend the excellent Pimsleur language series (audio CDs) instead. And if you're looking for comprehensive traditional instruction, I'd recommended a book and CD series called "P? svenska!", ISBN 91-7434-429-3 (not available on Amazon.com).

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Product Description:
SwedishNow! 9 Deluxe takes you from beginner to confident Swedish speaker in no time. Five exciting language learning areas feature grammar tutorials, interactive learning, progress tracking from your desktop, and conversation practice with native Swedish speakers. SwedishNow!'s stimulating multimedia environment adds enhanced large-format video--letting you experience Sweden and the Swedish people with real-life video content. Plus, its integrated speech tools record and play back your own voice.
Learn at your own pace and build a solid foundation with SwedishNow! 9 Deluxe's flexible learning format. The DVD-box edition includes four titles: The Most Common Words in Swedish, Survival Phrases for Swedish, Life at the Swedish Palace, and Stockholm. You'll learn more than 10,000 words, build your language skills with interactive grammar exercises and quizzes, cover hundreds of survival phrases, do Swedish crosswords, play fun games, and much more. Access to online testing at TalkNow!'s Web site extends the learning, making this comprehensive Swedish language course fast, fun, and highly effective. Also added is GlobalWriter98 (for Microsoft Windows users only), an easy-to-use translation program that helps you write in more than 100 languages.

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