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Electronic Translators (Hand-held)
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Posted by: North55

Does anyone have any particular recommendations, or the reverse?

How good are they?

I am UK based, but assume that 'top' brands are 'world' brands.

Posted by: Turboguy

The most common one and the one I would recommend is the ECTACO Partner ER800. It is not cheap and it is not all you would want it to be but it is pretty good.

You can sit and have a discussion with a woman using one. Saving money by buying a "cheap" one is the same as throwing your money away.

The best thing is to buy two of them. Then you can be typing with one and she can be typing with the other and you don't have to change back and forth between languages. One will work though. Just remember that the best results will depend on what you type in. They don't work well with slang at all.

Posted by: North55

Hi TG! Thanks greatly for your tip. Will explore directly.

I was somewhat surprised that I couldn't find a discussion here regarding such. Or maybe I didn't look hard enough.

Posted by: Spakoyna

I started taking a laptop with the "Prompt" translation program on it.

Posted by: North55

From observation, I always think that laptops are more trouble than they are worth, in all respects.

I want something discreet, in the pocket, which can be whipped out anywhere. So to speak.

And this, or smaller travellers' model with Ukrainian and Romanian will fit the bill.

Posted by: davidg

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turboguy

The most common one and the one I would recommend is the ECTACO Partner ER800. It is not cheap and it is not all you would want it to be but it is pretty good.

You can sit and have a discussion with a woman using one. Saving money by buying a "cheap" one is the same as throwing your money away.

The best thing is to buy two of them. Then you can be typing with one and she can be typing with the other and you don't have to change back and forth between languages. One will work though. Just remember that the best results will depend on what you type in. They don't work well with slang at all.

that is expensive! but having bought a £40 translater for the mrs on a plane once, i can confirm that is pretty limited! although it did have a quite a few languages on so useful for the odd holiday.

gbp300 though, is it the same cost in the states?

Posted by: davidg

http://www.ectaco.com/info/ER800_flash.swf

just looked at this...they know who their target market is!

I suspect what makes it expensive is the voice recognition side of things....looks good though if that part works

Posted by: North55

Yes, it's the price of a return fare to meet a RW/UW.

So, I guess it's no to side trips to L'viv/Karpati (as I was really going to do in 3 weeks), and hello Crimea, later.

I am also considering one of the smaller 'travellers' beasties with multiple language pairs to include Ukrainian.

Posted by: Chrismc

Quote:

Originally Posted by North55

From observation, I always think that laptops are more trouble than they are worth, in all respects.

I want something discreet, in the pocket, which can be whipped out anywhere. So to speak.

And this, or smaller travellers' model with Ukrainian and Romanian will fit the bill.

Yes laptops are very cumbersome and battery power is poor. Imagine having to carry one around all the time with you just to use to translate words and sentences. What Turbo recomended taking two has been discussed at length on another forum and was thought to be a great way of doing things, a little expensive to buy two, but a very good option. The guy bought two ectaco translators at $800 for the two, he said

Quote:

By having 2 of them, we were both thumbing the keyboards at the same time continually and did not have to reconfigure a single one for the other language every time the other person wanted to talk.

Chris

Posted by: scotch

Feeling a bit insecure about speaking Russian, I was also going to buy an ER800 last year. However, I read a few reviews of the product on amazon.com that made me think twice, since it's so expensive.

But I was still a bit worried about my girl's English ability, and my Russian was cr*p, and I really wanted us to be able to communicate well.

So, same as Spakoyna, I ended up taking my laptop to Russia with PROMT English-Russian installed. And in the 10 weeks I was there, guess how often I used it? ZERO!

Her English was a bit better than I expected .. about 2.5/5 (now after 1 year it's 3.5/5), and what I found extremely useful was the Collins Pocket Russian-English dictionary. It got a real workout while I was there, and although it didn't have every word in the known universe I found it very adequate when we didn't know a particular word in each other's language. And it's only about $15

I think the Oxford Pocket one is pretty good too, but Ive only had a flip through it.

Also useful was the Lonely Planet Russian Pocket Phrasebook, and you can amuse your friends for hours with phrases from this little book

But really, you'll do well with a pocket dictionary and you can put the money you save toward a really nice hotel or an engagement ring or something more useful.

If anyone is thinking a pocket dictionary won't cut it because her English is so bad, and your Russian is equally bad, then you probably need to have a good hard look at how you will communicate in a long-term relationship. It takes years of daily practice to learn English (or Russian), and good communication is the foundation of a strong relationship. The novelty of electronic translators and sign language will wear very thin after 6 months.

But hey, if you've got the money to burn, then try out the electronic dictionary, or better yet, send the money to me

scotch.

Posted by: Turboguy

I met with one gal a long time ago that had her own and we were able to sit and talk with it even though she had no English.

After that I got one of my own. I tried using it with my former fiancee and her written english was good enough that we liked writing notes to each other much better.

Last fall i met with a gal in Kiev who knew no English. I had a terp lined up but she was coming back from visiting her family in Russia and got delayed. We sat for hours gabbing back and forth using the electronic translator. My terp called and said she was back and could be there in 30 minutes. I asked the girl I was with and her comments were "what do we need her for?"

I have had pocket guide books with me but never found a use for them. You can't thumb throgh a book hoping to find what you want to say.

The Lonely Planet one is a blast. I am guessing you are talking about the phrases I noticed that had me cracking up. In fact I took it to my office and we were alll laughing at the phrases in it.

