PASSPORT TO 35 LANGUAGES

Installation and start-up

To install the program:

1. Insert the Passport to 35 Languages CD #1 into your CD-ROM drive.2. When the Passport to 35 Languages title screen appears, *click on Install and follow the onscreen instructions.

To start the program:

1. With the Passport to 35 Languages CD #1 in your CD-ROM drive, choose Programs from the Start Menu,2. Then select the Passport to 35 Languages in The Learning Company Program Group3. When the Passport to 35 Languages title screen appears, * click on Play.

If AutoPlay has been turned off the title screen will not appear when you insert the CD to turn it on go to your “My computer” folder and click on the Passport to 35 Languages icon. Then right-click and choose AutoPlay.

©Riverdeep Interactive Learning Limited, and its licensors. All rights reserved. The Learning Company is a registered trademark, and Passport to 35 Languages is a trademark of Riverdeep Interactive Learning Limited. All other trademark are the property of their respective owners. USE OF THIS PRODUCT IS SUBJECT TO CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS AND LIMITATIONS OF WARRANTY UNDER THE LICENSE AGREEMENT CONTAINED HEREIN.

Contents

Program Overview

Welcome to Passport to 35 Languages Program Components

Getting Started

Signing In Navigating the Program

o Languageso Preferences

Speech in the Program

Using Passport to 35 Languages

Main Screen Learn by topics

o Topicso Words o Phrases o Matching o Flash Cardso Association

Pronunciation Dictionary Grammar Travel

Note to User:

This user’s guide assumes that you know the basics of how to use your computer. If you don’t understand basic computer terms, please refer to you computer owner’s manual. If you click on an object and nothing happens right away, wait a moment before clicking again as your computer may simply need a moment to “think” Keyboard symbols used in this user’s guide, such as [Enter], [Ctrl], and [Delete] refer to the actual keys on your keyboard.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Welcome to Passport to 35 Languages

Thank you for buying this educational program from The Learning Company. Passport to 35 Languages is an excellent study aid for the language student of any level. By teaching 250 phrases and over 23000 words in each of the 35 languages, Passport to 35 Languages touches on everything from commonly spoken words used as the building blocks of learning a foreign language to some of the less common words to expand your foreign-language vocabulary. Passport to 35 languages also teaches the alphabets and difficult letter combinations in each language and provides a foundation for continued language studies.

Program Components

Passport to 35 Languages begins with the Sign In screen. The Sign In screen lists all the users that have previously signed in. From this screen, you can go to either the Languages screen to change the language you wish to learn, or the preferences screen to customize the program. After making your selections, you begin your self guided learning experience on the Main screen where you can choose from the five mane selections of the program which include: Learn by Topics, Pronunciation, Dictionary, Grammar, and Travel.

The Learn By Topics section introduces more than 2300 vocabulary words in each language arranged by topics with related subtopics. You can choose the topics and/or subtopics you want to learn, then begin your studies with one of the following learning activities:

Words – learn and practice the target language vocabulary words at your own pace. Phrases – learn and practice useful phrases in the native language. Matching – practice your listening comprehension and speaking skills. Flash Cards – rapidly review the vocabulary words as they flash on the screen Association – practice recognition of associated word groups by playing a game.

The Pronunciation section teaches the target-language alphabet and numbers and how to correctly pronounce them. This section includes the following:

Alphabet – learn individual letters and then practice using them. Vowels – learn the vowels and how to pronounce them properly. Consonants – learn the consonants and how to pronounce them properly. Numbers – learn and practice numbers in the target language Time – learn how to tell time in the target language.

The Dictionary section allows you to review the entire vocabulary or search for specific words in a specific language.

The Grammar section provides you with an overview of the grammar of each language you wish to learn or review.

The Travel section offers interesting cultural information and travel points for parts of the world where the language you are studying is spoken.

GETTING STARTED

Signing in

The program opens to the title screen with a brief introduction. (You can click anywhere onscreen during the introduction if you want to skip it.) The Sign In screen then appears. The Sign In screen lists all the users that have previously signed in. To remove a name from the list, highlight the name that you want to remove, then press [Delete].Click on your name if you have signed in before, or if there is a long list you

can also type in your name and press [Enter]. If this is your first time click the NEW USER button first. Then choose Main from the left hand side of the screen to enter the program.

NAVIGATING THE PROGRAM

Navigation menu

The navigation menu appears on every screen for navigation within the program. Click on an item to go to that section of the program:

Main – takes you to the Main screen where your studies begin. Help – provides screen-specific help. Options – takes you to the Sign In Screen where you can change you language or preferences

settings. Exit – lets you exit the program.

Options menu

The options menu appears on each activity screen for navigation within the activity. Options menu choices change depending on the section of the program you are currently using. The options menu that appears on the Sign In screen is dexcribed here.

You must go to the Sign In Screen to choose or change the following program options:

Languages – allows you to select your native language or the language to learn. Bookmark – returns you to where you left off in the program. Preferences – allows you to customize the program. Credits – lists the creators of Passport to 35 Languages

LANGUAGES

When you installed Passport to 35 Languages you chose your native language. When you sign in for the first time, you must choose the language you want to learn. If you want to change your language selections after you have started the program, click on Languages in the Sign In screen’s options menu. The languages screen appears showing the languages from which you can choose. The left side of the screen shows the native languages that the program is able to teach from. The right side shows the languages that the program teaches. Scroll through the list and click on the language you want to learn. Then cancel or accept your changes and return to the Sign In screen.

