Amazon.com Product Description

Franklin's English/Spanish Travel Ace is the perfect, easy-to-use tool for anyone traveling to a Spanish-speaking country. You can instantly look up 650,000 translations from and to English and Spanish. The phonetic spell checker ensures the right word will be found even if you misspell it. There are also 2,000 conversational phrases available, categorized into topics like Doing Business, Travel and Directions, and Eating and Drinking.

The Travel Ace also has two classic games--Hangman and Quiz--a clock with world and local times, a calculator with metric and currency conversions, and a Rolodex Electronics databank for names and phone numbers. ... Read more

Features

• Over half a million translations to and from English and Spanish
• 2,000 categorized conversational phrases
• Advanced verb conjugation
• Hangman and Quiz games
• Also a calculator, clock, and contact information databank

Reviews (5)

This is a kid...13...7th grade
Hey sup. I got this thing like...today, and it works...BADLY

this is the worst...and the WORST
at 20 bux, its still a rip, i put "CABINET" and its like...CORRECTING...no corrections found...online is much better
it never shows the masculine or feminine form, and it doesnt work in other forms...ex. hacer in the yo form is hago

its a piece of...
yea, fill it in, heh

franklin is also suppose to be a pretty good brand with great electronic dictionaries, this is by far the worst translator EVER
as that guy said. A TOY

A TOY TOY TOY

all those other features are worthless...TIME?!?! who uses a dictionary for the TIME...PHONE NUMBERS?!?!?!? whats the use, thats y we have phonebooks and PDAs and stuff...calculator...thats ok i guess...

~!WORST PRODUCT EVERR!~

Don't be fooled, this is a toy.
Sure it's only $20 or so, but it really isn't usable for any serious student of Spanish. For one thing, it doesn't give genders for the nouns. It won't give you a definition but hands you a phrase. However, it does tell time and store phone numbers and play games. I don't have any idea why they would call this toy a translator.

The best for the money
Ok, this one does have a bit of a learning curve, and you MUST read the instructions! However, once you have mastered how to use it, this one is fantastic if you really want to learn the language. It has every verb conjugation in it, with the english translation. So no longer do you have to figure out "what does past imperfect mean?" but rather it gives you the actual english/spanish translation. For example, enter "study" (after selecting english-->spanish of course) and click "inflections". You can scroll down to see the present imperfect tense is:
"I have studied" and hit ENTER to see the spanish translation as "yo he estudiado". Try THAT with your "501 Spanish Verbs" book, that assumes you know what preterite and conditional tenses actually are! :-)

If you want to study the language and conjugate verbs, for less than $... you can't go wrong. But do read the manual!

Save your money
I'd love to know how they figure in excess of 500,000 translations, Virtually every effort to translate a word came up "Correcting" and after a considerable time offered unrelated suggestions. Possibly of some use to absolute beginners, however at any level above this if you don't know the translation, then almost certainly this thing won't either.

NOT VERY HELPFUL
As a beginning Spanish student, I bought this little gadget because it boasted having a wealth of vocabulary and phrases.
I am disappointed with this product in several ways. First,
the size and design: it's very small which is fine, but the designers did two bad things, it's very hard to see the display
in any lighting, and the button(s) you need to use the most are
so small it's ridiculous. Second: The phrases are all preset, into categories. Forget about entering a phrase of your own. Many of the preset phrases are ridiculous, for instance, What is
your e-mail address? Why would a non-spanish speaking person
need that??? If you want to know where you can find a chinese
restaurant, you will need to look up each word individually, and then find out that "chinese" isn't in the database. So, have a
pencil and paper ready to construct your own clumsy sentences.

I gave it one star because it's better than having nothing. If
you were going to dash to Mexico for the weekend, this would get
you through. It's not user intuitive so expect to have to read
the booklet to find out how to capitalize a letter, as well as
using any/all of the functions. It's complicated, it's limited,
it's difficult to navigate. On the upside - you'll know what
time it is! There's a name & phone number database - it would
be a lot nicer to just be able to take a note - like what street
your hotel is on - or write down frequently used expressions of
your own instead of having to look up "What is the special
today?" every night at dinner. But, if your wife is pregnant,
goes into labor and you're panicking - this little gizmo will
come to your rescue. It's got that covered. A pocket dictionary
would be faster and more helpful. ... Read more

Features

• Over 800,000 bi-directional translations with auto language recognition
• Over 2,000 conversational phrases in eight categories, including eating out, hotel, money, etc.
• Advanced verb conjugation and inflection search
• Large 2 line, 20 character per line display
• 12 digit calculator, with metric and currency converters

Reviews (4)

simple words missing
The first word I typed in to translate was "cat". Hmmm... it's not in the dictionary. That about says it all.

Not recommended
The unit took about a month to be delivered from Seiko. After using it for several months I have found that it does not even have common words and phrases. It would be of no help to try to use it in a Spanish speaking country.

Missing alot of words
Disappointed with the lack of words. Every 3rd or 4th word I looked up was not in the dictionary.

light & cheap
This translator is light and small. The display is only 2 lines, but that's enough. When you enter a word it let's you choose the part of speech & lists several meanings without any explanations. You can search in the phrases also. For the nouns you can check the plural form, for the verbs you can change the tense & the person + the negative & the question forms. The vocabulary, as you can expect for this price, is limited. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The ER586HT English/Russian dictionary features a high-quality English speech synthesizer with pronunciation and accent correcting, an English-Russian and Russian-English dictionary with more than 1 million words, an easy-to-use backlit touch screen, the Socrat translating system, and a data exchange program for use with your PC. (Note that the ER586HT does not pronounce words in Russian.)

