Multimedia 2000 announced on July 30th that The American Sign Language Dictionary v2.0, available on CDROM, has sold over 100,000 copies! Based on Dr. Martin L.A. Sternberg’s reference book of the same name, it teaches American Sign Language (ASL) in a multimedia format which is ideal for the movement-based ASL. This approach allows users to see exactly how each sign is performed rather than relying on graphic representation. Multimedia 2000’s ASL CD-ROM contains video demonstrations and illustrations for over 2600 signs, covering a wide variety of categories and situations.
The program also features learning games, lessons on fingerspelling, and a look at the history of sign language. Enjoying a rate of growth unusual in the software industry, sales of the ASL CD-ROM have risen steadily since its release; sales over the first six months of 1999 have outpaced 1998 same-period results by 55%, and total 1999 sales are on target to be over 65% higher than 1998. Part of this increased popularity can be attributed to the rising profile of ASL, the fourth most used and fastest growing language in the United States. There has been substantial growth this decade in the number of state legislatures supporting the teaching and acceptance of ASL as a foreign language, and as a result ASL is now taught in many high schools for foreign language credit. In addition, nearly 100 colleges and universities, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford and two dozen state universities, now accept ASL in fulfillment of foreign language requirements. Rising social and educational interest in ASL has greatly contributed to the success of Multimedia 2000’s unique and invaluable program with a suggested retail price of $29.95.
