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.

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.

Spotlight Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

Fun as a game., August 6, 2002

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...

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

useful tool in your language arsenal, February 27, 2004

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.

All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:

OK for speaking practice but missing continuity between CDs, January 6, 2005

I've been studying Russian independently for a while now, and I found the first CD in this set very helpful with pronunciation, though it does little for one's ability to recognize and read the Cyrillic letters (They are only shown in the practice section.) and even less for the ability to spell or to write. It is a good tool (and very inexpensive) to use for SPEAKING, if that is, indeed, your only intention or if you have an alternative method of learning to write and spell and read. The vocabulary is useful, though it does little to teach you to compose sentences on your own.

Now maybe I'm missing something, but I put the second CD in today, and I was VERY confused. There is no English translation that I can find, and there is a considerable amount of language used that is not covered in the first CD. I couldn't even find an Exit button to stop the program. On its own, I found this CD practically useless. Maybe there's something I didn't catch on to (and I tried using the Help button, but it was helpLESS.), and if anyone knows what it is, please post and let me know. I hope this helps! And if anyone can help me, I thank you.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Crawl before you walk, walk before you run, August 29, 2004

I am a newborn child, trying to grasp what all those sounds are that the bigger versions of me are making. I started out saying single words, doing a lot of pointing, and eventually, was able to put the words together. After 45 years, I seemed to have figured it out.

This program is the same way. Each lesson is broken down into groups of words, ie first words, numbers, colors, eating out, around the house, etc. Four pictures are shown, with writing in English, and spoken in Russian. On the next screen, you are given one Russian name and asked to chose what it means from the words 4 words listed in English. House? car? Boat? Taxi? Bathroom? Through constant repetition, the words finally start to stick.

Repetition is the way I learned to speak English when I was a baby and I believe that repetition is the way I will learn to speak Russian. Having both a man and a woman say the Russian words helps, too.

You have to crawl before you walk, walk before you run. The foundation must be built. Talk to a two year old. They don't say it right (yet), but they can get their meaning across. Hopefully, I will be able to do the same, minus the temper tantrums!

I gave this program 3 stars, since I feel the Rosetta Stone CD is better (although I think this is a good companion program) and I'm leaving 5 stars open for the ultimate, which I hope is out there.

Happy trekking!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Worth the price, but that's not saying much..., April 21, 2004

I bought this thinking hey, it's ten bucks, what have I got to lose? Well, the answer to that question is ten bucks. If you're broke and want to learn Russian, save your money for food and get a library card. Pass on this.

I'd only give it one star, but I'll give it two because it's so cheap and you could learn something from this if you put forth serious effort. But you'd be better off buying the Penguin Russian course instead for almost the same price.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

Not Bad for the Price, March 13, 2004

This is a two cd rom set. The first one gently takes you through some beginning exercises that are fun and teach you some VERY VERY limited vocabulary that might be useful if, say, you're on a guided tour of Russia with some one else to handle the language for you, and you just want to be able to say a couple of very basic things. (Especially number practice is very well done)

So far, so good. But then when you switch to the 2nd CDrom.. all of a sudden EVERYTHING is in Russian including the game instructions, verbal and written cues plus you're required to do some comparatively sophisticated manipulation of language in the games themselves--skills that the first CDrom did nothing to teach! It's sort of like being moved from first week, Level 1 Russian straight to a 2nd year college class. This produces a lot of frustration. To be effective there should be 4 more carefully stepped CDroms inserted between the 2.