What if your SO doesn't speak English?

[dstarsboy]

Not everyone can afford a pocket translator as nice as Mike suggested.  Aim high though has some affordable ones that worked very well for me on my first visit to China.

http://dictionary.aimhi.com/electronic/cpChinese.html

 

Bing took English in middle school but had forgotten most of it before we met.  When I got there her English was almost non existent.  We both had pocket translators though.  The first day I was there we had the services of a friend of hers that spoke English. After that we decided we could pretty much make do on our own.  It is really amazing how much of communication is not verbal.

188952[/snapback]

Nice! Thanks for the link, I think I may just bite the bullet and get the 399.00 one though. I have to look at it as a long term solution, really, I mean, does everyone still use their translater every once in a while even on their 5th or 6th encounter with their SO or even sometimes at home months or maybe years after their SO moves in? Here's to hoping the price goes down in a few months.

[david_dawei]

Here's a site with a range of prices:

 

http://www.pingasianimports.com/shop/frmVi...p?CategoryID=41

 

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Don't waste so much money on one in the US.. you can get them incredibly cheap in china. My wife's cost about 400 yuan ($50 USD) and can do so many functions that I don't even know them all.

 

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as for translating sentences with speech... my wife used this while in china.. I'm sure your SO can find it:

 

~{=pI=?lRk~}2006(Kingsoft FastAIT 2006)

[pkfops]

For a first time visitor a simple pocket phrase book

can get you by with your SO to be.

 

You can upgrade to something electronic, saving $$$$, while

there.

[warpedbored]

I was thinking more on the lines of one for himself. The ones in China are designed specifically for Chinese to English. As far as how often do you use it? We used ours extensively in China. Once she got here it stated to taper off. Now Im not even sure where it is.

[Guest pushbrk]

I was thinking more on the lines of one for himself.  The ones in China are designed specifically for Chinese to English.  As far as how often do you use it?  We used ours extensively in China.  Once she got here it stated to taper off.  Now Im not even sure where it is.

189189[/snapback]

The kingsoft is great but it only works when you're sitting in front of a computer. I spent very little time near a computer and lots of time in cars, restaurants and just out and about. The ability to communicate in complete sentences was very important to me and to building our relationship. We had such a device but the monochrome screen was difficult to read. You had to hold it in just the right position all the time. The new color screens cost a hundred bucks more but that's the way I would go knowing what I know now.

[IluvmyLi]

I was thinking more on the lines of one for himself.  The ones in China are designed specifically for Chinese to English.  As far as how often do you use it?  We used ours extensively in China.  Once she got here it stated to taper off.  Now Im not even sure where it is.

189189[/snapback]

The kingsoft is great but it only works when you're sitting in front of a computer. I spent very little time near a computer and lots of time in cars, restaurants and just out and about. The ability to communicate in complete sentences was very important to me and to building our relationship. We had such a device but the monochrome screen was difficult to read. You had to hold it in just the right position all the time. The new color screens cost a hundred bucks more but that's the way I would go knowing what I know now.

189220[/snapback]

I spent $400 on one of those elect translators. It does me no good at all to use as a learning tool. To input in english and have it translate in chinese character is of no help. I was hoping for english to pinyin so I could at least practice.

[Randy W]

The Yishin 888/Langwen 8688 translates to either Chinese or pinyin and voice. For learning, just input the word(s) you want to learn, and translate.

 

The contrast is similar to what pushbrk is complaining about (the same one??), but as of last year, the color ones were dictionaries (i.e., did not do whole sentences). We bought ours last year in China, where we were actually able to try the various models.

[IluvmyLi]

The Yishin 888/Langwen 8688 translates to either Chinese or pinyin and voice. For learning, just input the word(s) you want to learn, and translate.

 

The contrast is similar to what pushbrk is complaining about (the same one??), but as of last year, the color ones were dictionaries (i.e., did not do whole sentences). We bought ours last year in China, where we were actually able to try the various models.

189231[/snapback]

I have a yishen. But you have to 1st translate to chinese character then you can tanslate to pinyin. One word at a time is ok. But trying to translate a complete sentence is a mess.

 

Maybe I'm just using it wrong. I don't know.

[pkfops]

I use a Longman.