The ER586HT lets you send faxes and send and receive e-mail using E-mail Around-the-Globe, and you can translate the e-mail automatically. You can use the digital voice recorder to record personal memos. The tourist phrase book translates up to 10,000 English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, and Dutch words into Russian. A phone book lists area codes for more than 2,000 cities in Russia, the United States, and other countries.

You can customize the dictionary with new words by typing them on the keyboard or downloading them from your PC. The ER586HT's dictionary offers built-in English grammar rules, a real-time Test of English as a Foreign Language course, English sentence construction, frequently used phrases, 18 sections of specialized reference, and a list of irregular verbs and American idioms.

The built-in organizer includes both business and personal directories, an electronic notepad with one-touch search, and an option for sending documents by e-mail or fax. A scheduler with a memo option also supports data exchange with your PC. You can store a list of important dates and view your calendar. The ER586HT supports a shorthand writing system and a drawing board for sketches--and you can even send your sketches by fax.

Additional options include a traveler's guide, horoscopes, a game center with four popular games, a U.S. citizenship exam, a math and engineering calculator, a personal account manager, a loan calculator, math formulas, currency and metric conversion, a database of English names, clothes and footwear sizes, and an option to upload text files. ... Read more

Features

• 1 million-word vocabulary
• Pronounces words in spoken English
• Advanced 2 MB organizer with business and personal directories
• Send faxes; send and receive e-mail
• Automatic translation of e-mail

Reviews (7)

Years of practical service
There is one negative review commenting on bad buttons/ poor manufacture. This is completely counter to our family's experience. My wife, her mother and sister all have one of these translators and find them to be rugged and problem free. My wife has had hers for what must be 3 years now.

95% of my wife's usage is single word translations and seldom uses full sentence or pronunciation features. Although she is quite fluent, she still uses it often when she comes across odd words in some books, or needs an equivalent of a technical or other very precise term she only knows in Russian. Her mother and sister are less fluent and use sentence translation and pronunciation much more often. Oddly, the men hardly ever use the translator. No one uses the other organizer features on the unit. We favor this unit rather than the 486 model due to its larger dictionary. A side benefit is that looks much nicer with its leather like case and attractive silver styling. The pronunciation is useful for beginning to intermediate speakers, because it gives you an idea of the kind of sound you should try to make. However, it has the typical computer robotic sound to it- do not expect anything like a recording of actual human speakers. It turns out this robotic accent is not important- the big problems I've found for Russians first speaking English would be solved if they listenned to this unit pronouncing the word for them.

Also do not have super high expectations for the sentence translator. It is not a fault of Ectaco- Machine translation is a very hard problem and no one has a translator you can trust completely. The translator is very handy and can be used to give someone some hints about what you are trying to communicate. But don't expect to get it right more than 70% of the time. Some checks you can do to verify the translation is to try translating the english words back into russian and see if most of the meanings are the one you intended. If the word has too many different or possibly disasterous meanings, obviously it might be a good idea to substitute a russian synonym to get an english word translation with less chance of creating confusion. Obviously this is a lot of work, and it is probably unnecessary to go to this much trouble in typical situations. Just to give you an idea, my mother in law regularly went into the city to go shopping and at that time knew only a few english phrases. Armed with this translator (and a cell phone for emergencies)- she found it easy to complete all her tasks. She only had to call us once to explain some complicated detail to a salesperson.

We bought the accessories for this (that allow you to hook to a computer) but I'd suggest that you hold off and buy them only if you really think you would use them. We tried them but never got much value from them.

We strongly suggest using NIMH (nickel metal hydride) rechargeable batteries. This will save you huge amounts of money if you use the translator a lot. Radio shack has good quality ones. We have tried other generic brands, but they most failed after several charges.

Hope these notes help.

Very useful and fun
I found this dictionary very useful to learn English words. I often play in different word games on it to enlarge my vocabulary. What I really adore about this dictionary is the touch-sensitive display, it's fun to send emails and do everything with a small stylus!
I have specially chosen this dictionary to have the TOEFL listening comprehension and all the other tests as well as grammar reference.
The dialogues for every day situations have often helped me when I had no idea how to say something in English.
My dictionary translates all the words and even common phrases and idioms. And the most important for me is that it not only pronounces clearly everything, but records my pronunciation, so I can always compare them and speak better. English pronunciation is so different from the Russian one ...
Thanks to this dictionary, I speak English much better now. :)

It's a legend in both features and price!
I bought this product two weeks ago, my product is Arabic -English dictionary. It's a legend electronic dictionary with English-Arabic, Arabic-English, English-English dictionaries and Arabic & English speller. Data base of vocublary, dialog, grammer, proverbs, abbreviation, travel & country information, cities, languages, airports, airlines, temperature, telephone id's. Organizer with business tel., personal tel., memo, schedule, user dictionary, calender(Gregory & Higri), local & world time, anniversity and voice memo. Calculations with simple & scientific calculator, loan calculator, account mangement, currency conversion, metric conversion. Games of word, brick, title 5 & master mind game. Communication with pc link, fax machine built in, email(send & recieve). All these features and it's english talking with male true voice and it has back light touch screen and the its memory is 2MB. These features are the shiny side of this product where the other side appear in its exaggerated price and its short life of the best batteries in this product.

