In these instances, you just get a nominal number of tourist phrases and limited context packaged with a glossy looking user interface and a name like “Lang-o-ly.” But looking back at the legacy franchises of the language learning market, we find some pieces of software that kept it simple and still hold up when it comes to being memorable and entertaining.
The “Talk Now!” series by EuroTalk (also known as uTalk since their 2016 app revamp and rebrand) is one of those. You may recognize the series from the old DVD cases with a smiling face on the front and “Learn Estonian.” The person was always different depending on what language the CD was for, and the range was immense; over 150 languages as they state on their website.
Gamification is so important… rewarding sounds, graphics, and a point system make a difference when you need to memorize words. We can’t help but attempt to get a high score.
For teaching basic vocabulary in a gamified way, seemingly no other company—even considering the Teach Yourself series of books, with over seventy-five languages—has come close to reaching this level of inclusion. If you want to learn Jèrriais (spoken on the island of Jersey), Sotho, or Tibetan, you won’t be turned away. They’ve even branched out into Cockney English.
On the topic of gamification, though—this is so important, and distinguishes the best resources out there from the rest. Rewarding sounds, graphics, and a point system make a difference when you need to memorize words. We can’t help but attempt to get a high score.
Upon opening up “Talk Now!” you are ushered into a game parlour of sorts. In the older version of the game, the design is warm, papery, and packed with crisp stock images, almost reminiscent of the sunny halls of learning found in Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. Nine language categories are in front of you: first words, food, colours, phrases, the body, numbers, time, shopping, and countries. Each section of the game presents us with a few options. There is a word practice activity, where you are simply introduced to the words with an array of photos/drawings and two animated people who pronounce words and phrases in Estonian. For example, a splash of a colour is shown and both the English and Estonian versions of the colour’s name appear in writing on either side. There is speaking practice. There’s a picture dictionary you can print out, in case you like having words posted to a bulletin board or other place you look at a lot in your home. There are also two basic quiz games in each section.
In the basic quiz, you only hear words out loud and have to click on the correct corresponding images. In the countries section, quizzes show maps and pronounce country names out loud, and you must click the correct matching flag. In the body section, there’s a fun Operation-style game, where parts of the human body are called out and eventually come together as Frankenstein’s monster. So there are multiple levels of association being developed in vocabulary acquisition. Ultimately, the goal of all these quizzes is to score a total of 1,800 points.
There is also (again depending on the version) either a final casino-style roulette wheel and table or a gameshow game. In the former, a chummy croupier with a quiff and a bowtie stands by as your recall abilities of all vocabulary learned throughout the game are put to the test. See how well you stored away that knowledge. And if it didn’t go so well, click back to the main screen of “Talk Now!” and keep memorizing those words and phrases.
“Talk Now!” is well-suited to visual learners, given its emphasis on photos, cartoons, charts, flags, maps, and basic animations. And together with the audio clips we hear throughout, you’ll notice how memorization doesn’t feel like a chore. It is certainly a bit vintage in terms of the user experience and overall aesthetic, but those who enjoy nostalgic, uncluttered, and fun educational games will find themselves picking up fundamental vocabulary quite easily through this software.
Mac and Windows desktop versions of the software are available for download for $39.99 on the EuroTalk website.
