Collins Talking English Dictionary

by Victory Multimedia

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000544GW
• Item model number: MPM2412
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 10, 2002
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,369 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Talking English is part of a software series (the others being French-, German-, and Spanish-to-English bilingual dictionaries) that uses the complete text of the well-known Collins printed dictionaries, augmented and adapted so that it can sit on a corner of your screen while you work on a document. It is primarily designed for nonnative English users, but the adaptation to computer has been so well thought out that native English speakers who want more than a spell checker will also find it useful.

A notable feature is that long entries have their own scroll button (the normal scroll bar can be used to run through the whole text), so that you can read each entry without enlarging the dictionary screen or losing your place. If you encounter a word in a definition you do not understand, simply right click on it and you jump to its definition; then a single click takes you back to you original entry. Bookmarks can be used for more complex cross-referencing. Definitions can be transferred to the main screen via clipboard or drag and drop, and text can also be imported into the dictionary where each word will automatically be defined. You can hear all headwords in standard English pronunciation at a single click; learners can then practice their pronunciation if they wish, comparing it with the original. There's also a games package to help the learner. The system requirements are only 15 MB of disk space and a microphone. --Julia Cresswell

Amazon.com Product Description

This English talking dictionary is designed for anyone who needs to use English, from the beginning student to the language professional. The dictionary comes with a set of tools for speedy look-up of any words, checking their meaning and pronunciation, and verifying translations of any text on the computer. The variety of settings and levels makes the software simple and straightforward to use.

The Shooting Gallery exercise helps the user learn new words more quickly. The program offers different levels of difficulty and different word ranges to suit the language level, including the 500/1,000/1,500/2,000/2,500/3,000 most commonly used words. The crossword puzzles included in the software are never repeated, and are also offered in various levels of difficulty.

The AudioPad module is designed to teach correct pronunciation. With the help of AudioPad, the learner can listen to the original speech of a professional native speaker and also record and listen to his or her own speech. In addition, each sound fragment is graphically displayed, which makes practicing more vivid and helps the user to imitate all nuances of the pronunciation with greater precision.