 LingvoSoft's translation dictionaries could be just what you need when stuck for a work in foreign lands. We take a look at the English German dictionary to find out how useful it can be.
LingvoSoft publishes a range of translation products for desktops, PDAs and smartphones. Their extensive product line includes full text translators for the desktop, talking translators for PDAs and a range of translation dictionaries and flash card learning products for smartphones, including Symbian OS powered UIQ and Series 60 devices.
We looked at FlashCards last year, running on Series 60. LingvoSoft also produce a series of translation dictionaries for Series 60 and UIQ. It is the UIQ English German dictionary we are reviewing here.
LingvoSoft's English German dictionary contains approximately 400,000 words and phrases. The interface is clean and simple. The home screen is a list of words and phrases, presented in alphabetical order. The list is navigated either by scrolling with the jogdial or using the built-in search feature.
 
When the desired word or phrase is located it can be selected with the jogdial or stylus, to show the translation screen. This screen has the source word at the top and candidate translations presented below.
 
For English words the pronunciation is displayed below the selected word. The display, in most instances, omits the vowels. Our first thought was that the problem might be the choice of colors in our selected theme , but several were tried and no difference noticed.
The translation candidates are listed with an indication of their part of speech, noun, verb, adjective or type such as an interjection (with N, V, A and INTRJ respectively). Where appropriate the gender of the word is also given.
In the cases where there are several candidate translations a candidate can be selected and the reverse translation reviewed. In the case of Underpass it shows unterführung as the primary translation. Selecting unterführung shows it means underpass but that it could also mean Tunnel or Subway. Using this feature it is possible to navigate between translation to find exactly the right term.
The database includes a good selection of words and phrases. The extent of the coverage is perhaps indicated by the presence of Whiffletree, a word used mainly in the northern US and meaning a crossbar, pivoted at the middle, to which the traces of a harness are fastened for pulling a cart. Alas the crossword stalwart ogee is not present.
The LingvoSoft translation dictionary wins on two key points. It is easy to use and contains a wide variety of both common and specialist words (all the versions contain about 400,000 terms). If English is not your native language the problem with the pronunciation display will be frustrating, but should not severely hamper usability. These translation dictionaries should be a good pick for your next trip to the UK, Spain, Russia, Holland, Germany or France.
LingvoSoft Translation dictionaries are available in Dutch, German, French, Spanish and Russian versions for UIQ and Series 60. They currently cost $24.95 as part of LingvoSoft's spring 2005 promotion, the usual price is $34.95. They can be obtained directly from LingvoSoft or from the Symbian One store as follows:
For the www.lingvosoft.com.
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