ER586HT
Perfect tool, great features and fulfilling vocabulary. But the manual needs to be written in a simpler manner. Too many technical terms that are not easy to understand for people who are not familiar with these terms. I think it should be more so-to-speak "housewife friendly". -- I give it four stars.

Poor quality and terrible support
I bought ER586HT English/Russian from Ectaco and it was inoperable out of the box. Some buttons did not work at all. The store only had 7 days return policy so I had to bring it to the Ectaco store in Queens, NY. I was told they would call me within 2 weeks. It took me 5 weeks and multiple calls to get a replacement which... had the same problem. Now it has been 3 weeks again, no word from Ectaco.

Summary: good product idea, very poor implementation, absolutely the worst warranty and customer service I have ever seen. ... Read more

Features

• Electronic dictionary containing the 10 most popular languages, including English, Spanish, German, Italian, and Russian
• Can translate from any language to any language included on system
• Features a situational dictionary, an Internet dictionary, an Internet reference guide, and a phrase book
• Includes organizer with e-mail and telephone directory
• Comes with CD-ROM loaded with a collection of the largest Language Teacher electronic dictionaries

Reviews (7)

not well built
Craptastic!
The first one I received was DOA.
The second one died after using it for only a few hours. I tried the reset feature repeatedly - no luck. Replaced the batteries - no good.
The software isn't too bad. It's 4 million word vocabulary doesn't seem to include conjugated verbs.

What 5 other languages does it translate????
How can I buy a translator if I do not know all of the languages they do. If I want more than what is advertised how can I tell this product is what I want without knowing all languages????

Calculator - 10 languages Travel translator
First of all I have never thought such a small and light device could INSTANTLY translate into 10 languages! I have traveled all over Europe (15 countries) with it. I often found very useful the common travel phrases and words in different languages. If I had taken all the necessary usual dictionaries with me, I would have had to pay for overweight ;) It is much more comfortable than traditional phrase-books - no pages to turn.
And I am really satisfied with it - for such a low price - it is really worth it.

Product was DOA
The product was dead on arrival -- it doesn't seem to be built very well, so I returned it and bought Ectaco's dictionaries for the Palm platform. They work very well although they do take up quite a bit of memory.

Need a different case.
Cheap case! Information inside, however, is very good. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Make traveling in Spanish-speaking countries easier with this Seiko Spanish-English dictionary with advanced verb conjugation. This electronic dictionary is perfect for travelers, offering quick access to 370 common phrases for travel and emergency situations.

This Spanish-English dictionary features 600,000 bidirectional translations and it instantly finds and translates conjugated verb forms. Seiko's EZ-Learn teaching system helps you build your vocabulary and language skills. Other handy features include a 12-digit calculator with memory and percent function, 28 bidirectional metric and currency converters, and an international clothing-size comparison chart.

Entries are easy to read on the large LCD display, and you can enter information using the full keypad and function keys. This dictionary weighs only 9.3 ounces and comes with a one-year warranty. ... Read more

Features

• More than 600,000 Spanish-English bidirectional translations
• Instantly finds and translates conjugated verb forms
• EZ-Learn teaching system builds language skills
• Quick access to 370 common phrases for travel and emergencies
• 12-digit calculator, metric/currency converter, international clothing-size comparison chart

Reviews (4)

Never used it
I have never used this unit but I have tried many like it. Of all of these I have found that the Franklin units are the best.

The Franklin TES-118 English/Spanish Translator is great. It has Advanced verb conjugation. The more expensive Franklin unit like DBE-1450 Spanish/English are better but the TES-118 is all most people will need.

I don't like the multi-language like the Franklin TWE-118 5 Language European Translator, because the verb conjugations are not included and the dictionaries are a bit small. But this unit is still much better others in its class.

Worthless pocket crowder
Save your money. This "dictionary" must have been compiled by experts in Sanskrit. An amazing number of common Spanish words are not included. Many words, in both languages, are mis-defined. It is so awful, that I ended up checking the results against a paper dictionary....which of course renders the electronic device useless.

What can I say good? The conjugation feature is good...IF your verb happens to be in the pitiful lexicon. I also like the test and list functions. In other words, as long as you are working inside the dictionary`s limited set and rule out the wacky occasional definition, it works fine. But, honestly, I would save my money.

Very useful tool, with some limitations.
This little translator (actually a dictionary with verb conjugation, has been a major tool in my learning toolbox. First, the little machine is very well built. Mine has survived abusive treatment on the workplace and in my car, and keeps going. It's been left in a hot car, dropped on pavement, and generally thrown around and it continues to work as before. The little keyboard is surprisingly easy to thumb-enter. The display is large and clear. The verb-conjugation allows you to scroll through conjugations of a verb or search by English or Spanish translation, including compound verbs. It has a 40 word list that allows you to practice. It gives you the word in the language you choose, and requires you to enter the word in the other language.

