Collins Spanish-English Reviews

Look elsewhere

hatfield02

If you're looking for a travel translator, this is not the program you're looking for. The verb conjugator has some utility, but certainly doesn't justify the purchase price.

Incredibly buggy. It regularly loses functionality. You may click to switch from an english search to a spanish search but nothing appears to happen. The system may have changed what is being searched but the display doesn't update. I have also had the conjugation section lock on one verb for the past tense. I look up any verb and it goes to present tense fine but when I select past tense it reverts to a verb from an hour ago. Would not stop until I exited and re-entered the program. I use it a lot but I have to quit and reopen several times a day due to bugs. The bottom line: Way to pricy for how poorly it functions.

Needs some work, good potential

Steven Zyler

Update: Lately, the biggest annoyance is that the app always opens to the last entry or screen it was in when last closed. This would be much better as an option. It would make tons of sense to also have the option to have the app open to a blank search screen, ready to type in a word. It is extreeeeemely tedious when going back and forth between another app and this one to always have to wait for the app to open to its last state and then navigate to the search screen and then clear and then enter.... Most often dictionaries are opened to quickly look up a new or different word. Besides, the history screen does a pretty good job of recording the last entry viewed, and so on. --------------- History list is less buggy, but after a while, I still get duplicated entries on occasion, and sometimes random entries will not display the translation direction, but will again at a later time. Hey, how about manual bookmarking like other Ultralingua language apps I've seen in the app store? There's another star right there. ------------ OK, so I've discovered it IS possible to use text copy with the content. You have to tap and hold (and drag to position) from blank spaces or in the side margins, or something. You can get a resizable selection rectangle, or the standard selection "pins" (watch for the magnifier). It can be a pain, but it can be done. ----------- Factoring in the price tag, I can't offer more than three stars at this time. Some content is suspect/erroneous (see other reviews), although generally content is fairly clear and rather comprehensive. There ARE a lot of phrase examples, which is nice, buton occasion are written in ways I've never heard anyone speak, American or British, which makes one suspect the quality of all the translations. Maybe this is characteristic of translation dictionaries in general? Some searches yield no results even though the word appears as a subentry, in particular reflexive verb forms. Absolutlely no manual bookmarking capability like some of their other language products. Updates were VERY FEW and VERY FAR between, but lately there have been a couple with minor tweaks. No key or legend to explain dictionary abbreviations, etc., though most can be figured out in context. But WTF is the asterisk * for, found in some entries? The world may never know. Clumsy, slow method of navigating verb tenses (button + popup screen to select). It would be very useful to have arrow buttons and/or swiping to quickly move through tenses without leaving the conjugation screen. The number translation feature is great, though. At this price, this app is a little minimalistic in terms of user interface and functionality. But forget audio pronunciations. It's Spanish, for gosh sakes. There are FAR more important enhancements needed without adding a hundred megabytes. All said and done, sure, it's still probably better than a Franklin electronic dictionary.

Pretty Darn Good

Ned_the_red

But please please please make a favorites or flashcard function for those of us trying to actually learn the language. Would be so easy to do and would be so helpful. Gracias!

Why don't they upgrade this to an iPad version

AronTNY

It's extremely frustrating that the ultralingua translation dictionary 1) has more words 2) costs less 3) is a universal app I feel ripped off. In any case don't by this one which is obviously abandon ware.

Don't Buy Collins

Ryan Ashcraft

Even Ultralingua admits this app is inferior to their $19.99 version. I love this app but if you're considering buying choose Ultralingua's standard version.

Needs more updates

Carlangas23

Not compatible with 4.0, no pronunciation, too expensive.

What a disappointment

Mythlandia

After all this time, and after all the Ultralinga apps have been updated to iPad and iPhone 4.0 we final get an update to the app and still it doesn't support either. Come on Collins, you are supposed to be the standard, I purchased the most expensive iPhone app ever and you can't keep the app current. Shame on you!

One feature would make this a six (if that were possible)

Daily Gratitude

To the creators of the app: Great product, I love it. Wish I had had this in high school and college. One suggested improvement: sometimes I'll enter a word that isn't in the dictionary. It would be great, and I think doable, if you had a feature wherein I could "Report an unlisted word" - if I've looked up a word and it doesn't appear, then I click on the "Report" button and I would get a form where I could also (optionally) add the source and perhaps also the surrounding text where the word was used. Maybe also a suggested definition? Then you would know what words are the priority to add to the dictionary. If you have the definition in your database, but just not listed in the app, you could even email me back the definition automatically. Second improvement suggestion: allow searching by all the verb forms. E.g., if I put in "pongo" the dictionary does not give me "poner". You have all the data in the app in the verb section - just make it searchable in the definition section.

Collins Spanish-English Reviews – Page 2