MLS Portuguese Brazilian Lab - From A to B: Brazilian Portuguese Through Translation

MLS Easy Immersion Brazilian Portuguese Lab only goes as far as the present tense. This course is a match for people who want to get their feet wet, to see what Brazilian Portuguese is all about. If you like what you hear and what you can do with this software, then, once you master its content, you may want to consider continuing your study in this beautiful language.

The Brazilian speakers used in the exercises speak clearly and naturally, so imitating their speech patterns facilitates pronunciation and fluency. This becomes apparent when you begin to repeat examples in pronunciation. Make sure you connect your microphone. You are going to need it to make all those sounds like Brazilians do.

This software stresses repetition, and it does repeat and reinforce the skill being studied, whether it is reading comprehension, listening comprehension, or speaking and pronunciation.

This Easy Immersion Language program handles writing in a deflective manner. You will be asked to translate words from the native language into Portuguese. You only have to

type in the first letter of each word and the program will fill in the rest. This feature will be good for those who are not great spellers. You must, however, have a good idea of the answer beforehand in order not to get an error.

As this is a study-on-your-own course, be sure to read the information on the screen labeled Help System; simply click on the image of the globe on the main page. It explains all the components and modules so you have a good idea where this course will take you and what you will be able to do after you master its content. To help you reach your goal, the software can be customized to the way you want to learn. To do this, check out Setup on the Menu page.

Progress lets you see what kind of headway you're making based on how you have this program customized for your learning. With each exercise you do in the different levels, correct and incorrect answers are collected and calculated. The results are shown in a bar graph.

Interaction in Stories plays on the student's ability to read and comprehend, and fill in the blanks with the correct word at the top of the page. Fortunately, there is a pause button to stop the speaker long enough to drag and drop the word in the right place. This exercise will definitely train your reading and listening comprehension.

What really disturbs me about this Easy Immersion Language Program is its intended audience.  For the student to be able to do any of the exercises, he or she must have ample knowledge of the language already. The only way to do the exercises in grammar is to go through the exercises once and make all your mistakes, and as the answers appear, learn them and do a repeat of the lesson. There is a lack of focus of Portuguese as a foreign or second language here. The grammar section seems more designed for Brazilians who want to test their English--with Spanish speakers to compile everything, which would explain the tons of mistakes in Portuguese at all levels.

If not for the use of clear, strong voices from Brazilian speakers, which make correct pronunciation acquisition much easier, this language software would have little going for it.

The Brazilian speakers used for the audio part of all the exercises have clear, strong voices so that imitating the sounds of the words, phrases, and sentences is much easier for the student. This aspect makes the package of value for its price to those students who want an introduction to Brazilian Portuguese.

Use the software CD to install the program on your computer.  The installation sheet contained relatively easy, step-by-step instructions, and in a short time I was up and running.

The installation sheet could be more descriptive so the user would feel more secure in what he is doing. The graphics are nice, but more descriptive instructions are more important.

Use of the same terminology should happen in all areas for consistency. At the bottom of the installation sheet is the software license code. This code is apparently the same as the product code used to get access to the product key for full access. By using my deduction skills, I saw that there was no other code anywhere to be seen, so I put it in the blank and submitted the form again. I got my product key this time--after some great technical help.

The graphics used throughout this language software please the eye immensely. You can go through the lessons without tiring your sight.  AutoLearn guides you at the appropriate level based on the Progress report.

The interaction this software offers will keep you, as a student, challenged, curious, and learning. Stories with the fill-in-the-blank passages will keep the student on the move mentally and mouse-wise; plus, the graphics used in this software are top-notch from beginning to end. 

Keep in mind that this software only presents the present tense and the present continuous tense. This course is good for those students who want an introduction to Brazilian Portuguese, to see what it is like.

In the grammar section, there is no access to the dictionary to look up the unfamiliar vocabulary presented.

Pronunciation, with its voice recognition software lets the student see how good his/her pronunciation is.  He/she can practice the same word or phrase over and over if necessary. This feature in only this aspect replaces the teacher in the classroom, and I do not think teachers will mind.

The interaction in Stories, with the fill-in-the-blank vocabulary, is fun and challenging. The stories are interesting and will keep the student interested.

Although this language program missed its chance to educate foreigners about Brazil (where Brazilian Portuguese is spoken), the stories, with their reading comprehension and interactive fill-in-the-blanks from vocabulary at the top of the page, challenge the student in listening comprehension, reading comprehension, and vocabulary (as well as how to be fast on the button with a computer mouse; fortunately, there is a pause button).

Grammar and Vocabulary at all levels need revamping. Proofing and editing throughout the content is a must-do.

Stories has more to do with Russian and English culture than Brazilian culture, but it has good exercises for reading and listening comprehension. The story book, really a pamphlet, can be used for study alone or with the audio CD when traveling.

Pronunciation with voice recognition, and being able to see how closely your pronunciation comes to that of a Brazilian speaker, highlights performance with this language software.

Once the installation was finished and the program was running, I clicked on Grammar. A registration screen popped up asking for the product code. I looked everywhere and did not find a product code, so I clicked Submit with only the hardware code that the program had assigned my computer. That was a major mistake, because the program was unable to authenticate the registration for the product key for full access. Even without the authentication and full access, I could still use the program for two weeks, which would give me plenty of time to call or send an email pleading ignorance on my part.

And that is exactly what I did. I sent an email message for technical support at info@linguashop.com. This was on a major American holiday--July 4th. Within five minutes I had received a reply; and within ten minutes I had my product key for full access. I must admit that I was very impressed with the MLS technical support team.

Language is a complex animal that delves into every aspect of our human existence. I have never seen a language program that was perfect, and I do not expect to. This language program is no different. Some of its weaknesses, though, are errors that have been made time and again when compiling a course in Brazilian Portuguese using Spanish speakers or Spanish students to compile, proof, or key in information.

The proofing and editing of this language software falls short at all levels. The grammar explanations are shaky at times and sometimes downright incorrect. Some of the translation equivalents are questionable, if not incorrect at times. One of the examples used is fale mais baixo for speak slower when it really means speak quieter or whisper.  

The use of the tu form over the você form makes me wonder if Brazilians even participated in this language compilation program except to read the text.

In future versions, including a detailed explanation of the grammar exercises as well as all vocabulary before the exercise begins will facilitate students' learning. Consistency will allow students to use their inductive, deductive, and pattern-choice skills--these are the survival skills in life and language. Well-chosen vocabulary lessons and exercises will only enrich this language software.

On the technical side, this software excels and is pleasant to the eye. With future versions, selective content and consistency with professional Brazilian proofreaders and editors can only make MLS Easy Immersion Brazilian Portuguese Lab a gem for beginners who want to get their feet wet in a new language. Until a new version addresses the issues I have stated above, I cannot recommend this software.