Now for the limitations. First, there is no contextual information. For example, if an English word has two Spanish meanings, the translator does not give you any information to determine which word you need. In addition, the spelling trainer does not allow you to enter accent marks or tildes, which limits it's utilization for memorization. The machine does not handle reflexive verb forms at all. In addition, the conjugator offers the verb form for "you (formal), he, she, and it" as separate entries even though they have the same conjugated form. The machine also does not allow any form of drills with conjugated verb forms.

The device does have a couple of quirks. It omits some common words, even "cat." Sometimes the -s- key functions as the -y- key in yes or no function questions. I have owned two of these (the first was destroyed by a dog after being dropped in the yard) and this problem existed on both.

In comparison to Franklin's equivilent product, I would say that the Franklin translator has far superior information but that the device is more poorly built. The Franklin translator has a rather flimsey cover. The button's are soft in operation, and you can't tell by feel if the device has accepted the keypress. The display is somewhat hard to read, but it does display far more information including examples, contextual information, and various forms of a word.

I highly recommend the Seiko translator so long as the user is aware of it's limitations. You will still have to use your dictionary to decide which option is correct for your purpose. But I love the Seiko for its small size, ease of use, and toughness. I can carry it with me on my job, and use my free time to carry out drills.

Quick, Simple, and Effective
I really like this product because in addition to being an advantage over a big, bulky, written dictionary, it's easy to use and has effective results. It not only can tell you the translation of words from spanish to english or from english to spanish but can also conjugate verbs. It gives quizzes about verb conjugation and vocabulary; it also offers quizzes for commonly used SAT words. I must stress how easy it is to use. I can't even use my sewing machine but i figured out how to work this in not even an hour! ... Read more

Features

• Translates -English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Phonetic Chinese, Phonetic Japanese, Phonetic Korean
• Over 8,000 words
• 500 Phrases
• 200 City World Time
• 8 Currency and 8 Metric Conversions

Amazon.com Product Description

Make European travel a breeze with the Lingo Continental 14-language electronic translator. The Continental stores 56,000 words, plus 1,700 useful phrases. Translate to and from English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Dutch, Polish, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Russian, and Turkish.

This translator also features eight currency conversions, six metric conversions, local time in 12-hour and 24-hour formats, and world time for 200 cities. A calculator is also included, plus a data bank for storing names, telephone numbers, and memos. Entries are displayed on the two-line, 14-character dot-matrix LCD display with contrast control. This translator comes with two CR-2032 batteries and a one-year warranty. ... Read more

Features

• 14-language translator
• English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, Russian, Czech, Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, Korean
• More than 56,000 words, 1,700 useful phrases
• 2-line LCD display
• Currency/metric conversions, calculator, and databank

Reviews (4)

Gift Certificate Policy N'G.
I wanted to redeem my gift certificate to purchase this item, but I cant.......Your policy for redeeming gift certificates
is seriously wanting. I mean, it was nice that I got the certificate, but in my case I am unable to redeem it for the
products that I want......Unless I use a credit Card,..

Whats the point of the gift certificate? If I cant use it for EVERYTHING YOU offer for sale. Everything I'm interested in requires a Credit Card. I now am forced to buy things just to redeem the certificate, and quickly I might add, before it expires.

You should think to change your policy regarding the Gift certificates.

Thank You.
Frank Valencia

Only 4K Words.
It is worth knowing that 56,000 words means "total words". That means you only get 4000 words per language. A bit deceptive.

Discrepancy
The languages described on the page are very different from the languages listed in technical details. Which are correct?

Another Little Miracle
I bought the Lingo 14 (as well as the Lingo Euro 6) on my last trip to Europe and it was really easy to use. I would recommend this item for anybody traveling abroad. ... Read more

Features

• 210,000 totaltranslations to and from English, French, German, Italian and Spanish
• Over 5,000 phrases organized by category
• Enter words by how they sound with phonetic spell correction
• Rolodex databank stores 100 names/numbers with password protection
• Local/world clock

Amazon.com Product Description

Travel easily through Europe using this Seiko six-language translator with organizer and travel alarm. Cross-translate English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese with the database of 200,000 words and phrases.

The organizer stores more than 160 names with multiple phone numbers and addresses. Other features include world time for 32 cities, and a travel alarm with 10-minute snooze.

Entries are easy to read even in dim light with the backlit LCD display, and you can enter information using the full keypad and function keys. Password protection keeps your private data from prying eyes. This translator weighs only 6.5 ounces and comes with a one-year warranty. ... Read more

Features

• Cross-translation of English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese
• Translates over 200,000 words and phrases
• Stores more than 160 names with multiple phone numbers/addresses
• World time for 32 cities, travel alarm; clock with 10-minute snooze
• Backlit display for easy viewing in dim lighting

Reviews (3)

Very disappointed - limited dictionary
I bought this device because I thought it might help me on a vacation to Spain. Boy was I disappointed. The number of words especially common travel/tourism related-words, that it knows is small. The unit is hard to operate. Even the travel alarm is poorly implemented. Save your money. Buy something else (like a good phrase book).

Disappointing, I returned it.
... Unfortunately,while I found it very easy to operate and very compact, I found using it to be quite disappointing. The first word I looked up was the German equivalent of "train" but the Seiko didn't contain "train," "train station" nor "locomotive" in its dictionary. Considering that much of European travel is done by train, it seems a pretty basic word that should have been included in an item aimed at European travellers. Ironically, they did include "trainer," which I think is far less necessary than train. The currency converter is useless - most of the buttons are for currencies no longer in existence since the Euro is now the standard in most European nations.

