Customer Reviews

Franklin Merriam-Webster ((Speaking)) Spanish-English Dictionary (BES-1850)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

I purchased the Franklin BES-1850 Speaking Spanish/English Dictionary over a year ago and have carried it across 3 continents in my briefcase, backpack, or purse -- a lot of wear and tear and it still works great! The dimensions/weight are similar to a lot of printed travel dictionaries, but the BES-1850 carries much, much more content.

As a student of the Spanish language, I have found the BES-1850 to be extremely helpful for quickly looking up translations. Unlike printed dictionaries that require you to know the infinitive version of a verb in order to find it in the dictionary, you can just type in any conjugated verb form and immediately get to the infinitive and its definition. This is extremely helpful when watching Spanish television/movies or when reading books and newspapers in Spanish. If you misspell a word in English or Spanish, the dictionary displays a list of suggested words so that you can pick out the correct spelling. Many word definitions also include a list of idiomatic phrases/expressions that incorporate the word -- very handy and a delightful surprise to me when I first started using the BES-1850. And the dictionary contains an extensive list of words, too. It has been on very rare occasion that the dictionary has not come back with a translation.

As for the pronounciation feature, I must admit that I debated whether to spend the extra $ on this version in order to have this feature. I'm glad I did -- the pronunciations are reasonably accurate. What's especially helpful is to be able to hear where the accents on words are placed. The pronounciation feature is reasonably clear, but not great. I were purchasing an electronic dictionary just to take on a week-long vacation, the extra $ for this feature may not be worth it.

The screen display is definitely readable but the contrast could be improved. The backlight feature is a big help in dark environments. Don't expect the BES-1850 to have the slick features of the new, high-end hand PDA devices that go for $400-$500 - the BES-1850 only costs $100! I do not use the game or address book features of the BES-1850 and cannot comment.

I'm very happy with the BES-1850 and would buy it again.

After using the BES-1840 and TES-118 for the last few months and being throughly frustrated with their problems and limitations, I am delighted with the BES-1850. It has all the positive features of the BES-1840 like speech and large vocabulary and combines a few of the good features of the TES-118 like a clock and a closing protective cover. It also isn't as bulky and oddly shaped as the BES-1840 but instead it is shaped like a larger version of the TES-118. It also has a larger vocabulary, an address book, resizeable fonts and backlighting that turns on and off conveniently which eliminates the problem with shadows the 1840 has. I have only had the translator for one day but I am very impressed with it. The only downside I saw was that it has a data cable for interfacing with computers or Palm Pilots, but neither of my laptops have a compatible port. But I think my desktop computer does so it doesn't seem to be a showstopper for me. All in all I think this is the translator we have been begging Franklin to put out for the last 5 years.

The Franklin BES-1850 is fantastic! I did an EXHAUSTING amount of research before purchasing an electronic dictionary/translator device. I became so overwhelmed at times trying to figure out what to buy that I scrapped the idea all together a few times. However, I eventually purchased the Franklin BES-1850 and could not be more satisfied.

1.) I am attempting to learn Spanish all on my own. This can be quite a task. I wanted something easily portable that could be used to look up words on-the-fly and was lighter and less bulky than the huge, heavy paper dictionary that I was porting around.

2.) I was completely willing to spend upwards of $600 if the device was something fantastical. However, I did exhaustive research and there is nothing out there that serves a function better than this Franklin device. And the Franklin BES-1850 cost less than $100. It's $100 well spent.

3.) I do agree with some of the comments that the latch sticks and can be a bit hard to open. However, it's a strong latch that protects the device when you throw it in your bag. It's not that great of a concern. However, it is true that the latch can be hard to open.

4.) I don't have much trouble at all in seeing the screen. However, I can see how that comment also is valid. I would imagine that if you're trying to use the device on a park bench in the direct sunshine, that you're going to have trouble (and I'm all for having a device that I *can* use on a park bench in the sunshine). However, the thing costs under $100! The screen is perfectly easy to see in most common circumstances. I really love this device!

5.) My main use of the device so far is to find vocabulary words when I'm attempting to work an assignment in one of my workbooks (BTW: The series "Practice Makes Perfect" Spanish is THE BEST in terms of written grammar). In addition, I commute by public transportation and use the device to look up words when I'm attempting to "read" a Spanish periodical on the train. The device is perfect for this!

6.) One drawback is the fact that you cannot type in an entire phrase and have that phrase translated. (Actually, this *might* be possible. However, if it is possible, I haven't figured out how to do it.) Instead, you have to look up your ideas in the form of single words. I was going to complain about this. However, I have to say that I'm actually impressed. I could not remember the reflexive verb "to put oneself to bed". I assumed that if I typed in "bed" the only option that would be returned was the Spanish word "cama". However, to my delight and surprise it returned both "cama" and "acostarse" (the latter is the verb that I wanted). Good going, Franklin!

7.) IT CONJUGATES VERBS IN ALL TENSES!!!! Oh my gosh is that wonderful. Truly, this thing rocks!

I actually bought two of these. I'm using mine to go from English to Spanish. However the second one that I purchased was for a Spanish-speaking friend trying to learn English. I will attempt to report in with another review once I hear how well the device works in the other direction. My impression is that it is well done in both directions. Thus, if you are a Spanish speaker looking for an English translator, I'd go with this device as well.