 

All of the instructions were in Chinese and when I

powered it up it was in Chinese too. And, since the keys

were labled in Chinese it took me about 90 minutes to get

it to boot up in English and figure out the major function keys.

 

Same thing with the PC interface when I loaded it to my computer.

But I found the English language button rather quickly.

 

Other than that it works great.

[Randy W]

I have a yishen.0„2 But you have to 1st translate to chinese character then you can tanslate to pinyin.0„2 One word at a time is ok.0„2 But trying to translate a complete sentence is a mess.0„2

 

Maybe I'm just using it wrong.0„2 I don't know.0„2 

189233[/snapback]

 

 

There is a dictionary button, and a translation button. You can input up to x hundred at a time. I am pretty sure you can input pinyin, but my wife doesn't do pinyin - she just uses the Chinese character recognition - so I'm not sure. There is an English language manual for it that you can download.

 

We do one or more sentences at a time.

Edited February 9, 2006 by Randy W (see edit history)

[IluvmyLi]

I have a yishen.?? But you have to 1st translate to chinese character then you can tanslate to pinyin.?? One word at a time is ok.?? But trying to translate a complete sentence is a mess.??

 

Maybe I'm just using it wrong.?? I don't know.?? 

189233[/snapback]

 

 

There is a dictionary button, and a translation button. You can input up to x hundred at a time. I am pretty sure you can input pinyin, but my wife doesn't do pinyin - she just uses the Chinese character recognition - so I'm not sure. There is an English language manual for it that you can download.

 

We do one or more sentences at a time.

189243[/snapback]

doesn't do any good to input pinyin if I don't know pinyin to begin with.

[dstarsboy]

I was thinking more on the lines of one for himself.  The ones in China are designed specifically for Chinese to English.  As far as how often do you use it?  We used ours extensively in China.  Once she got here it stated to taper off.  Now Im not even sure where it is.

189189[/snapback]

Well that's kind of a bummer that you don't use it anymore, do you feel you have gotten your money's worth from it? I'm just kinda worried about spending 400 bucks on something I'm only going to use on a few trips to China.

[IluvmyLi]

I was thinking more on the lines of one for himself.  The ones in China are designed specifically for Chinese to English.  As far as how often do you use it?  We used ours extensively in China.  Once she got here it stated to taper off.  Now Im not even sure where it is.

189189[/snapback]

Well that's kind of a bummer that you don't use it anymore, do you feel you have gotten your money's worth from it? I'm just kinda worried about spending 400 bucks on something I'm only going to use on a few trips to China.

189272[/snapback]

Have your SO pick up a cheap model in China. I used to tell my SO while I was in China with her to change input to english. I would then put english word in and then she would translate to chinese.

[david_dawei]

I was thinking more on the lines of one for himself.?The ones in China are designed specifically for Chinese to English.?As far as how often do you use it??We used ours extensively in China.?Once she got here it stated to taper off.?Now Im not even sure where it is.

189189[/snapback]

Well that's kind of a bummer that you don't use it anymore, do you feel you have gotten your money's worth from it? I'm just kinda worried about spending 400 bucks on something I'm only going to use on a few trips to China.

189272[/snapback]

Have your SO pick up a cheap model in China. I used to tell my SO while I was in China with her to change input to english. I would then put english word in and then she would translate to chinese.

189287[/snapback]

I thought that was the point ! Buy in china and use the English to chinese direction for the USC... It should be one or two clicks... I don't think you need to tell your SO to do it for you though... If you can post on CFL, you can use a chinese pocket translator

[IluvmyLi]

I was thinking more on the lines of one for himself.?The ones in China are designed specifically for Chinese to English.?As far as how often do you use it??We used ours extensively in China.?Once she got here it stated to taper off.?Now Im not even sure where it is.

189189[/snapback]

Well that's kind of a bummer that you don't use it anymore, do you feel you have gotten your money's worth from it? I'm just kinda worried about spending 400 bucks on something I'm only going to use on a few trips to China.

189272[/snapback]

Have your SO pick up a cheap model in China. I used to tell my SO while I was in China with her to change input to english. I would then put english word in and then she would translate to chinese.

189287[/snapback]

I thought that was the point ! Buy in china and use the English to chinese direction for the USC... It should be one or two clicks... I don't think you need to tell your SO to do it for you though... If you can post on CFL, you can use a chinese pocket translator

189332[/snapback]