Almost all handheld multi-language translators have some common drawbacks and this one is no execption. Here are some examples: In order to translate a verb, you must provide the infinitive version in the foreign language. No gender articles are provided. The vocabulary word total given is for all of the words combined from each language -not for each individual language. This type of device is really just meant to provide catch-phrases and very basic vocabulary only. The Seiko was much easier to operate than others - I did not have to read the directions to figure out how to select the desired language and it was easy to figure out how to enter words. Also, the Seiko is backlit and easy to read - the letters are very clear and huge. It is sturdy looking and sleek,fitting easily into a pocket. Despite these positives, I found it much less expensive and much faster to look up words & phrases in a tiny traveller's dictionary/phrasebook. Therefore,I am returning the Seiko.

Nice for the price
The Seiko DF4033 Language Translator is a nice little unit. It's small enough to fit into a shirt pocket, but it will bulge a bit, since it is about 3/4 of an inch thick. It has a backlight which makes it easier to read the screen in dim light. However, each of the keys serves two functions: the main function (such as a letter or numeric value) is printed right on the key and is easy to read, whereas the secondary function (attained by pressing the SHIFT key) is printed in orange over black making it harder to read even in normal lighting and I've found it impossible to read in dim light.

The unit is somewhat intuitive and appears well constructed. It has a number of phrases in various categories (accommodations, dining, health, shopping, travel, etc) that could come in handy. But, like most of these units, I've found the number of such phrases to be very limited. The alarm clock is a nice feature as is the phone directory. And you can even replace the battery without losing your stored data. You have 30 seconds to do so!

The letters on the screen itself are large and easy to read, but this limits the number of letters that can be seen at one time to only 12 per line. You can see the additional letters by pressing the scroll key. However, in translating some of the phrases the first few letters of a word can appear at the right end of screen on the first line and when you press the scroll arrow the screen image jumps to the remaining letters, essentially bisecting the word (you never see the entire word at the same time.) It would have been better if they had wrapped the phrase into the second line on the main screen so you would not have to scroll at all.

I think it would have been a nice feature if the translated word also showed the gender, where appropriate, and if phonetic assistance in pronouncing the foreign word was provided. There is room to do so on the second line of the display. Unfortunately, I have not found any reasonably priced translators that will do so, including this one.

Overall I like the unit and for the price I think it is a pretty good deal. For the casual traveler who does not know the language I expect that it will serve you (and me) well. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Hear the way a foreign word is meant to sound with the Lingo 10 Talk talking electronic translator. A built-in speaker lets you hear a word in any of 10 languages pronounced with the touch of a button. The electronic voice is clear and easily understood.

The 10 Talk translates 60,000 words plus 1,200 useful phrases to and from English, German, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Turkish, Russian, Arabic, and Hebrew. The translator also displays the word in foreign characters and shows you how to pronounce it phonetically.

This translator also features eight currency conversions, six metric conversions, local time in 12-hour and 24-hour formats, and world time for 200 cities. A 10-digit, talking calculator is also included, plus a data bank for storing names, telephone numbers, and memos.

Entries are displayed on the four-line, 14-character LCD display with a backlight and contrast control. This translator comes with an earphone, three AAA batteries, and a soft carrying case. It is covered by a one-year warranty. ... Read more

Features

• "Talking" translator pronounces words for you
• 10 languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean
• Translates more than 60,000 words, 1,200 useful phrases
• 4-line LCD display with backlight and contrast control
• Currency/metric conversions, 10-digit talking calculator

Reviews (10)

Handy Help in a Foreign Land
I carried the Lingo Talk 10 on a recent trip to Moscow and found it to be quite useful (in fact for me, a necessity). I had only a basic understanding of the Russian alphabet and knew some basic phrases and phrase segments and a hand full of words.

The Lingo's phonetic sub-titles below the Russian text helped tremendously in aiding in my pronounciation of the words I needed to effectively communicate.

The talking feature helped even more on some of those real Russian tounge twisters. I'd say if you're not real familiar with the alphabet and pronounciations, then a talking translator is the way to go. The sound quality on this one was adequate through the small on board speaker but it was even better through the ear buds supplied.

The Lingo Talk 10 is very reasonably priced (great prices can be found with just a bit of surfing), is easy to use, has a back light display, and volume control and seems to be of substantial quality. It's vocabulary isn't as great as I would have liked but adequate to get me through my week in Russia. I would suggest that for trade or business you also carry an additional dictionary with a greater vocabluary for the country in which you are working. Just the same for tourist and others just passing through, this is nice.

I would like to have a translator with the Lingo Talk 10's features that was just perhaps a tad bit smaller so that it would fit in my shirt pocket behind my glasses case, but this was small enough to fit in my inside jactet pocket without too much fuss. I know this works against my desire for a smaller size but I would also prefer that it use AA batteries instead of the AAA size as in some areas the AAA's may not be readily available.

Overall, I like mine and I'll have it with me on my next trip abroad. I keep it in my desk on top of my passport just to remind me that I'll need that too.

Not enough words!
After reading previous reviews, I decided to contact Lingotalk and find out how many words the Lingo 10 does for each language. They quickly responded within a day and told me "Lingo 10 Talk includes 6,000 words per language and 120 useful phrases per language."

