Instant Immersion American Sign Language

by TOPICS Entertainment

Product Features

• PC Compatible, Pentium II 300 MHz or faster, Windows 95/98/Me/2000, 48 MB RAM (64 MB recommended), 20 MB HD, 1024x768 pixels, 16-bit high color, 4x CD-ROM drive drive, Internet Browser, Sound Card, Mo
• 20 MB HD, 1024x768 pixels, 16-bit high color, 4x CD-ROM drive
• Internet Browser, Sound Card, Mouse, Keyboard, Speakers
• Topics
• PC

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005RZOQ
• Item model number: CS-117d
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 24, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,967 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #7 in Software > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > American Sign Language
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

The Instant Immersion American Sign Language package is a four-CD-ROM set that will get you started in learning the language of the deaf. The four discs attempt to meet the individual learning styles and needs of students of ASL.

The SigningAvatar Friends disc is the most visually impressive of the four. Using the same video animation as you'd find in some of today's popular games, the characters come to life and interact with you in sign. This is a flexible application, allowing you to adjust the signing speed and the angle at which you view the signs, and select the character you favor most. The characters can each translate phrases for you, of any length, or you can follow along as they tell you their life story.

The SignLink disc will be a great supplemental resource for those looking to find specific signs for words in English or to learn about deaf culture. The lexicon provides over 2,000 signs, presented in clear, QuickTime format. Also on this disc are other sections that are much like a printed book, covering ASL parameters (like hand position, movement, non-manual behavior, and so on), grammar, and American deaf culture. This disc is definitely good for practice and felt very inviting to us.

The other two discs, Personal Communicator and HyperSign Kids, were more disappointing. Comparing the high video quality and wide-reaching content presented in the first two discs, we found that these two had little to offer. There was little age-specific content on the Kids disc (other than a child's voice pronouncing each word); in fact, both of these discs shared poor-quality video and uninviting interfaces. The picture identification and matching games on the children's version were the best feature of both of these discs overall.

A note about install: each disc functions as its own standalone package. Unfortunately, none required a system restart or indicated that one was necessary. However, we found that the restart is necessary after each installation and trying to install another package without restarting led to system problems for us. The SignLink disc had additional problems because it required the installation of a very old version of QuickTime (2.1) and would not proceed without installing it.

Overall, we highly recommend the first two discs of this set as strong learning tools for those interested in learning American Sign Language and getting a sense of American deaf culture. --Emilie Herbst

Product Description

MANUFACTURER WARRANTY: 90

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

157 of 158 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars If you're serious about learning ASL, pass this one by..., August 8, 2003

By 

Brian Gomez (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Instant Immersion American Sign Language (CD-ROM)

I've been signing for almost ten years, and my wife works professionally as an interpreter. I recently picked this package up as a handy refresher to keep my skills sharp. For under $$$, it seemed like a good deal. Unfortunately, this suite of "learning tools" left a lot to be desired. First of all, if you're using XP, expect a whole slew of compatibility problems. The few programs I was able to get working suffered from very poor interface design, and worse yet, presented the user with incorrect information. For example, the Personal Communicator lets the user type in English phrases to get a video ASL interpretation. What the program displayed for you was a literal English word-order translation of the phrase. Words that did not appear in the sparse word list were then fingerspelled. There was absolutely no consideration of ASL grammar or structure. Thus, a sentence like "How long have you been an interpreter?" was translated with the literal signs for "how" (as in, "how does this work?"), "long" (as in "that road is long"), "have" (as in "can I have some water?"), and so on. If you've ever taken a real ASL course, you know how wrong this is. A true ASL representation should have read something like "interpreter how-long (time) you?" In all fairness, creating a program advanced enough to do such an accurate conversion would probably cost much more, but by presenting new ASL students with this sort of misrepresentation is destructive to the language rather than constructive. Another program, the English-ASL dictionary, is nothing more than a copy of a University of Michigan ASL web site, not a carefully designed learning aid for home use.

Bottom line, if you're really serious about learning this wonderful language, do yourself a favor and enroll in a class at a local college or community center. It is the ONLY way to truly learn this language and begin to experience deaf culture. If you want to practice at home, I would recommend The American Sign Language Dictionary 10th Anniversary Edition. It's far more accurate and does a much better job of teaching ASL grammar, deaf culture, and sign vocabulary.

