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[fivetrout]

With electronics having taken great strides in the last few years, what is the popular translator and/or hand held translator I should be thinking about? The thread I found whose last entry was in 2009 likely isn't valid anymore. I need something easy, uncomplicated...voice in---voice out, kind of like a point and shoot camera!

Also along those lines, what about a phone? Don't they need something changed out when abroad, or it is best to just buy one there?

Anyway, with the translator, I figure there will be a lot of ground to cover with her, and I'd rather spend as much time as possible looking into her eyes then down at a tiny screen.

Any help... might help save my sorry lost ass while there too! )))))

Chris

[Neil]

I'm unsatisfied with the quality of electronic translation.  My wife owns a cheap thing, and it's generally wrong.

I've been impressed with the quality of Google Translate.  I have it installed on my smartphone (Android) and they recently added the ability to do translation offline (requires a fairly big download).  I've only used my phone to do voice recognition/translation once, and it was a simple phrase, but it translated it perfectly. 

My cell phone provider is Bell Canada, and they offer one month plans for text and wireless internet in China for a reasonable rate, well you decide if it's reasonable:
for $50 you get 50 roaming minutes, 25 megs of data and 50 text messages.  25 megs is pretty small. 

[IrishGuy65]

The QQ translator is the best thing that I used.  I try to read things on the 'net with Google translator, but I usually get a more understandable translation if I plug it into QQ.

[fivetrout]

What I need is something to use there.

 I recently downloaded the Zeta program from the link here and like the voice, and translation playback to review .

So Neil, can your phone provide a hotspot for your laptop?

Right now I have a cheap tracfone @ about $10 a month, much better than all the years with Verizon making monthly checks that could buy a car! Anyway, China is the same for me as calling across the street and texting too, and only uses the same minutes, however support can't tell me why it isn't working correctly to China? So she texts me just fine...but I have text back to her phone via skype. That won't fly if we get separated there!

[Vince G]

A Smart Phone for a Hotspot is costly. Especially how they fool customers. I have noticed they flash on the screen MB (Megabyte) but the announcer says Megabit (Mb) big difference and this causes overages at extra amounts. Ends up double the amount you signed up for.

Google translator seems to be the best on laptop and the phone. The phone app will translate by voice both ways.

[shaun]

Chris,

I bought a good pocket translator when I was there the first time.  Don't know if this will help but the only English I can see written on it is Pearson Longman V699.

It works pretty good but can have issues.  I also used google translate on my laptop.

But then again saying "I don't understand" and shrugging your shoulders seems to work at a little simpathy.

[RobertBfrom aust]

Chris , I have always used a Besta electronic translator have bought a couple over the years and theyhave always worked well, but it depends on simply how much you want to spend as both of mine came with pens which the girls could write on the screen with and it was smart enough to the English word or sentence and also speak it also both of mine had rechargeable fitted batteries within so when we arrived back from the day one could just plug it in .

 The newer one I could also download photos to on a 32 mb card , regards Sujuan and Robert .

[brett]

Hanping CE is an amazing dictionary for smart phones. It won't do translations though, but it's great for looking up words.

Anyone with a smart phone can just get a SIM card here in China and then use Google Translate.

I don't know how QQ works but I've chatted to women who haven't spoken any English, and they've understood me OK.

I can type a lot of pinyin now, and that's the best thing of all as there won't be any strange Google mis-translations thrown in.

[Pineau]

Have you noticed that many ladies over 40 suck at pinyin. In many cases their English is better than their pinyin. QQ international translator is good but sometime gets it totally wrong. The problem with English to Chinese translations is that they translate literally the Webster's definitions. English is so full of slang that you can completely fool a translator into giving you the wrong translation. Be careful of these  colloquialisms and idioms that make perfect sense to you and your cousins but are not proper English and will be interpreted by the translator as gibberish. "he was dead as a doornail" comes out as "he was dead". understandable but not as emphatic as you imagined. And some things translate verbatim. Exactly what you said but the trouble is they have a completely different meaning in China. "straight shooter" will translate exactly to straight shooter by the translator, how ever in America It means "One who is honest and forthright", In China it is someone that is good at shooting a gun or playing pool.

I need to go pee has more meaning than I need to "duck out" for a minute.

I am going to blow up your photo may get her a little upset.
 
Surprisingly "dick head" means pretty much the same thing in China. ie= asshole.

If you want to have a less confusing, meaningful conversation with a foreigner then remove all idioms and colloquialisms from your speech. Don't be verbose and poetic or eloquent just say it in the simplest terms you can think of.

Another thing that will help is what is called "Yoda talk".   Where the subject, verb and adjectives are reversed from normal English speech.  "You are a pretty girl" becomes " A pretty girl you are"  It sounds weird to us English speakers but that is the way most of the rest of the word talks.

someone here showed me this translator. I use I the most often cause it gives me an idea of what I am about to say by translating back to English.  http://imtranslator.com/

If you really must use slang then "check this out"  try this http://www.slangdict.com/

[Pineau]

I have never had a hand held translator that I liked and thought was worth the price. ( I have owned many).  Google and other online translators will do a much better job and if you got a smart phone with Wi-Fi you got Google in your pocket.

The really best solution is to find a lady that speaks some English. You will be far less frustrated in the beginning and life will be smoother down the road.

[Rhonald]

I have never had a hand held translator that I liked and thought was worth the price.
The really best solution is to find a lady that speaks some English.

Then I take it that if your lady can translate English then she would be the best priced hand held (in public) translator!

[shaun]

Surprisingly "dick head" means pretty much the same thing in China. ie= asshole.

Gerry, it seems there is a good story behind the quote.  Would you care to elaborate? 

I mean, I'm thinking that maybe you wife wanted to know what to call you in English.    But I'm not sure.   

[fivetrout]

Is that a google in your pocket...or are you just happy to see me? 

[Robertt S]

With electronics having taken great strides in the last few years, what is the popular translator and/or hand held translator I should be thinking about? The thread I found whose last entry was in 2009 likely isn't valid anymore. I need something easy, uncomplicated...voice in---voice out, kind of like a point and shoot camera!

Also along those lines, what about a phone? Don't they need something changed out when abroad, or it is best to just buy one there?

Anyway, with the translator, I figure there will be a lot of ground to cover with her, and I'd rather spend as much time as possible looking into her eyes then down at a tiny screen.

Any help... might help save my sorry lost ass while there too! )))))

Chris

Here is a link to the language software page on my shopping site, scroll all the way to the bottom and you will see a link for electronic translators. I used an earlier version of the BBK translator when I went and had pretty good luck with it.

Link to Amazon page for translators.... http://www.highvistees.org/language-software--translators.html
Link to BBK's site.......   http://www.bbkusa.com/

Good Luck!

[Pineau]

Rhonald, handheld used to be a problem before I went to China. At the cost to get your woman home with you,... handheld is definitely cheaper than a laptop. Nearly Free.

Shaun, she can call me whatever she wants as long as she sometimes calls me jonhson . 

Fivetrout ,  yep, that's my google in my pocket. Sorry about yours.
   

I figure there will be a lot of ground to cover with her, and I'd rather spend as much time as possible looking into her eyes then down at a tiny.....

   You don't need a translator for that.  I just hope she is not staring down at it too.

"disgusting old me we are"