Review: Global Traveler

Review: Rosetta Stone
Global TravelerCD-ROM and Electronic TranslatorGlobal TravelerLanguage-Learning Software (Windows & Macintosh)German, French, Italian, Spanish, EnglishPublisher: The Rosetta Stone - Fairfield Language TechnologiesCD-ROM, electronic translator, user's manualThis CD-ROM/electronic pocket translatorpackage is a bargain deal for beginners.Most of Rosetta Stone's language-learning software is a bit pricey. While their programs may be good, they can cost over $300. So I was a little surprised when my wife came home with Rosetta Stone's Global Traveler software package that she had purchased at Costco for about $35.00!Not only does the multilingual Global Traveler offer a robust CD-ROM (Windows and Macintosh) with audio and video, but it throws in an electronic pocket translator for words and phrases in six languages, including German.Now, no one is claiming that the Global Traveler set is as complete and serious a program as Rosetta Stone's Rosetta Stone Spanish (Spain)
$300+ software. Global Traveler has more limited aims and, as the name implies, it targets tourists and travelers rather than more advanced learners. But for a package costing under $40.00, it is a very capable program and a good value. I have put this program to the test, and I came away quite impressed. Here's why.First of all, despite largely limiting its vocabulary to the field of travel and getting around in a foreign country (in four languages plus English), Global Traveler covers all four major language skills. It has lessons and exercises for listening, speaking, reading and writing. Although it doesn't come with its own headset/mike like Auralog's $50.00 Tell Me More - German for beginners (you get a nice pocket translator instead), Global Traveler does offer serious help with listening and speaking skills. You can practice speaking, record your voice, and compare your German (or other) pronunciation with a native-speaker, just like with Rosetta Stone's other programs.To give Global Traveler a true test, I chose to begin with Italian, partly because when I was briefly in Italy last summer, I wished I had known a little more Italian. Rosetta Stone Chinese