Quicktionary Translator Pen

[AnOther]

Anybody got experience of these gadgets ?

http://www.scanningpens.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=2

[George]

[quote user="ErnieY"]

Anybody got experience of these gadgets ?

http://www.scanningpens.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=2

[/quote]

hi Ernie

Not a Quicktionary, but have an IRISPen.  I wanted something that could scan articles or extracts from books to keep handy articles in a database, often finding that with a flatbed the spine is usually in the way.  The translation part was secondary, but importantly needed to output to a page rather than onboard in a screen.  The scanner itself is pretty good, but like any other depends on the paper and fonts used, everything has to be checked .  As to the translation part, I'm no expert, I'm at work at the moment so show below something done today, perhaps you or another can look at it and tell me if it's any good!  I don't have anything handy in French to show the other way around.

REGULATIONS FOR THE USE OF COLLEGE IT FACILITIES

Users must agree to the full Acceptable Use Policy

 

Briefly, users must not:

o Copy software to or from college computers

o Interfere with college data

o Play computer games

o Eat or drink in computer rooms

o Use email for making libellous or offensive remarks

o Download music or video files unless authorised

o Access obscene or offensive internet sites

o Tamper with or change computer settings

 

ACTION WILL BE TAKEN AGAINST ANY BREACH

OF THESE REGULATIONS

 

LES RÈGLEMENTS POUR L'EMPLOI DE COLLÈGE CELA L'ÉQUIPEMENT

Les utilisateurs doivent être d'accord avec la pleine Politique d'Emploi Acceptable

 

Brièvement, les utilisateurs ne doivent pas :

o  Le logiciel de copie à ou des ordinateurs de collège

o  Se mêlent des données de collège

o  Jouent aux jeux par ordinateur

o  Mangent ou la boisson dans les pièces par ordinateur

o  Utilisent le courrier électronique de faire des remarques diffamatoires ou injurieuses

o  La musique de téléchargement ou les dossiers vidéos à moins que ne autorisé

o  L'approche les sites internet obscènes ou injurieux

o  Tripotent ou changent des cadres par ordinateur

 

LES MESURES SERONT PRISES CONTRE N'IMPORTE QUELLE INFRACTION

DE CES RÈGLEMENTS

I'm only guessing what you want to know and will be away for the next couple of weeks, but just to sum up, it's a little fiddly and not as good as a flatbed using say Abby Fine Reader.  It is useful but have not used it as much as expected (if that makes any sense).  Let me know if I can help any further.

[AnOther]

Thanks for that although if I were able to verify the accuracy of the translation I wouldn't be needing such a device in the first place...!!!

Anybody else care to comment ?

[Pickles]

It's not terribly clever (what do you expect ...) ... and if course it depends on the use to which you intend to put it. I would not really trust it if I had to rely on it. The example that you have used is actually more difficult than you may immediately imagine; because the phrases that follow "Briefly, users must not" are not complete sentences. You, as the reader, understand that the structure is a short way of writing

"Users must not copy software to or from college computers

Users must not Interfere with college data

Users must not Play computer games

Users must not Eat or drink in computer rooms"

etc

However the translation system can't (or rather doesn't) interpret things that way, and doesn't really cope with the resulting sentence fragments

Eg - "copy software" is interpreted as being a compound noun (ie it thinks that it is talking about software for copying) rather than treating "copy" as a verb.

Regards

Pickles

[AnOther]

I'm expecting nothing Pickles, that way I cannot possibly be disappointed.............!

The reason I was enquiring is that it seemed like perhaps a half-way house between online resources, such as Babelfish or Reverso, and manually plodding through a dictionary or phrase book for every other word. I thought that as a portable "first pass" solution for giving the gist of a text it might prove it's worth.

I think my best plan would be to buy one online where I have the right to send it back for a refund for any reason.

If I do I'll report back.

[Pickles]

As you say, you're just trying to get the gist of things so it's easier and quicker than carting a dictionary around ... why not get one?

Regards

Pickles

[Pierre ZFP]

I can see the attraction of this device and I would be quite tempted for one myself but my concern would be that the very act of looking up an unknown word in the dictionary seems to make it 'stick'.  I wonder if I could become a little lazy with one of these pens?  Do they do one for German ? [:)]

[George]

[quote user="Pickles"]As you say, you're just trying to get the gist of things so it's easier and quicker than carting a dictionary around ... why not get one?

Regards
Pickles
[/quote]

Just to be clear on this, the IRISPen requires it to be attached to a computer/laptop so a dictionary in this case would probably be better.

As for other languages, this one certainly does, you buy the one with the set that you want included and decide upfront which language pair to install.  Off the top of my head can't remember them, but think my one came with Russian, German and possibly Spannish.  I take the point about the translation, the gist of which suits what I wanted.
Being a shy and retiring type, not sure I could face standing at a trade counter using something like this.[:$]