World Famous Comics: SELECTSOFT USA Oxford Pop-Up Spanish/English Dictionary (Windows)
SELECTSOFT USA Oxford Pop-Up Spanish/English Dictionary (Windows)
From: Tri Synergy Average Rating: Binding: CD-ROM ESRB Age Rating: Everyone Format: CD-ROM Label: Tri Synergy Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product. Number of Items: 1 Platform: No Operating System
Features:
This special dictionary contains over 170,000 words and phrases and 240,000 translations -- you have a complete guide to the language
Concise and accessible, this special guide to the language and culture will prepare you for your trip abroad!
Product Description: The Oxford Pop-Up Spanish/English Dictionary help you in your journey through the Spanish-speaking world by presenting you with the translation tools you need!
One of the best tools I have. It works great with most programs giving, not only the meaning, but also the translation of the word into English or Spanish depending on your needs.
Practicality This English-Spanish dictionary is very useful, efficient, specific and quite complete. I am now definitely an enthusiast of the Oxford pop-up dictionaries as I have installed the English dictionary, the Thesaurus and the Hachette-Oxford French-English dictionary as well and use them effortlessly, on a daily basis, as much for work than for pleasure.
After 1st install, forget it! This program worked fine for me, for a while. It is neat in that the pop-up is handy when trying to use it, say when you come across a word you don't understand in Spanish. However, it did interfere with some of my other programs which caused me to disable it until needed. My main issue with this program is when you need to install it second time. I reformat my hard drives every six month or so. The program is nearly impossible to install the second time. The help desk is not very helpful with this. It takes me almost 4 weeks to get any help. I am currently on another wait period for them to 'unlock' my access to their dictionaries. I will be looking for another dictionary with a much easier installation feature.
Waste of money and time The product is fuctionary awkward, not very good. But worse yet, if you try to download it a second time, it won't work. It did not work when I tried to re-install it after my computer crashed. Also, somehow, the CD stops functioning after you have it a while, which appears to be planned by the company.
Works well for me... I wanted some Spanish software and I stumbled across this in a local used bookstore. It was a risky purchase, but it turned out to be one of the most useful purchases I've made for my Spanish studies. I found it so helpful to my study of the Spanish language that I put it on my Spanish Listmania list. Today as I was browsing Amazon I was surprised to see that the only review of this product was so negative! I'll try to present another viewpoint and address what the previous review mentions.
1.) Lack of translations -- I'm not quite sure what this means...This isn't translation software. It's a dictionary. You can enter either the Spanish word or the English word...or simply highlight and click a word on the screen. I used it for reading emails from Spanish friends, reading Spanish articles and books and for writing Spanish letters and essays. I have encountered very few words that this dictionary couldn't define.
2.) Incorrect translations -- I've found the dictionary to be exceptionally accurate. It is also exceptionally detailed and the patient and observant are rewarded. Most entries are very long (but still very accessible) -- listing many different usages and idiomatic expressions. It also lists different regional usages and meanings within the Spanish speaking world. Each word and usage is typically accompanied by an illustrative sentence using the word. Again, as I stated above this is not translation software and really can't be used as such. It's a dictionary. Dictionaries are not infallible and care must be used with any dictionary. Language is ever-changing, enigmatic, fluid and organic. To blindly use the first definition that pops up would be foolish. I use this software in a practical sense, reading Spanish documents and writing to and for actual Spanish speaking people, and have never encountered any misunderstandings.
3.) Annoying pop-up window -- I never had this problem. The window only popped up when I was actually using the software. However, if this did happen I'm sure you could just turn the application off while you aren't using it.
4.) Inconvenient -- I found this program to work well with all of my programs. It was easy to install and use.
5.) Retarded liscense management -- I'm not even sure how to respond to this one...
If you are a serious student of the Spanish language then I think this software is excellent. It probably isn't the best product for someone temporarily or casually interested in Spanish. A simple paperback dictionary is best for that scenario.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
