Several unique terms and phrases describe the features of software we review on this site, some easier to grasp than others. This list briefly defines terms relevant to Learn Italian Software.

Ratings

Features

Learn Italian software should be simple to use and its processes should be intuitive for even novices.

Fundamentals

Learn Italian software should offer features beyond simple language instruction. The software should be useful for all levels of learning from the novice to the advanced. The software should take advantage of several senses during teaching, such as touch (writing), sight (images and reading) and sound (listening, voice analysis, live conversations).

Ease of Use

Learn Italian software should be easy to install, should not require you to install several programs and you should not experience errors during installation.

Teaching Tools

There should be help section built directly into learn Italian software, which should be well-written, organized and not too technical. Italian language software should also have tutorials available to explain difficult concepts. The language software manufacturer should offer telephone or online technical support.

Word Tools

Learn Italian software should teach you how to read and write in Italian. It should help you focus on pronunciation and include exercises specifically designed to build your vocabulary. Learn Italian software should also include Italian grammar training.

Tech Support

Learn Italian software should teach you how to speak, read and write in Italian.

Features

Personal Progress Tracking

Tracks and illustrates your progress in learning Italian.

Personalized Learning Paths

Allows you to customize how you use the language software to learn. Some Italian language software programs also offer advice on which learning paths best fits your needs.

Additional Internet Resources

The companies that produce Italian software can include extra learning material on their website to improve the learning experience. This may include everything from grammar, to culture lessons, to simple dictionaries.

Fundamentals

Listening Comprehension

This feature helps you gauge how well you can understand conversations, phrases and even songs in Italian.

Pronunciation

Speech recognition technology recognizes what you say, assesses your pronunciation and corrects your mistakes. It also pinpoints and highlights mispronounced words within individual sentences.

Conversation Practice

This tool allows you to communicate directly with a Italian speaker (real or computer simulated) through the Internet or other methods.

Teaching Tools

Speech Recogntion/Recording

Technology that recognizes, evaluates and corrects your Italian language pronunciation mistakes. This feature can also pinpoint mispronounced words within individual sentences.

Word Recognition Activities

Allows you to increase the number of Italian words you can recognize through games, exercises, flash cards and other means.

Culture Lessons

Culture lessons can teach the history of Italy, or it can even get more specific about current cultural differences in accent, vocabulary, food and other similar topics.

Online Testing

This feature allows users to take tests online to evaluate their knowledge and fluency in Italian.

Online Chat

An online chat feature allows users to chat over the Internet with native Italian speakers in order to practice their conversation skills and vocabulary.

Word Tools

Word Translator

Allows you to type a word or phrase in either Italian or English and then will translate it into the target language.

Word and Root Search

A search tool that allows you to look up conjugated verbs.

Glossary/Dictionary

An alphabetical listing of Italian words and their meanings or interpretations in a various contexts.

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