LinguaMatch Italian Reviewer's Comments

*LinguaMatch is still available for purchase, however we chose not to review it again in this review cycle because it is part of the #4 product, The Complete Italian Learning Suite. It is still available to be purchased individually or with the suite. Below you can find the previous review of the product.*

 

 

LinguaMatch by Transparent offers a unique visual approach to learning Italian vocabulary, presenting a 3-D, panoramic environment in which to learn. This uncommon approach was both amusing and informative, earning LinguaMatch a spot as one of our top ten Italian language software products.

Features:  

This product is not simple to use. LinguaMatch offers icons to help you navigate, but the icons do not include the function name so it is difficult to discover the purpose of each.

To compound the problem, this program lacks a mouse-over function that works properly. When you place your pointer arrow over an object, you must wait and wait, and then wait some more for the popup tag to reveal the name of the application. The delay is more than marginally frustrating.

Fundamentals:  

The software offers 30 scenes, from bus stops to restrooms, representing different learning environments; by using your mouse and keyboard you can navigate through any scene to learn the names for everything on the screen.

LinguaMatch offers a dictionary with more than 2,000 words and 1,200 phrases covering topics from travel to weather. And after you work through each lesson segment you are presented with a drill to test your aptitude. The program keeps a detailed record of your progress, logging both your errors and your successes.

Ease of Use:  

When we tried to install LinguaMatch, the Auto-Run feature did not work. Once we got past that point, the installation was fine.

Teaching Tools:  

The help and documentation Transparent provides for LinguaMatch is top-notch. There's email support, which typically takes around two business days for a response, and a toll-free support line. The company's homepage offers a FAQs page, occasional updates and, if you still have unanswered questions, an online technical support request form.

Word Tools:  

This program covers the fundamentals of basic Italian vocabulary in a fun and interesting way. LinguaMatch also includes record and playback functions to allow you to listen to your own pronunciation of Italian words. This function would be more useful, however, if you could compare your voice to the voice of a native Italian speaker.

Tech Support:  

Although the program includes convenient vocabulary learning and testing features, it lacks many valuable tools available in top-of-the-line Italian software programs; such as grammar-building exercises and conversation practice.

Summary:  

LinguaMatch is a good way to build your Italian language vocabulary, but the program lacks the ability to expand your language abilities in other areas.