Posted by: Ronin_FM3

I'm nuts; I study Russian very diligently. On my first trip, I had no idea what to expect, but I was really surprised at how much I had learned. I still like to have a pocket dictionary with me, just in case. I'm always aware that Russian is not my native language and feel the difference.

But, to my surprise,I find that I have little need for it anymore; it's like a security blanket. My biggest problem is padezhii; I still occasionally make mistakes with it by using the wrong case (but when it happens, I know something is wrong and can usually figure out which case to use when I think about it...it's just hard to keep up with the flow of conversation and still be correct, that's where my problem arises).

So, for me it's mostly a dictionary. Do these translation devices display proper grammar/padezhii? I wonder if maybe they're more like electronic dictionaries, or actually display correct grammar?

Also, I never met anyone who spoke English, except for some kids who knew a little from school. So, I became accustomed to relying totally upon Russian.

Even at Boryspil, I needed Russian. I suppose they could've found someone who spoke English, but there was a question about my destination in Odessa once, and I had to explain a lot. My Russian really smoothed things out for me then.

Several people told me that I sound as if I am from Poland! Funny, that I can't really hear my own accent

Posted by: Turboguy

I think if somene could generally carry on a conversation in Russian the book would be all you need. For someone who knows next to no Russian chatting with someone who knows next to no English the translator is great for times when it is inconvinient to have a terp with you.

It will not translate perfectly. Some of that is the old GIGO thing. It is mostly understandable.

I have a learning disability that only applies to learning Russian. I have worked at it for years and can understand some things but could not carry on much of a conversation.

Humm, just watch out if they start with the Polish jokes.

Posted by: deccie

Quote:

Originally Posted by North55

I've taken a laptop every trip and will keep doing so. It's saved my backside quite a few times. I had to use it the first trip to skype back to call my employer and find out why I hadn't been paid..

since I want to take the laptop and other stuff like mobile phone, cameras and ipod yet another device even if small, doesn't work for me.

Posted by: Chrismc

Quote:

Also useful was the Lonely Planet Russian Pocket Phrasebook, and you can amuse your friends for hours with phrases from this little book

I also take this, it is pretty good, but the problem with books is getting to the words/sentences you want to say quickly.

Posted by: Chrismc

Quote:

Originally Posted by deccie

I have a laptop and a Samsung Q1 tablet which is more like the size of an old filofax, so very easy to carry, but I still don't take them, I find it much easier to pop into an internet cafe than carry all that stuff around with you.

Posted by: Ronin_FM3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turboguy

I think if somene could generally carry on a conversation in Russian the book would be all you need. For someone who knows next to no Russian chatting with someone who knows next to no English the translator is great for times when it is inconvinient to have a terp with you.

It will not translate perfectly. Some of that is the old GIGO thing. It is mostly understandable.

I have a learning disability that only applies to learning Russian. I have worked at it for years and can understand some things but could not carry on much of a conversation.

Humm, just watch out if they start with the Polish jokes.

I was afraid to ask if the accent was a good or bad thing

Posted by: Spakoyna

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chrismc

LOL! Well actually had a little etasco partner we carried around if we had a stumbling block. We side stepped having to pay someone to translate our emails with this as well. Those better etasco translators aren't so small. They are almost like a small laptop unless I am mistaking the translators I have seen other people use as a different brand. My prompt program is around 4 years old...doesn't have voice recognition...but it does talk!

I wonder if the newer prompt programs have VR.

Posted by: Turboguy

The one I had was far, far smaller than the size of a laptop. I say had because I loaned it to my son for a trip to Ukriane and have never seen it since.

Posted by: Spakoyna

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotch

Feeling a bit insecure about speaking Russian, I was also going to buy an ER800 last year. However, I read a few reviews of the product on amazon.com that made me think twice, since it's so expensive.

But I was still a bit worried about my girl's English ability, and my Russian was cr*p, and I really wanted us to be able to communicate well.

So, same as Spakoyna, I ended up taking my laptop to Russia with PROMT English-Russian installed. And in the 10 weeks I was there, guess how often I used it? ZERO!

I supose it does depend on your lady's english ability. My wife was at a beginning level when we met. We evolved into the laptop.

1st trip...had a translator during the day. Used the dictionaries in the evening...very slow and cumbersome.

2nd trip...just me and her for a month in her town. Brought the pocket sized etasco with me....much better than thumbing through a dictionary. Bought her a computer so we could email each other and had prompt. We used the crap outta that computer in the apartment. Paid for the computer and everything at least 2 fold by cutting the agency out of the loop. Saved my wife an hour+ trip to write me send me an email.

3rd trip...1 month in Moscow together. This is when I brought my laptop. Had our friend translator work for us some and had her giving my wife english lessons. We didn't use it as much as I expected...usually just the etasco for the occassional word.

4th trip...2 months...Her town...and several weeks at the datcha...2 weeks in Moscow for her interview...and then off to America! We didn't use the laptop at all until we got to Moscow. Then only a few times.

After she arrived here we probably used the prompt at least once a day...etasco quite a bit. The laptop came in very handy when she went for insurance to the doctor,etc. She has been here almost 3 years now....we have evolved to the point where I can't even remember the last time we used the little etasco...much less the prompt program.

To each his own...It was an invaluable tool for us. There were no surprises for us as we communicated quite well together!