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Fluenz (Italian) Reviews
Fluenz (Italian) Reviewby No1Reviews.com. Last updated: 07 June 2011 Editor's Star Ratings:
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Editor's Verdict: Fluenz Italian offers a rather distinct approach to language learning. Although forgoing the 'immersion approach', games and some other features, lessons are still made engaging through swish graphics and professional audio and video. For those unfamiliar with the immersion approach, it is a method of language learning that has become increasing fashionable in the past few years. Users are 'immersed' in their chosen language, encouraged not only to read, write and have conversations in Italian, but also to think in Italian. Immersion software supposedly helps you learn a language just as you did as a child. In this way learning is not only more profound and comprehensive, but also easier and more natural. The market has recently seen a surge in this style of learning but Fluenz, however, buck the trend. Fluenz believe that claiming to get users 'learning Italian like a child' is all very well and good but the fact is, we are not children. For one thing, our brains are different; children demonstrate a fantastic ability to naturally learn languages that simply becomes less and less easy the older we get. Neither will we, as adults or teenagers, ever be fully immersed in Italian and nor do we have doting parents who will support us every step of the way. Finally, we learn languages for different reasons than children; a child may be able to use their new found language abilities to chat away endlessly, but will not be able to put together an investment proposal or write an essay! According to Fluenz, as we have already learned a language we should use this as a framework on which to base the acquisition of new languages. Your Fluenz Italian course will begin with an introduction from Sonia, your language tutor, which prepares you well for the material ahead and gives the software a nice personal touch. We must note here that, with an English language user interface, users will need an intermediate understanding of English in order to use Fluenz Italian. Users are then exposed to realistic native speaker conversations presented in order to demonstrate a specific grammatical term or set of vocab. The lesson then moves you on to a detailed breakdown of the conversation, succinctly and clearly explaining the grammatical concepts and vocab covered. After this, users begin the Workout which involves varied exercises designed to drum in those key concepts and words that will begin to form the building blocks of your ability to express yourself in Italian. We were impressed with the quality of the visuals and videos that Fluenz offer. Shunning the trendy immersion approach they still manage to make the 'class room' approach engaging; something that many products in this category fail to do. For this reason, Fluenz Italian stands out amongst its competitors, earning a well deserved top 10 spot. We really liked the fact that Fluenz tailor their approach depending on the language being learned. For example, Western users generally find the pronunciation of Italian much easier than that of Chinese, hence, Fluenz Italian focuses less on pronunciation. Although not personalized to the level that some software solutions are, the one-on-one lesson theme, introductions and conclusions by Sonia and excellent customer support (Quick replies to Email and live chat) make you feel like a valued customer. On the downside, Fluenz Italian does lack some advanced features such as speech analysis technology, online community and live sessions that users may expect for a (let's be honest) hefty price tag. However, still cheaper than some products in the category, Fluenz Italian is the best product for making the 'class room' approach interesting and engaging. Whether you go for such an approach, or the immersion approach, is a completely personal choice. Advanced users may already know which they prefer and for beginners, many of the products in this category (including Fluenz) offer free tasters to help you make up your mind. In sum, Fluenz Italian is one of the best products in this category although the lack of advanced features may restrict users in taking this on to perhaps a deeper understanding of Italian that some immersion approach competitors may offer. Relatively new to the scene, Fluenz Italian is definitely one to watch. Click on the button below to select from a list of sites that sell Fluenz (Italian)... << Back to the rest of our Teach Yourself Italian Guides Reviews Sponsored Listings |
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