That is a far cry from the 60,000 word advertisement. I know it's not false advertisement but it is borderline.

If you need something with more words, trade up and purchase an Ectaco product.

Listen to it before you buy
I am disappointed with the voice function. It reminds me of the old Texas instrument "speak and spell" - That had to be some 20 years ago, I would have thought voice tech knowledge would have improved by now.

Its vocabulary is limited to about 6000 words for each language. But the biggest disappointment is that it can't tell between different words that sound the same. Example If I enter the word "Fall" it will give me a translation in several different languages, but it does not say whether it is talking about "fall" the season for "fall" like fall off a cliff.

Part of the problem may be one of its features. Instead of specializing in just one language it does several, which probably limits its ability to cast a better definition on the word you are trying to translate.

I don't care for the body style to much. To me at least, it is ugly and has somewhat of a disposable feel to it.

But on the flip side it very easy to use as advertised, and if you don't intend on learning a language, but just need a language survival guide in several different countries, you may want to look into it.

Research the price before you buy. I have seen it advertise as low as [price] in military stores and as high as [price] on some web sites.

... A great product!!
I recently purchased the Lingo and I've got to tell you I am very satisfied.
Before I purchased the Lingo, I did some heavy research on electronic translators as I ... am a real electronics fan. I spoke to people who own it, spoke to sales people in electronic stores, and even tested different models. ...
As far as the language selection goes- there are many products available in differant languages.....it clearly states which languages are on the products!!!
Anyway I am very happy with the product and although I do admit it can use a slightly larger vocabulary, its other features more then compensate for it.The voice is clear enough in most of the languages and the Lingo will definitaly help me on my vacations.

Awful, awful, awful.
I knew I was taking a big chance ordering something like this over the internet. But Lingo touted their product so highly and guaranteed my satisfaction. So I ordered and hoped for the best.

I knew as soon as I opened the box that the unit was junk. First off, the external design and color scheme were pitiful. Even the name, 'Lingo', is too cutesy for any serious electronics lover. I immediately discovered that the languages advertised on the site were not exactly what came with the device, much to my chagrin. Instead of one of the particular languages I was hoping for (Korean), they had Hebrew and Arabic and Turkish. Hebrew? You tell me. The sound quality was poor-numerous attempts to discern what the voice was saying proved futile.

On the upside, the four line display wasn't too bad. And it didn't take long to arrive. Though it's taking a while now to get my refund! Still waiting. But back to the bad news-the backlight function stays on for a few seconds before you have to press the button again. Oh really! The thing lacked any grace in its design. The front door shifted around on it's hinges when shut. It had no finesse and didn't lock down tight with a nice whoosh or subtle snap. No attention to detail. 'Flimsy' is all that comes to mind. You have to arrow over to see long phrases and that's arrow over sideways, not downward to see the whole phrase together. And you're probably thinking 1,200 phrases in all 10 languages right? Think again, that's 120 phrases for each one language, and about 5,600 words for each language. This company does accel at one thing-it's called 'deceptive advertising'.

I should also mention that the manual for the thing looked like something thrown together at the local Kinko's. After 20 minutes of toying around with it I knew I'd been stung for the shipping, restock, and return fee. Over 50 dollars lost like a hot minute in Vegas. Ouch. I mean for 160 dollars, plus 20 for shipping, one expects a true work of technological art, not a piece of ... This is something to make you embarrassed for a company that dares sell such flotsam. Shame on you Lingo, shame on you. This 'Ten Talk' thing is a perfect example of how American product designers have zero sense of what makes an electronic device fun to use and hold and lay eyes on. Companies like Lingo deserve to have their butts kicked by vastly superior competition in Japan and elsewhere. I'm easily pleased and not easily displeased, but the Lingo 10 Talk is, briefly put...awful. ... Read more

Product Description

This slick portable device is simply a miracle. Everything you are looking for in a modern language reference system is combined with everything you will ever need in a business organizer. Main vocabulary of over 450,000 words, including general words and medical, technical, legal, business terms and slang. New words recording function for dictionary expansion. 200 American idioms and over 1,000 topically arranged phrases. Additional features include a 128 KB bilingual business organizer with a telephone directory, a memo, a calendar, a schedule, an anniversary list, an account manager and a password security function. ... Read more

Features

• More than 450,000 words, idioms, and irregular verbs
• Medical, technical, business, and legal terms
• Game, calendar, telephone directory, schedule, and anniversary list
• Currency and metric conversion, home and world time, alarm, and calculator
• High-speed data communication with PC

Amazon.com Product Description

The Ectaco ESC600T Language Teacher English/Serbo-Croatian speakingdictionary is a talking dictionary with advanced linguistic capabilities. Itsgraphic user interface, backlit display, and key panel make it very easy andconvenient to use. The academic-size dictionary of 475,000 words includes 36,000medical, 33,000 technical, 28,000 legal, and 29,000 business terms, phrases,idioms, and slang. The new-word recording function allows for dictionaryexpansion. The ESC600T can also display over 1,200 commonly used and emergencyphrases on 12 topics and over 200 American idioms. Additional features includethe latest technology for pronunciation of any word, adjustable speechfrequency, speed, and volume. The section on English language learning includesan electronic English grammar book, a comprehensive TOEFL guide with sampletests, and a linguistic game. It also has a 128 KB bilingual business organizerwith a telephone directory and scheduler. ... Read more