116 of 120 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Instant Immersion American Sign Language, December 6, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Instant Immersion American Sign Language (CD-ROM)

The Instant Immersion in American Sign Language is a great buy. I am presently in ASL classes at college and I bought this software as a learning aid. This software contains four different programs on four different CDs. All of the programs were very user friendly and I was able to install and use immediately.
CD#1: The SigningAvatar Friends uses 3D animated characters to synthesize a signed conversation with you. There are different characters and signing speeds to choose from. The motions are somewhat jerky and a little difficult to read. Though I liked the concept, this was my least favorite learning tool between the softwares.
CD#2: SignLink is my favorite software in this package. It contains movie clips of individual words signed. Though, it is important to note that some signs are regional. SignLink also gives important information about ASL grammar, social rules of interaction, and parameters for different signs. Being in ASL in college, I have learned how important it is to know more than just a word for word translation.
CD#3: The Personal Communicator contains several different programs within one. First is signed exact English with movie clips and written descriptions. The person signing is somewhat small and when the larger image is selected, the image becomes pixelated. Second is an ASL Playroom, which is fun for my kids. Clicking on an item in the playroom makes it do funny things and then the objects sign is displayed on a monitor in the playroom. The last program allows internet access so that I can go to a website and see more signs.
CD#4: HyperSign Kids seems to be for young children. Though I have no use for HyperSign Kids, others with small children may find it useful.
Overall, this is a great package and I highly recommend it.

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 differect CD-ROMs, 4 different reviews, November 19, 2002

By 

K. Barnes (Austin,TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Instant Immersion American Sign Language (CD-ROM)

I will try to limit my comments to what has not already been said in other reviews.
Possible pertinent info about the computer this review is based upon: Dell Dimension 4550, Pentium 4, 2.0GHz, 32-bit display, Windows XP Home edition.

DO restart after EACH CD install even though the instructions do not say so (thank you, Amazon reviewer!). I experienced much better performance after reinstalling everything using that advice. I was also more satisfied when I upgraded my computer.

CD-ROM #1 SigningAvatar Friends = 4.5 stars [produced by Vcom3D]
7 different animated characters sign either their biography (option of ESL or ASL) or sign a preset conversation with you (ASL). You can adjust the distance, angle, and speed of the Avatar without loss of smooth quality.
In the Conversation part, you can have the Avatar repeat/sign its own sentence/question or your answers, except for whatever part you have to fill-in.
In the Biography exercise, each Avatar tells you about itself... about 4 paragraphs each. Unfortunately, if you need to repeat a sentence, you have to have the Avatar repeat the whole paragraph instead. Oddly, the ESL version, which is word-for-word (including 'is', 'a', etc), highlights each word as the Avatar signs it, but the ASL version does not even though it is in different word order. A Gloss would have improved this.
I say "true ASL" with some trepidation, though it is definitely not exact English. This CD is especially useful for practicing comprehension at different speeds and viewing angles.

CD-ROM #2 SignLink = 4.9 stars [produced by Sorenson Vision]
Part 1: Textbook type information: ASL overview, history, grammar, parameters of signs etc.
Part 2: Lexicon: At first I thought this was just like what I'd seen on websites (i.e. a list of words you click on to see a video clip of the word being signed). But it is more! You can click on "Parameters" to see how the sign is formed: the position, shape, and distance from body of each hand at the beginning and end of the movement. While this part is arranged as text, if you click on a specific parameter, a graphic is shown to explain it further. (Click on palm facing in/back, it shows a body with arrows in direction palm faces)
The glitch in this is that the facial expression parameter says "neutral" on every sign I've looked at though I know otherwise.
You can also search for specific signs using the parameters. For instance, search for signs that start with "L-hand" "palm facing in/back" ending "palm facing forward", etc.
Almost every feature includes great Help information and cross-referencing also.

CD-ROM #3 Personal Communicator = 2 stars [produced by Michigan State University CommTechLab]
Part 1 "ASL Dictionary" good ideas but not close to publishing quality. Biggest problem? This "translator" uses ESL (signed exact english) not ASL. Even if ESL is what you're learning, the video quality and speed are poor.
Part 2 "ASL Playroom" a very messy children's room where you click on objects to see the Sign video clip after the object animates (click on the teddy bear: the bear growls and eats a toy in front of him). Funny and cute program for kids, but only 21 words are actually signed out of a ton a objects in the room.
Part 3 "ASL Browser" the same as the one on their website, but no waiting for clip download. The word list looks longer because it includes the plural, -ing, -ed forms of verbs even though the sign is the same for each. Clip speed seems improved, but Sorenson's CD is much better.

CD-ROM #4 HyperSign for Kids = 2 stars [produced by Trinity Software]
Includes a 16-bit version of QuickTime which MUST be used even if you have an updated version. I had severe compatibility issues when installing on my computer. Use the PDF "User Manual". Several games for children that incorporate sound and sign for nonreaders. It supposedly allows access for parents/teachers to change/record their own sounds, replace pictures, and change the word lists, but like I said I had issues with it.
Even so, the interface seems too small and unwieldy for small children. There are several sections to each screen, with none being dominant. Most video clips zip through the sign too fast, slow mode is blurry. Also, there is no incentive to win games. Nothing exciting happens. Not something to expect a kid to have fun doing without a parent beside him/her.

OVERALL 4.5 stars because the first 2 CDs are well worth the price of all four.