Conversations Around the World:

France
Russia
Argentina
Costa Rica
Mexico
Spain
Germany

For those at an intermediate level in a language, it is a chance to encounter people using this language as they solve problems and overcome everyday hazards of ordinary life. For those who wish to review a language, it is a unique way to brush up and extend previously acquired language skills. For the curious, it is a chance to sample a foreign language and to get a feeling for the rhythm and unique qualities of a language. Seeing and hearing a language in action gives the flavor of life in other parts of the world. Everyday speech, manners, and customs are enhanced by background notes which lead to a better understanding of other cultures.

Each of these foreign language presentations is a set of interactive microcomputer programs stored on a CDROM disk. In each language a series of conversations use authentic, colloquial language in specific cultural contexts, for example "The Attaché Case" in Russian, or "The Unexpected" in French or "Porténo Traffic" in Spanish with an Argentine flavor. Through on-screen pictures we meet people from these countries conversing and handling personal interactions in everyday situations. As the scenes unfold, users can opt to hear the conversations, record their own speech and compare it with native speakers, view translations when desired, and access cultural or grammer notes. Included are self-test questions, games, and a summary using the same vocabulary in a new context. Users may access snatches of music from the country being studied. Recent photos decorate the indices. All materials have been written by or with the close cooperation of native speakers. Users of the materials are expected to be at a high beginner stage in learning the foreign language, or in the intermediate range or above.

If these materials are used in schools, classroom activities to accompany these materials will be offered as an option in an effort to assist teachers to accomodate students at various levels of achievement in foreign language.