¡Hola! Welcome to a 3D world for learning Spanish

Learning a foreign language is a hard task, especially at the beginning. So what if your computer could lend you a hand?

With 3DLanguage Spain you can take your first steps in Spanish with the help of your computer. This language learning software tool is definitely very different to everything you’ve seen so far. Instead of providing you with a few lessons, maybe a flashcard utility and then some drills, 3DLanguage Spain puts you right in the middle of a 3D rendered Spanish city, with some Spanish native speakers to practice with.

The three-dimensional learning environment is fully interactive, meaning you can not only click on other people to speak to them, but also click on different objects around you to learn how to say them in Spanish.

3DLanguage Spain includes some tutorial lessons with basic language skills, such as general pronunciation, greetings and talking about the weather – yes, weather is considered a basic skill here. There are also areas for beginners and advanced students, with more vocabulary and complete sentences, and also handy information about Spain.

While the idea in 3DLanguage Spain is really good, I must admit I didn’t really like the program for various reasons. First, the pronunciation guide is inaccurate: it follows South American rules and only mentions Spanish differences in a short line inside the theory. Secondly, the program demonstrates many of the stereotypes about Spanish people: tapas, toros, non-stop fiesta, and a natural tendency towards laziness (apparently inferred from the high number of benches you can find in Spanish cities).

Last but not least, and regarding the Spanish postcard used as transition effect between lessons, I’d like to remind the developers of 3DLanguage Spain that Franco has been dead for more than 33 years now, so his face is obviously not being used in stamps anymore.

3DLanguage Spain is a completely different approach to computer-assisted language studying, though the program should try to stay away from clichés.