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Ectaco is
among the foremost companies developing
handheld
electronic Turkish dictionaries, phrasebooks
and translators. Some even translate
your spoken English into spoken Turkish
immediately! And
most are designed
especially for travelers.
These aren't the clunky
first-generation gizmos that
gave you only one short word. Ectaco's dictionaries
have hundreds of thousands
of words (some have millions!)
and as many
as 14,000 phrases, including lots of
idioms. Some even
have a recording
function so you can add
your own words to the dictionary.
These handheld devices take up less
space and weigh
less than a traditional
dictionary, but they work faster,
and their capabilities go well
beyond the common dictionary or
phrasebook.
They're also a good way to meet
new people—either
Turkish or foreign—because
the cool gizmos instantly become conversation
pieces. Everyone wants to see
how they work,
so you become the center
of attention.
It's a great way to break the ice—not
to mention find
out what to say (or what's
being said).
Hear a word you don't know?
Enter an approximate
spelling, or speak
it, and
it will offer several choices so you'll
get the correct
spelling and can find the
definition. (Because Turkish is a phonetic
language, this can work well
for you.)
And do you know how it can be confusing
when you look up a word? You're presented
with three or four alternatives, each
with a slightly different shade of
meaning. Which word should
you use? Ectaco solves
this problem by offering instant
reverse translation! No
more thumbing back and forth in
a dictionary to make sure you have le
mot juste (or, in Turkish, dogru
kelime). Just press a
button to confirm that you've made
the right choice of word.
But wait! (as they
say), there's more!
Some devices include the functions
of a personal
organizer with built-in metric
measure and currency
converters, a calculator, a calendar and
an appointment scheduler. (Use
it for bus, train and plane schedules,
museum opening hours, restaurant
reservations, etc. Or maybe you're in
Turkey on business and you
actually have real appointments.)
Some can even store your MP3
files so you'll have your music and/or
walking tour narrations with you as
you travel.
Not done yet! they
may also have world
and local clocks (with alarm and daily
reminder functions) and even... games! (One
is a special version of "Hangman" configured
as a Turkish-word-learning
game to help you improve your
Turkish vocabulary and spelling).
So if you get tired of learning Turkish
you can play a game and learn Turkish!
So there's an awful lot of power in
these sleek
packages.
I sure wish I had had one
of these things when I was first
in Turkey,
trying to learn Turkish while running
around writing guidebooks.
It would have been a godsend.
So... (I hear you
asking)—how
much do they cost?
Well, Ectaco sets the prices, not
I, but they offer a full range of devices
(and software programs for the handheld
you already own), so you're sure to
find something that fits your budget
as well as your needs. Have a look!
Güle güle kullanin! (gur-LEH
gur-leh kool-lah-neen, May you use
it happily!)
Ectaco Turkish Dictionaries, Phrasebooks
& Translators
Turkish
Language Guide
Travel
Details
Turkey
Travel Planner Homepage
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