Instant Immersion Russian 2 CD-ROM Set (Jewel Case)

by TOPICS Entertainment

Product Features

• You'll learn by being completely immersed in Russian, experiencing it directly and learning more quickly
• In no time, you'll be ordering food, conducting business and asking in-depth questions
• Start out simply, with the calendar, numbers, asking directions, and other topics
• Dictation feature helps you compare your pronunciation with native-speakers
• Teaches through fun quizzes and games that help you remember your new language skills

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005RIQ5
• Item model number: CS-059
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 16, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,004 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #16 in Software > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Slavic
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Learn to speak Russian through complete immersion. The Euro Method is an easy and simple way to learn to speak a second language. Based on the same techniques that allow a 4-year-old child to speak a language long before that same child can read or write, the Instant Immersion Russian CDs teach users to speak Russian quickly. The software provides interactive lessons that truly immerse users in the language. The two CD-ROMs enclosed are from EuroTalk, a European publisher of language-learning software. Talk Now! and World Talk will take users from beginning to intermediate levels using fun and easy-to-follow methods.

Talk Now! Russian is designed for beginners who want to start learning a new language as soon as possible. Whether on a business or vacation trip, or even when meeting a foreign visitor, Talk Now! is the CD to use. By hearing and practicing authentic everyday speech, the user's natural ability for language will develop. The EuroTalk CDs are designed to be fun. The program uses quizzes, games, and stories to help reinforce the lessons learned.

The second CD-ROM, World Talk Russian, is the next level up from Talk Now! and goes on to the next stage with new activities, added dictation, and a new recording section. Topics covered include the calendar, building sentences, asking directions, and using numbers. With the recording feature, users can hear and compare their voices with those of a variety of native speakers.

Product Description

Instant Immersion Russian is people who need to learn Russian as quickly as possible. If you need to hold a basic conversation in Russian right away, this is the software for you! Jewel case

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun as a game., August 5, 2002

By 

Laura Lee (Rochester, MI USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Instant Immersion Russian 2 CD-ROM Set (Jewel Case) (CD-ROM)

This is a fun bit of software, and is a nice way to augment your Russian studies in an entertaining way, but I don't see how anyone could learn Russian using this product alone. The first CD is akin to a memory game which teaches some random, thematically linked vocabulary. Just when you think you're becomming a master, you move on to CD 2.

The second CD has an entirely different feel than the first, and this is where the "instant immersion" comes in. Suddenly, animated characters are speaking at you in speedy Russian sentences. Help in English disappears and, even though neither disc gives any instruction in the cyrillic alphabet, you are suddenly expected to be able to read. Was there a CD 1A that I missed?

I plan to go back to CD 2 as I learn more Russian. I think its games will be a fun way to review-- once I learn from some other means...

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars useful tool in your language arsenal, February 26, 2004

By 

J. Hill (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Instant Immersion Russian 2 CD-ROM Set (Jewel Case) (CD-ROM)

First, to address some practical issues from other reviews:

1) I have XP. This CD works on XP.
2) This company does not make a more advanced program in Russian as they do in other languages. As far as I can tell, this 2 CD set is the full extent of their offerings in Russian.

I found this program very useful in learning some important basic vocabulary and getting more comfortable hearing and interacting with spoken Russian. The first CD is set up as a series of lessons and games on 8 different topics -- basic words (hello, goodbye, excuse me, etc.), foods, numbers, time of day, basic phrases, body parts, countries, and objects you might buy shopping like clothes.

In the lesson, a picture is shown, for example a plane. The word for plane is shown in English and in Russian (in cyrillic) and a Russian speaker says the word. There are two speakers on the CD, with noticeably different accents. It is interesting to compare the two accents and sort of triangulate the standard pronunciation. It also helps when you can't understand one of them, listening to the other one usually clarifies. SO, you see the meaning of the word, you see the word in English, you see the word in Russian, and you listen to a native speaker say the word. This is GREAT! I can't tell you how much of this I retained from all this great linguistic input!

So then there is a game to go along with each lesson, which is basically memory. They say a word in Russian and you have to click on the right picture. Simple. There are four different games you can play of varying difficulty levels. And it's really more of a test than a game, but hey when i graduated from college i got an engraved plaque saying i never had to take another test in my life. Didn't you? Anyways... This first CD was really helpful. I really have retained about all of the words on the CD, which is pretty amazing to me. There is also a speech/pronunciation section, but I didn't use it.

The second CD is a little different. It's more of the "immersion" that the title claims. They start spouting sentences full of words you probably don't know, and you're supposed to pick out like which picture they're talking about based on the fact that you heard the word "red" and "shirt" in there somewhere. But it's a little baffling. I'm going to hold off on doing the second CD until I go through some of my other books a bit more. But it's essentially set up the same -- lessons and then "games" to test and reinforce what you learned.

IN SUMMARY, very valuable vocabulary building. The setup of the lessons lends itself to a high level of retention, and the native Russian speakers are great for self-taught book people to hear. There are no grammar lessons, there are no writing exercises, there is no conversation on your part, there is no instruction in cyrillic, the list of vocabulary could have been a bit more extensive, and you don't even necessarily learn how to spell the words you learn. Therefore, it is only ONE weapon among many you should have if you really intend to beat the Russian language into submission. (just kidding) But it is very good at what it undertakes.

And need I repeat that for the price, you can't beat it.

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This will not teach you Russian, February 5, 2002

By 

James T. Sherman (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Instant Immersion Russian 2 CD-ROM Set (Jewel Case) (CD-ROM)

Although this is not a bad supplement to learning Russian it is just that, a supplement. Unlike a college textbook this will not teach the Cyrillic alphabet (even though it assumes the student knows it) nor will it teach verb conjugation and doesn't seem to have any kind of dictionary or grammar guide.

However, it will help both begining and intermediate students improve their speaking ability and reinforce their vocabulary.

If you're not taking a Russian class but learning from a book this will serve as a good language lab (it has the ability to record and play back your pronounciation).

In conclusion, don't buy this title mistakenly believing that it alone can teach you to do anything but learn to speak the most basic vocabulary and phrases.