Berlitz Spanish Reviewer's Comments

Berlitz Spanish Premier, by Nova Development, is a good product with great features that was simply outshined by programs that had simplified the process of learning Spanish. The Berlitz program is very similar to the main program in the Complete Spanish Learning Suite, the program called Learn Spanish Now. Berlitz uses video, audio and text lessons to teach Spanish from a conversational point of view. Also included with Berlitz Spanish Premier is a set of audio CDs with another Spanish course and a version of the program that works on an iPod and other mobile devices.

One of Berlitz’s strengths is the wide variety of word recognition activities and word tools provided in the program. There are many different word activities and multiple ways to get information about specific words and translations. This makes the learning process more like textbook learning than intuitive learning, but the video conversations help to create an immersion learning environment from time to time.

The reason Berlitz Spanish Premier didn’t rank higher was due to the lack of a clear progress tracking system and the general difficulty of navigating the program.

Berlitz Spanish Screenshots. Click for more
       


Features:  

Berlitz has a lot of great features that make it useful in any setting. The mobile version of the program makes it possible to learn even if you are away from your computer, and the audio CDs can be taken anywhere too. But one of the biggest problems with Berlitz is that it doesn’t have a clear progress tracking function like most other programs do. This could leave you wondering just how well you are assimilating the material.

Fundamentals:  

Berlitz gets the fundamentals right. Almost everything is based around vocabulary, though there are grammar lessons. Much of the learning can be based around video conversations where you learn the words as the conversation progresses. There is also a speech recognition function that helps to teach pronunciation by letting you compare your voice to that of a native speaker.

Ease of Use:  

This program stumbles a bit in the Ease of Use category. While there are many different choices and features, it’s not immediately clear what everything does. There are tutorials and explanations for everything, but we found that, even after watching the tutorials, we weren’t sure what all the buttons did. Many buttons are not clearly labeled. There is a tab system that lets you easily navigate between parts of a lesson, but it took a while to figure out how to navigate between lessons or even return to the main menu screen.

Teaching Tools:  

Berlitz has all the basics: images, audio, video, speech recognition and so forth. They have a large selection of word recognition activities to help you practice what you have learned. Each one focuses on a different skill so you can train where you need it most. Berlitz also has some good culture lessons intertwined into the video conversations. These are easy to watch and are based around a Spanish speaker from America that visits relatives in Spain. The program does an effective job of integrating the word tools into the video lessons so that you can learn about specific words instantly.

Word Tools:  

Berlitz has several different types of word tools. There is a standard dictionary that can help translate, but you can also instantly translate words in a lesson if you are stuck. You can also make a log of words that are particularly difficult for you and the program makes a list with definitions for you to study later.

Help/Support:  

The FAQ for Berlitz Spanish Premier is fairly helpful, but the User Manual is very extensive, making it a good resource for problems and questions about the program. There are also several tutorials designed to teach you how to navigate the program, though they may not be enough to explain everything. For other problems, you can also contact the company through email or phone.

Summary:  

Berlitz has a lot of great word activities and tools, but it's not the easiest to navigate and there are several other programs that have a simpler teaching method.