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Franklin Speaking Merriam Webster Spanish English Dictionary (BES-2100) | 
| Brand: Franklin
Category: CE
List Price: $129.99
Buy New: $62.06
as of 3/10/2010 02:29 CST details
You Save: $67.93 (52%)
New (19) Used (2) from $54.00
Seller: Wholesale_Deals
Rating:  31 reviews
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 10 x 7.5 x 2
MPN: BES-2100
Model: BES-2100
UPC: 084793999031
EAN: 0084793999031
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Speaks 5,000,000 Spanish English Translations | | • | Speaks 4,800 common phrases | | • | 240,000 word English Dictionary | | • | Advanced Verb Conjugations | | • | Phonetic Spell Correction |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Dictionary With 400,000 Definitions Thesaurus With 500,000 Synonyms & Antonyms Biographical & Geographical Dictionary Features A Guide To Punctuation & Style Interactive Grammar Guide Includes Quizzes 5-language Translator?english, Spanish, French, German, & Italian Sat & User Word Lists 4 Learning Exercises & Games Crossword Puzzle Solver To Determine Missing Puzzle Letters Organizer Includes Local/world Clock, Personal Databank, Calculator & Currency/metric Converters
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 31
 Love this device! If you're not already commited to a specific learning program, read the last section for some helpful tips. August 25, 2009
eCognition (CA United States)
33 out of 37 found this review helpful
Some of the problems other users have found with this device are logical design implementations. I'll mention some. The processing is slower for battery conservation reasons. If you lower the contrast, it's still clearly readable and you'll extend the battery life even more. The text size can be permanently changed via the settings option. This device far exceeded my expectations. In the future, better headphones (the one's they give are very big for the average ear), will add some major points to this already great product. In addition, the device could use a separate rechargeable Li-battery (or other comparable internal power storage) that'll recharge the device via the USB port to prevent losing the data stored in settings and the customizable folders; sort of like the small battery used to power the CMOS chip in your pc that, in short, holds all the information needed to start you pc properly. If you don't send electrical current to your pc over a long period of time, that battery will drain and die, along with all the boot-up information. Very sad. It's the same deal here, only it happens much quicker (if you take more than a couple seconds to switch your batteries. Backup your data. Don't get all mental with the thing like you do your Blackberry, iPhone, etc., or it will freeze and you'll have to reset it, thereby losing your data. You'll be able to "feel" the device out within the first 30 minutes, knowing how fast you can push it. I would remove the "word of the day" function as the device has no "permanent on" function, so after 5 (or less, depending on the setting) minutes, it'll shut-off and you'll have to take extra time to bypass the word of the day again. Cumbersome, if you're doing a lot of translating during your readings.
If you are not already committed to a Spanish learning program or the one your using is not working out for you, I have some tips if you haven't had the time to collect your own. It's for those really wanting to be in command of the Spanish language. A good command of basic Spanish grammar is essential if this is going to be of good benefit to you. There's a book you can buy on Amazon called "Spanish Grammar for Independent Learners"; it's the one I used, but there are many. If you've taken a foreign language immersion course, they'll tell you repeatedly not to get bogged down on grammar. Once you use the below methods, the grammar will automatically kick in in many cases (by "kick in", I mean the subconscious decoding of the language itself). Buy used DVD's of your favorite movies and put the subtitles on. When the subtitles display on the screen, press the pause button. Picture the scene visually in your head and say the phrase from the screen. Do not translate in your head, "ok, this in English, means this in Spanish". Listen to the Actor/Actresses lines only for context. While the DVD is paused, visualize the scene while saying the phrase. This will imprint the language and it's corresponding visual imagery in the visual processing centers of the brain. Storing information visually in your head will work thousands of times faster than plain rote-memorization. DVD's that are emotional are especially effective as they also involve the Limbic system located in your brain, which governs emotions. Think back on your past and you'll find the most vivid memories involved strong emotions, good or bad. Emotions, strong visual imagery, and verbalizing the Spanish translation only will speed up your foreign language learning drastically. You may want to go to the FSI Language Site for free intensive Spanish study material. It's all digital and it's public domain, so it's free. This is the same material used to teach Government personal. There are many people copying the material and selling this stuff on different websites. Do not be taken. It is free. The website is-[...]. As in [...]. If the web site is not shown in the previous sentence, just type "FSI language courses org" in google and you're there. With programs like Rosetta Stone, you can hold a basic conversation when you're through all the programs. With these, you'll be able to work as a bona fide translator, once you work on your speed. You rarely see these programs marketed all over the place because you have to more than just want to have a strong command of the language. The material is somewhat dull and extremely repetitive; the only way you'll get it engraved in your head, so it's second-nature. Learning a new language is not peaches and berries (did I say that right?), so just look at your goal. The end result. There's a ton of other languages on there too. You're paying for the imagery with Rosetta Stone. The only problem is the lack of "original awareness" in those programs. You're using their images to learn the language, instead of your own which are far more effective in memorizing the material. These are hardcore, requiring the amount of time that most people nowadays are just not willing to put in. I'm from la, so not learning the language edged me out of positions that I wanted. Very, very frustrating. I purchased popular books for Amazon, such as Jurassic Park and Misery in both English and Spanish and also popular books for reading the language as it is spoken in everyday language. The content is the same. I stayed away from recently published ones, as the Spanish translations in those tend to be pricey. I looked for subjects (via the Amazon query search box) that included everyday language and then put the word "Spanish" directly behind the specific name of the book I wanted; this pulled up (if any) the Spanish editions. Huge bestsellers will more than likely have a Spanish edition. My favorite way was to use Google translator to take Spanish news sites and translate them into English. You can download the toolbar for easy one-click access that translates it in a second. I print both and use the English one only as a reference when I need help (it isn't perfect, but it's very good compared to the software of the old days). Update since last post: I just discovered the Oxford Spanish Dictionary on CD-rom. This thing is a beast and incredibly useful if you don't need a mobile dictionary-like this Franklin speaking dictionary-for on the go. It has one-click access to pronunciation for each entry, "copy and paste" talking function for anything you find on the web, split-second searches and tons of sentence usages for helping your brain decode the language. It's a must buy for anyone who has constant access to a desktop or laptop who want to know the language inside and out, and as always, can be found at a great price on Amazon. I can only find a Windows version for it though. These programs, the visualization techniques , the novels, the DVD's, reading the news sites with Google translator and this Franklin Spanish dictionary, allow you to create your own immersive program without having to sell your family to move to Costa Rica. That and about 5 hours a day. It was worth it. One more important note from many well-known linguists: Never translate English into Spanish when learning the language. Spanish rarely translates directly to English in a "clean" way. Grab the idea and the corresponding mental pictures and connect those to your learned Spanish. When you learn the translation of something, you dump the English translation after grabbing the idea (mental picture); then you use that idea as a reference when attempting to construct your sentences in the future. You do not want to etch direct English-Spanish or Spanish-English translations in your brain. It was a habit I had to learn to unlearn. On final note: About a couple hundred hours into intensive foreign language study, it'll "click". From there, it's all about vocabulary and learning the individual nuances involved in the language. People usually quit before this can happen. Your brain will reward you for intensive and focused effort. Good luck.