PREFERENCES

To customize the program to suit your needs, click on Preferences on the Sign In screen’s options menu. The selections described let you adjust or add variety to the program as you become more skilled. Preference settings are saved for each user, even upon exiting the program.

Drill Order – allows you to change the order in which the words are presented Volume – allows you to adjust the volume Audio Record Length – adjust the time allowed for you to record your voice Speech Recognition – adjusts the speech recognition sensitivity. (Only available for French,

German, Spanish, English and Italian.) Audible Messages/Translations – turn on or off.

SPEECH IN THE PROGRAM

The recording feature is available in the Words, Phrases, Pronunciation and Dictionary sections of the program. Use the recording feature to practice your listening and speaking skills. Record your voice and compare it to the native speaker’s to help refine your pronunciation.

The speech-recognition gauge is available for French, German, Spanish, English and Italian. Speech recognition evaluates your pronunciation. When speech recognition is active, you can watch the gauge as your pronunciation improves!

1. After listening to a word or phrase, click on the record button.2. When the recording light turns red, repeat the word or phrase into your microphone. The record

buttons turns into a stop button once you begin recording.3. Try to closely match your pronunciation to the native speaker’s.4. Click on the play button to replay your voice and compare it to the native speaker’s. You can

record and playback as many times as you wish.

USING PASSPORT TO 35 LANGUAGES

Main Screen

Choosing Main from the Sign In screen initiates the Main Screen which presents the five main sections of the program. A drop-down list of the Main menu selections is available on subsequent screens for quick access to any section. You do not need to follow a particular order to use the program. You can access any section to begin learning or practicing in a way you feel comfortable. To help you pronounce the different languages, particularly those which do not use Latin-based characters, a transliteration system is used in the program.

Learn By Topics

Click on Learn by Topics to enter the Topics screen where you select the topic(s) and/or subtopic(s) you wish to study. Click on a topic/subtopic to select it (click again to deselect it). To select multiple topics/subtopics, press [Ctrl] while you click on the items. After making your selections, choose an activity to begin your studies.

Words

The Words activity introduces the target-language vocabulary words in the topic(s) and/or subtopic(s) you have selected. In this activity, a vocabulary word is outlined in the picture. Listen to the word, then repeat it into your microphone. Whether you hear or see a word depends on how you have set the audible messages or translations in the Preferences screen. Try the exercise with the translation/transliteration turned off to enhance your listening skills.

Phrases

The Phrases activity contains 250 useful phrases in the language you have selected. The phrases and words that appear here coincide with the selected topic(s) and/or subtopic(s). The phrases help to expand your vocabulary and understanding of the language you are studying. Please note that not every topic contains phrases.

Matching

The Matching activity drills you on the words that were introduced in the Words exercise. In this exercise, you hear and see a word and you must click on the picture that you think represents the word. Whether you hear or see a word depends on how you have the audible messages or translations in the Preferences screen.

Flash Cards

The Flash Cards drill allows you to review the vocabulary words as they appear on the screen along with their translation, highlighted picture, and an audio of a native speaker. This drill reinforces your listening and visual comprehension of the vocabulary. The program keeps a count of the total number of words you have selected for the drill and the number of words remaining as you progress.

Association

The Association drill sharpens your comprehension of the language you are learning as you practice recognizing the associated vocabulary words in groups. To do this exercise, drag the word that does not belong with the group to the shredder. Groups of words appearing in this exercise are drawn at random from all the vocabulary in the language you are learning. The Association drill is not related to a particular topic or subtopic.

Pronunciation

The Pronunciation section is accessible by clicking on Pronunciation on the Main menu. The Pronunciation section teaches the alphabet, various vowel and consonant combinations, numbers and how to tell time in the language you have chosen. Please refer to the Appendix to understand the transliteration system used in this program and for help in pronouncing the target language.

Dictionary

To access the Dictionary, click on Dictionary on the Main menu. The Dictionary displays all of the vocabulary words for the target languages you have selected, along with their translations. You can sort the words in alphabetical order for either the native or target language. You can search for a word by typing in the word or a fragment of the word.

Grammar

The Grammar section provides useful grammatical information, including verb conjugations, for the language you are studying. To look up general grammar information, click on Grammar on the Main menu.

Travel

In the Travel section, you can read cultural information and see pictures of historic and various places of interest from the parts of the world where the language you are studying is spoken. To access the Travel section, click on Travel on the Main menu.

APPENDIX – Transliteration

Many of the world’s languages use a writing system other than our familiar Roman alphabet. To make it easier for you to explore these languages, Passport to 35 Languages presents these vocabulary words and phrases in both the native script and as a transliteration into Roman characters.

Because it is extremely difficult to reproduce the nuances of pronunciation in print, these transliterations do not always aim to provide a faithful phonetic transcription of the words and phrases. Instead, by making each character or cluster of characters in the foreign script consistently match the same set of Roman characters, the transliteration can become a familiar, intelligible visual aid for native speakers of all seven interface languages in Passport to 35 Languages. Before studying a language with a non-Roman script, you can consult the Pronunciation section of this program to familiarize yourself with the sound of the language and with out transliterationsystem.