Translators

[BillR]

I am following the advice given here about getting away from an agency and contacting a lady directly.  Her English is poor at the moment and it will take time for her to get better at it.  In the mean time I would like to know if there are any good software programs that can translate English to Russian and vice versa.  I have also seen electronic translators that allow typing in one language which then speaks in another.  One of these devices even supposedly can translate spoken Russian into English.  Does anyone here have any experience with either the devices or software?   I understand some of the possible pitfalls with words having several meanings and the possibility of a word being selected that has a bad connotation in Russian.

[Admin]

I am following the advice given here about getting away from an agency and contacting a lady directly.  Her English is poor at the moment and it will take time for her to get better at it.  In the mean time I would like to know if there are any good software programs that can translate English to Russian and vice versa.  I have also seen electronic translators that allow typing in one language which then speaks in another.  One of these devices even supposedly can translate spoken Russian into English.  Does anyone here have any experience with either the devices or software?   I understand some of the possible pitfalls with words having several meanings and the possibility of a word being selected that has a bad connotation in Russian.

Bill,

There are a couple of references I can think of. First, in the RWDpedia, you can find this page -- http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/mwiki/index.php?title=Translators, which includes some recommendations for translation services.

Over at Planet-Love (RWD's 'sister  site), there is a page for translation support, found here -- http://www.planet-love.com/index.php?pid=13.

My wife used to use the Ectaco pocket-sized translator pretty often - but not for the speech capability. She used it to find specific words and definitions to be certain of their meaning in one language or the other.

I hope this helps.

- Dan

[GoodOlBoy]

Hello BILLR.

About 5 years ago, on my second trip to Omsk, I purchased an Ectaco ER400 Professional Translator for my Marina.

Best $350. I have probably ever spent.

My wife spoke good English when I met her, BUT...This machine has helped to take her to a whole different level.

She is now a Senior Accountant with a large company here in Miami. She has to compile reports and make presentations quite often at her work. She still uses her Ectaco EVERY day.

She especially likes the "speech mode" (where it pronounces the words for her).

It makes kind of a "robotic" sound, BUT...It is very clear and understandable.

I just Goggled it and now it is under $200.

http://www4.shopping.com/xPO-Ectaco-English-Russian-Professional-Talking-Electronic-Dictionary-Business-Organizer-ECTACO-Partner-ER400

You might also want to check E-Bay etc. and see if you can get one cheaper.

Batteries seem to last a pretty long time (several month's), with daily usage.

Good Luck!  


GOB

[BillR]

Thanks to both of you.

[KievHarmony]

I am following the advice given here about getting away from an agency and contacting a lady directly.  Her English is poor at the moment and it will take time for her to get better at it.  In the mean time I would like to know if there are any good software programs that can translate English to Russian and vice versa.  I have also seen electronic translators that allow typing in one language which then speaks in another.  One of these devices even supposedly can translate spoken Russian into English.  Does anyone here have any experience with either the devices or software?   I understand some of the possible pitfalls with words having several meanings and the possibility of a word being selected that has a bad connotation in Russian.

We are providing translation services, but for software, most of them translate by words and not by context...so the result can be funny sometime.
One good way to use them is if you know another language, to compare translation until the result is the same. Ex : you wrote letter in english, you translate it to russian. One time this done, you write the same letter in another language (french spanish) and translate it to russian, and you modify words, using most of the time simple one, until you have the same translation. This is time consuming but give good result and you will learn a few words of russian too with this process.

[BillR]

We are providing translation services, but for software, most of them translate by words and not by context...so the result can be funny sometime.
One good way to use them is if you know another language, to compare translation until the result is the same. Ex : you wrote letter in english, you translate it to russian. One time this done, you write the same letter in another language (french spanish) and translate it to russian, and you modify words, using most of the time simple one, until you have the same translation. This is time consuming but give good result and you will learn a few words of russian too with this process.

I was thinking about something like that.  With software I might try translating it from English to Russian, then back to English.  I have already tried it with some online translators and it really gets mangled.  If I could word it so that it comes back to me in English close to the way I wrote it, then I would feel good in sending it to her.

[Daveman]

I have a couple of electronic translators around here. Both are Ectaco. The older one is a Partner X-5, and the newer one is an ER-800.  The ER-800 would be the way to go unless there is a newer version out there. THe 400 that GOB recommends could be good too, but the one feature on my 800 that the X-5 doesn't have is a good backlit screen. That makes a huge difference.  Also has TOEFFL study guides, and such.

Very convenient to carry in case of emergencies, however these little translators are not rapid (typing is slow.. and the letters for Russian so she can type back to you are rather jumbled so she must seriously hunt and peck on the smaller keys)

My recommendation -- buy a NETbook from Wal-mart for about $299 (about a 9-10in screen computer) and install the Prompt software on it. MUCH easier to type and use, and you can set up a Russian layout keyboard so she can type at her normal speed. Very portable, and if she needs them you can buy and add the stickers for the keys.  Really, it's a great little travel computer for the money. Powerful enough to run office programs and skype, and small enough to carry like a book.  THAT would be the way to go in my opinion for sheer versatility at about the same price.  Prompt and PromptX also text to speech.

The voice recognition/translation aspect of the little translators is a cool idea but not so accurate on a consistent basis in practical use.

And as mentioned, a software translator can make some really bizarre translations. You have to master the art of writing in grammatically simplistic, non slangular, straight forward to the point form...

My vote goes for the NETbook setup for versatility and ease of use, but the ER-800 is a dandy little translator for what it is. Battery is rechargeable by plugging in the adapter and lasts for quite a while on a single charge.

[HiTech]

I bought the ER-800 over 2 years ago, and today my wife still uses it every day for its dictionary. I need to order a new battery for it.

The electronic translator is good when used as a dictionary, and can be used to help communication face to face. But it would be terrible for doing any online translation where you want cut and paste.  The voice option can help with pronouncing some words, but never mind on the speech recognition.

Google started an online translation about 1 year ago , and it continues to improve.

http://translate.google.com/translate_t?hl=en#

But nothing beets a personal translation with a translator.

HiTech

[boaterguy]

Thought I would give everyone a heads up about Prompt's free online translation. If you use it several times I believe this happens.

I am 99% certain my computer was hijacked using prompt. I had up to date norton antivirus and a firewall. When it happened my computer screen flashed or blinked while on prompt. After that all my searches by google,etc would redirect. It also disabled system restore.

Probably should have left it alone. Norton wanted $100 to fix it...said it got into my registry...WTF I'm paying you $70 a year to prevent this. In hindsight I should have paid them. Downloaded a registry repair program from PC tools and my computer was history. Had to wipe it clean and start all over.

[Gator]

If someone wants to buy a ER-800, I will sell you one.  However, I suggest that you date a RW who knows some English.

An Etaco can not replace a real conversation.  I suggest that you date RW who knows enough English that an Ectaco is used only a few times per day and is not used as the vehicle for having a conversation.

I tried engagement with a RW who knew only basic English.  We failed even though we were compatible in many ways.  Misunderstandings happen too easily and too frequently when there is no common language.