Perfect for my needs August 25, 2009
Wilcy Moore
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
This little device does a variety of things, so one person's experience and level of satisfaction may differ from that of someone else. That said, I would suggest reading all of the reviews posted on here in order to fully grasp the strengths and weaknesses of this gadget. I have not even attempted to use all of the features, as of yet.
I need to be able to read Spanish. I've been doing so for over 20 years, yet I don't actually speak the language and I really don't comprehend someone else speaking it at all. When I hear it, I recognize a word here and there, but it is spoken way too quickly for me to grasp. For my needs (reading only), this thing is perfect. I used to have several dictionaries, an idiomatic translation book, a verb conjugation book, and a colloquial reference guide within reach while I was reading a document written in Spanish. With this little translator, I have basically replaced all of those old reference books with something that is much smaller, more convenient, and much faster (some say it drags a bit, but compared to looking something up in a book, it blazes!). Very simply, if I see a word that confuses me, I type it in and BOOM - an instant explanation is given. More often than not, it answers my question and I quickly get back to my document.
As far as what else this thing does, the main menu reads as follows:
Books
-English/Spanish Dictionary
-Spanish/English Dictionary
-Thesaurus
-Spanish Conversational Phrases
-English Conversational Phrases
-English Conjugations
-Spanish Conjugations
Learn
-My English Word List
-My Spanish Word List
-Personal Dictionary
-Grammar Guides
-English Usage Examples
-Spanish Usage Examples
-TOEFL Test Word List
-SAT Spanish Word List
Exercises
-My English Speaking Spelling Bee
-My Spanish Speaking Spelling Bee
-TOEFL Test Spelling Bee
-SAT Spanish Spelling Bee
-My English Flashcards
-My Spanish Flashcards
-TOEFL Test Flashcards
-SAT Spanish Flashcards
Games
-Hangman
-Conjumania
-Word Train
-Word Auction
-Word Blaster
Tools
-Phonebook
-Schedule
-Memo
-Class Schedule
-Timer
-Stopwatch
-Clock
-Calculator
-Metric Converter
-Currency Converter
-Tutorial
-Demo
I gave the unit to a friend of mine from South America and asked her to evaluate the Spanish that is spoken by the unit. She said that it is a very neutral Spanish that is not biased toward Castilian Spanish or any specific part of Latin America. In fact, we tried some expressions unique to Argentina and it promptly identified them as being colloquial expressions normally used in Argentina (We were impressed).
The bottom line is that this little thing is great for someone who needs a quick means of reference to clarify something that is written in Spanish (or English, for that matter). That type of use really just scratches the surface of what this thing is capable of, however. Depending on your needs, I think this device would be a valuable addition to most anyone's learning toolkit.
My Wife Loves It October 28, 2009
Kirth Gersen
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I purchased this for my wife, who needed it primarily for an aid in her intermediate Spanish classes. A such, she needed conjugations and grammar in addition to dictionary functionality.
She loves the device, so I have rated it 5 stars. I found the interface to be a little dated, but on-par with other offerings. I was able to pick up the unit and use it immediately without reading the directions, so I would still consider it to be intuitive.
The tilt-screen is nice as it helps to reduce glare and protect the keyboard. It would be nice if the screen was backlit, but this feature seems to be lacking in translators in general.
Overall, a solid purchase with an excellent feature set.
Very useful tool but..... October 3, 2009
Julio Maldonado (slaveland)
Very useful tool but my old huge paper based dictionary has more vocabulary than this device. Unfortunately my dictionary is not portable, but this device is still good and very useful on the go.
The Latest in Spanish-English Dictionary October 3, 2009
Stephen D. Croan (Port Isabel, Texas)
I have had the older version for many years. This one does it all. It is much smaller. It has an automatic currency converter, a time zone converter, a calculator, a metric converter, and much more. I like it a lot. However, I must say that my older machine "starts up" much faster because it doesn't have to load all these extra features. Also, the older version actually speaks the language in a less computerized fashion. Although, this newer version has actual sentences inside the definitions that it speaks. All in all this is a much improved model.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 31
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