Features

• Easy and convenient to use
• Academic-size dictionary with 475,000 words
• Includes over 1,200 commonly used and emergency phrases on 12 topics, and over 200 American idioms
• 128 KB bilingual business organizer with a telephone directory and scheduler
• Features an electronic English grammar book and a comprehensive Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) guide

Features

• English<->German, Polish<->German, Polish<->English talking dictionary.
• 685,000 words,1000 Commonly used phrases. Reverse translation function
• Advanced unlimited speech synthesis in English and German
• English and German grammar textbook
• Medical, technical, legal, business terms, as well as slang, idioms, and general expressions

Reviews (1)

It is ok
The only thing I was disapointed in was it only speaks in English. I am a native English speaker. I needed it to hear the words in the Czech language. I was not to happy with it because of that one reason. If it were to speak the words in Czech then I think it would be great.

Disapointed.... ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Ectaco ES600T Language Teacher English-Spanish speaking dictionaryis a talking dictionary with advanced linguistic capabilities. Its graphic userinterface, backlit display, and key panel make it very easy and convenient touse. The academic-size dictionary of 475,000 words includes 36,000 medical,33,000 technical, 28,000 legal, and 29,000 business terms, phrases, idioms, andslang. The new-word recording function allows for dictionary expansion. TheES600T can also display over 1,200 commonly used and emergency phrases on 12topics and over 200 American idioms. Additional features include the latesttechnology for pronunciation of any word, adjustable speech frequency, speed,and volume. The section on English language learning includes an electronicEnglish grammar book, a comprehensive Test of English as a Foreign Language(TOEFL) guide with sample tests, and a linguistic game. It also has a 128 KBbilingual business organizer with a telephone directory and scheduler. ... Read more

Features

• Easy and convenient to use
• Academic-size dictionary with 475,000 words
• Includes over 1,200 commonly used and emergency phrases on 12 topics, and over 200 American idioms
• 128 KB bilingual business organizer with a telephone directory and scheduler
• Features an electronic English grammar book and comprehensive Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) guide

Reviews (3)

Rotten customer service and deceitful return policy
The product may be good but don't try to get any kind of service from Ectaco if you need to return the item.

Ectaco states they will only take returns if you call for a return authorization number BEFORE shipping the item back. However, you really get a run around trying to get the number. After being transferred repeatedly, I was informed the ONE AND ONLY employee, Boris, who could give out the return authorization number was "on vacation" and instructed to leave a voice mail which would be promptly answered BEFORE the return deadline. Needless to say, my voice mail was never returned and I am stuck with a translator my daughter didn't like. In addition, they had the temerity to blame ME for not getting the return authorization by the deadline and tried claiming that every single employee I spoke with could have and would have gladly given me the authorization number if I had bothered to ask for it!!! Well I did! Why else was I on the phone first thing the day after Christmas? I was trying to follow their return policy. If you really want this product buy it used from someone else on-line and save yourself the headache of dealing with Ectaco.

invaluable, dependable, durable tool
All in all it has been an invaluable, dependable, durable tool and I wouldn't want to do without it. THE PROS: compact, flat, with protective lid, purse or pocket size. Back lit display, auto shut off energy saving feature. Large vocabulary, separates verbs, adverbs, adjectives and nouns in same spelling words. The computer tries to anticipate the word you are searching for with a simultaneous display as you enter the word. Audio pronunciation feature is invaluable. Has slang words and some phrases, vulgarities and idioms but is incomplete. Scroll feature for next word in dictionary is very useful. Some words have 3 or 4 phrase use examples one can scroll through from the point of original word entry. Quick switching from English to Spanish or Spanish to English for cross referencing for definition accuracy. CONS: Only lists translated words, not actual definition descriptions. The English translations seems to be half British and half American. A very few translations make no sense at all when cross-referenced for this reason. Beeps with every key entry which eats batteries and is distracting in quiet public areas, no "silent mode" option. The computer anticipation of spelling overrides receiving subsequent entries of letters until computer anticipation display has searched its data base and has "caught up" with you. This causes missed letters and having to erase and reenter letters. Uses 3 "AA" batteries and really eats them, I've gone throught 5 or 6 sets in 5 months. There is an a/c adapter available for about $15.

More for Spanish to English
It is a nice dictionary but, it is mostly for Spanish to English. For instance, the irregular verbs are English irregular verbs not Spanish irregular verbs. It also has a nice testing program, but it is for English only. The voice is of course mechanical, but it is still nice in that it will try to pronounce anything that you put input into it. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Ectaco EHU600T Language Teacher English-Hungarian speakingdictionary is a talking dictionary with advanced linguistic capabilities. Itsgraphic user interface, backlit display, and key panel make it very easy andconvenient to use. The academic-size dictionary of 475,000 words includes 36,000medical, 33,000 technical, 28,000 legal, and 29,000 business terms, phrases,idioms, and slang. The new-word recording function allows for dictionaryexpansion. It can also display over 1,200 commonly used and emergency phrases on12 topics and over 200 American idioms. Additional features include the latesttechnology for pronunciation of any word, adjustable speech frequency, speed,and volume. The section on English language learning includes an electronicEnglish grammar book, a comprehensive TOEFL guide with sample tests, and alinguistic game. It also has a 128 KB bilingual business organizer with atelephone directory and scheduler. ... Read more

