Berlitz Italian Reviewer's Comments

Berlitz Italian Premier is very similar to Learn Spanish Now, the main program in the Complete Italian Learning Suite. However, Berlitz Italian Premier also comes with an audio course and a special program for installing components of the course on an MP3 player, PDA of other compatible mobile device. This feature makes Berlitz an excellent choice for someone who doesn’t have a lot of time because they can keep learning whenever they are traveling or have a free moment.

Berlitz also enjoys the engaging video lessons that it inherited from the Italian Learning Suite. These lessons successfully integrate video with a transcription system that literally lets you pick apart the dialog.

Berlitz didn’t rank higher because it lacks any kind of progress tracking feature as well as the ability to chat online with native speakers. Berlitz is also missing a few of the programs that made the Italian Learning Suite so comprehensive.

Berlitz Italian Screenshots. Click for more
       


Features:  

Berlitz comes with a complete version of the program that is compatible with MP3 players or PDAs. Coupled with the audio course CDs, the Berlitz program can be used anywhere, even if you aren’t in front of your computer.

Berlitz is missing a significant feature though. There is no way to track progress or record how well you do in lessons. This leaves you to estimate how well you are doing in various areas and try to remember where you left off.

Fundamentals:  

The various activities in Berlitz manage to cover all the fundamentals. Most of the activities focus exclusively on vocabulary, but with the aid of the speech recognition system and the videos users also practice conversations, pronunciation and listening comprehension.

Ease of Use:  

While Berlitz uses a simple tab system to switch between activities, most of the other commands are not so intuitive. The buttons are not clearly labeled and it takes a lot of trial and error to figure out what everything does.

Teaching Tools:  

The main lessons in Berlitz revolve around videos of native speakers that are accompanied by transcriptions of the dialog. At any time you can stop the video and translate or practice the words used. The translation tool is very useful and extremely easy to use; you simply click on the word and the definition is displayed.

There are many different word recognition activities to choose from as well, based on your strengths or your preferences, everything from filling in blanks in phrases to completing crossword puzzles. There is also a speech recognition program that is very useful for practicing pronunciation. Information on cultural aspects is provided through the movies themselves as the characters go through different aspects of daily life in Italy.

Word Tools:  

The entire main lesson module of Berlitz is designed to function like an impromptu dictionary so it’s easy to look up words. Berlitz also allows you to easily create lists of words you want to work on.

Tech Support:  

The manufacturer, Nova Development, offers a reasonably useful FAQ, but the program itself comes with an incredibly thorough manual that can answer most questions. There are also tutorials that are extremely helpful for learning how to navigate because the buttons in the program aren’t well labeled. You can also contact the company through phone or email in the case of technical problems.

Summary:  

Berlitz has a lot of great features to keep you motivated and learning. However, it doesn’t offer as much learning potential as the programs in the top 3.