Well done, Franklin!

Do not spend more than $100 for this or any of these devices. There is nothing that those other devices can do that warrants the price jump. Buy this Frankling BES-1850 model.

It's very hard to read without the backlight and it shuts off after a very short time! I don't think it allows you to program the backlight duration. If you want to read anything you always have to be turning it back on! The vocabulary is limited compared to the Sharp PW E550 dictionary. The keyboard is not as comfortable as the Sharp. Its ok if you are not going to use it for a prolonged time. After some time you're fingers will get tired since the keyboard is somewhat compressed.

Pros: It has a pretty good amount of definitions. The touch screen is comfortable and the English pronunciations are fairly good. If what you are trying is to learn is English, this can be helpful as it was (and still is) to me.

Cons: Unless you have the light on, the screen is hard to see. The Spanish pronunciations are terrible, awful. Spanish is my native language and believe me, not worth it. If you are looking for help with pronunciation in Spanish this item won't help you.

This dictionary is definitely pretty good. I have no problems with the translations or the speaking aspect of it. As a Spanish III PreAP student, this is extremely helpful. Rarely does it ever return no results, and even then, usually you just need to dissect the word a little (i.e. take off attached direct objects) and then it finds the word. You can search misspelled words, conjugated verbs, etc. If you're doing a crossword puzzle and you only know two letters of a word, just type in "???b???o?" and it will give you every single word that meets those requirements. Games (not that fun), word lists, and a slot for installing Franklin Bookman cards (I have a speaking Merriam-Webster English Dictionary/Thesarus) are included too. Never tried syncing to a computer, so I can't comment on that.

Now, some gripes:
-The verb conjugator is not very intuitive. To get to, say, imperative, you have to go through present, imperfect, preterite, present progressive, present progressive II, future, present pluperfect, past pluperfect, and about 5 more. Each tense is presented as a seperate screen. Now, this wouldn't be so annoying except for the fact that it takes the dictionary about 4 seconds to pull up each tense, so it takes a while to get to the tense you need. Be careful not to overshoot it, or you'll have to start over once again! You can't jump to the tense you want immediately. Having said that, the verb conjugator can conjugate any known verb; I haven't had any problems with it so far.
-The cover/lid is rather cheap and flimsy, and it will break off if you drop it while open. It's also not that easy to open, but just push the lid towards you and it will open fine. It does feel rather cheap, though, but it IS made in Malaysia.
-The screen is not that great. You have to strike a balance between actually being able to easily read the text and having to scroll a whole bunch of times to see everything. By the way, the contrast settings SUCK.

So why am I still giving it 4 stars? Because it's helpful, it's portable, and the Bookman slot makes this unit very expandable, which is just what I need. After you get used to the screen, it's fine. The major gripe I have about this is the verb conjugator interface. Otherwise, this unit would have been (essentially) perfect for me. Definitely worth it!

I love the possibilities an electronic dictionary offers but the mechanics of this one has a lot of problems. The screen does not have enought contrast no matter how you adjust it. If you use the backlight it shuts off, in fact it shuts off on its own all the time. Very frustrating. Whenever it shuts off unexpectedly you also loose all of your preferences (like large type). The voice part is really not worth the extra money. The pronunciations are so digitized it does not help much. It is extremely convenient to have an electronic translator in your pocket, just not this one.

I've used this dictionary for a couple of weeks and it suits my needs just fine. It's certainly not without some faults but overall it does okay. The pronunciation function could be better - some of the spanish words sound as if they have been recorded by someone reading "at speed" - but I don't believe they have led me astray. Where else can I get fairly good portable pronunciation help (carry around a spanish dwarf)?

Screen could be brighter but then the battery life would become a problem. A bit of a bother but it doesn't aggravite me very much. I like the conjugation function particularly well - it helps quite a bit.

All in all I think this device is very good. Don't know when the next version with better pronunciation comes out, but I won't be buying it. This one suits me just fine.

This higher priced translator is not worth the money. The audio is terrible, the screen lighting is inadequate and the conjugation is only in the first person. These three deficiencies have been stated by other users and they are absolutely true. I can't recommend this unit.

This device became indispensable to me in a matter of days. I can't believe I carried around a impossible to read pocket dictionary all this time when I could have had something like this. Turn it on, select the language (english or spanish), punch in the word, hit enter, and ta daa! I just wish the dictionary could handle phrases or two word entries though can often find what you are looking for by perusing through the entries of the keyword.

This device allows me to work my way through a magazine or a story with new vocabulary in a quarter of the time it used to take. I keep it hands reach whenever I'm doing any spanish work, so I can look up more precise definitions.

I love the word list feature too. Doesn't matter what materials you are studying, you can input your own list and easily modify it as you learn.

The conjugation overview is helpful to look up quickly the basics. To get more in depth requires going through a bunch of pages -- wish they had tabbed them -- but better than toting around a conjugation book everywhere.

Small enough and light enough to throw in my fanny pack just to use the calculator at the grocery store.

A note for those who need help with pronunciation -- You can use just the speaker in a quiet place with the volume at max, but if you really need to hear a word, it works better to plug in an earpiece, but then be careful with the volume. Not it's strongest feature but I've found it helpful at times.