Features

• Easy and convenient to use
• Academic-size dictionary with 475,000 words
• Includes over 1,200 commonly used and emergency phrases on 12 topics, and over 200 American idioms
• 128 KB bilingual business organizer with a telephone directory and scheduler
• Features an electronic English grammar book and a comprehensive Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) guide

Product Description

The ECTACO Travel SpeechGuard TL-4 has the capability to translate speech-to-speech over 4,200 phrases: English -> German, English -> Chinese, English -> French, English -> Japanese, English -> Russian, English -> Spanish, English -> Italian. You speak into it in English, and it translates and repeats the chosen phrase in one of these 7 languages. The voice output is loud, clear and all phrases are professionally translated and narrated. The SpeechGuard TL-4 offers 8 main topics to choose from: Everyday Conversation, Traveling, Transport, Hotel, Restaurant, Shopping, Bank and Telephone, Sightseeing and My SpeechGuard section (where the user can place their favorite and most commonly used phrases). For more accessible navigation, smart search functions are available - search for single words or whole phrases, as well as a Hints section is added for the users benefit. Moreover, users can operate the SpeechGuard by means of convenient Voice Commands. It is equipped with a speech adaptation procedure which enables the system to tune in to an individual's voice. Originally created for the US Army, TL-4 carries the elements of the original design, such as a dust and waterproof case, LCD backlight for operation under limited light conditions, extendable collar microphone, extra durable Li-Polymer battery included and more. Volume Control, Touch screen (320x240 pixels), Built-in microphone and 2W high quality speaker. ... Read more

Features

• Pocket travel speech translator from English into 7 languages
• Over 4,200 phrases, smart search functions
• Everyday Conversation, Traveling, Transport, Hotel, Restaurant, Shopping, Bank and Telephone, Sightseeing
• English -> German, English -> Chinese, English -> French, English -> Japanese, English -> Russian, English -> Spanish, English -> Italian voice translation

Product Description

ER-X8 with English and Russian speech recognition and voice input will give you over 1,000,000 words including American idioms, medical, technical, legal, and business terms, as well as common and colloquial expressions and is an interactive language learning system. The language course is the full complex of grammatical, vocabulary, and phonetic exercises to help you master English. Special functions say, translate, and explain the foreign language material. Advanced English speech synthesis delivers the pronunciation of any text, not only dictionary entries. The transcription for English words is given in all dictionaries. You can create your own customized editable dictionary which automatically links to the main dictionary. MorphoFinder function helps you find dictionary entries for English past participles, gerunds, noun plural forms, and Russian adjective forms. ... Read more

Features

• Advanced English speech synthesis delivers the pronunciation of any text, not only dictionary entries. The transcription for English words is given in all dictionaries
• Interactive English language tutor. Complete guide to English Grammar, Vocabulary, and Phonetics
• Highly efficient full-text translation with Lingvobit translation system.
• English-Russian voice phrasebook with English and Russian speech recognition. Accent correction function
• Flash cards will make memorization tasks easy and will work to quickly expand your vocabulary

Product Description

This talking English<->Spanish<->English bidirectional dictionary is built on the latest text-to-speech technology to give you English and Spanish advanced speech synthesis and a dictionary with over 520,000 entries, which makes it a great learning tool and an extensive multipurpose linguistic resource. The language database is specially developed considering professional translators experiences, and is equipped with express search function allowing you to quickly find the word you need. Large graphic screen. This 5-line screen with higher resolution makes for natural smooth font appearance and it is easy on your eyes. Vector Ultima spell-checker allows you to enter words as you hear them and pick a spelling from the suggestions list. TOEFL tutorial with sample tests will help you get ready for the exam, take practice tests, and increase your scores. If you need to communicate in Spanish regularly, and want to read, write, or translate - this dictionary is for you. ... Read more

Features

• The dictionary includes over 1,200 phrases grouped by topic for easy daily communication.
• Voice function for both Spanish and English languages
• Flash cards. This method is the classic way helping you memorize the words easily.
• TOEFL tutorial with sample tests will help you get ready for the exam.
• Universal organizer, calculator, scheduler, metric and currency converters

Product Description

This unique model features the largest and most complete Russian-English dictionary (1,000,000 words), thesaurus and an expanded grammar reference section. Advanced English speech synthesis, accent correction function, and specialized terms database will help you communicate with utmost efficiency. Included, is a Full Text Translation system. Additional bidirectional Ukrainian-English dictionary is also provided. Business organizer will allow you to stay in touch with the world by means of advanced communication features. Integration is crucial for modern-day businesspeople. Bilingual interface. English accent correction function for improving your pronunciation. Phrase bank of 1,000 phrases in seven European languages. The award-winning Vector Ultima bilingual spell-checking system. New words recording function will allow you to customize your dictionary. English grammar reference section. TOEFL practice exercises, tests, and instant evaluation. Bilingual personal organizer with fax and e-mail capability, shorthand function, reference system, travel guide; conforms to highest industry standards. Digital voice recorder with 12-minute recording limit ... Read more

Features

• Advanced Russian and English speech recognition
• Phrase bank of 1,000 phrases in 7 European languages
• New words recording function will allow you to customize your dictionary
• Full Text Translation system
• Learning flash cards for more efficient vocabulary learning