Collins English/Spanish Talking Dictionary

Rating:
Summary: Great Product -- for Europe
Review: This is a wonderfully easy-to-use English-Spanish dictionary and vocabulary tool that is stable (from a computer standpoint), and has good -- but not overly verbose definitions. As a physician who cares for many Hispanic patients and a teacher of medical Spanish, I find it invaluable for rapid reference after just a week. HOWEVER, the English pronunciations are VERY British and are TERRIBLY confusing to the Latin American students to whom I have demonstrated the program. After I contacted the company, they informed me that they have NO PLANS TO INCLUDE AMERICAN ENGLISH. Likewise, the Spanish is European. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT TO U.S. STUDENTS who want it to improve their pronunciation for use in situations where Latin American Spanish is spoken -- like the entire Western Hemisphere! It is analogous to foreigners who learn British English and then come to the U.S. When their accent is combined with their attempts at British pronunciation, they are very difficult to understand for most gringos. The vocabulary games seem rather basic, but I haven't explored them sufficiently to comment since I employ the program as a quick reference while writing in Spanish. In a nutshell, an EXCELLENT DICTIONARY for quick reference while writing, reading, or learning. TERRIBLE for learning American English pronunciation (e.g. a student studying for TOFEL) or Latin American Spanish pronunciation. (The following is based on limited observations.) The vocabulary games are rudimentary, and I hope that they will be more sophisticated in future releases (as far as more vocabulary catagories) to allow students to concentrate on specific areas easily.

Rating:
Summary: Great Product -- for Europe
Review: This is a wonderfully easy-to-use English-Spanish dictionary and vocabulary tool that is stable (from a computer standpoint), and has good -- but not overly verbose definitions. As a physician who cares for many Hispanic patients and a teacher of medical Spanish, I find it invaluable for rapid reference after just a week. HOWEVER, the English pronunciations are VERY British and are TERRIBLY confusing to the Latin American students to whom I have demonstrated the program. After I contacted the company, they informed me that they have NO PLANS TO INCLUDE AMERICAN ENGLISH. Likewise, the Spanish is European. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT TO U.S. STUDENTS who want it to improve their pronunciation for use in situations where Latin American Spanish is spoken -- like the entire Western Hemisphere! It is analogous to foreigners who learn British English and then come to the U.S. When their accent is combined with their attempts at British pronunciation, they are very difficult to understand for most gringos. The vocabulary games seem rather basic, but I haven't explored them sufficiently to comment since I employ the program as a quick reference while writing in Spanish. In a nutshell, an EXCELLENT DICTIONARY for quick reference while writing, reading, or learning. TERRIBLE for learning American English pronunciation (e.g. a student studying for TOFEL) or Latin American Spanish pronunciation. (The following is based on limited observations.) The vocabulary games are rudimentary, and I hope that they will be more sophisticated in future releases (as far as more vocabulary catagories) to allow students to concentrate on specific areas easily.