Developer: PROMT
Program website: www.promt.ru
The PROMT company offers a choice of four editions of the dictionary. The Expert edition is intended for professionals in the field of translation, Professional - for corporate customers, Standard - for small offices, PROMT 4U is a product for home users. “Home” PROMT has the lowest price and, logically, the least functionality.
It should be said that full version translator requires sufficient resource intensity, although the official requirements are very underestimated.
PROMT Professional 10.0 system requirements:
Operating system Windows 2000 SP 3 (or higher), Windows XP Service Pack 2 (or higher); Windows Vista; component .NET Framework 3.0 (installed with the product), Pentium processor 500 MHz or higher; 64 MB of RAM.
PROMT's shell is made in the Vista style, or more precisely, it is the interface of Microsoft Office 2007. And it is clear that a computer with a frequency of 500 MHz is not optimal for running PROMT. Otherwise, the program comes with a lightweight shell - “Lightweight PROMT Editor”. In full-featured versions (Professional) it is installed separately.
The program integrates with office applications (Microsoft Office Word, PowerPoint 2000–2007), Microsoft Outlook 2000–2007, ICQ, Adobe Acrobat, OpenOffice Writer and Mozilla Firefox. A menu with commands for quick translation text, document. In other cases, to translate you need to access the "Linguistic Editor" window.
The quality of the translation depends on the selected thematic dictionary. On the website www.promt.ru, for a fee, you can purchase additional dictionaries and collections of dictionaries in various fields (Aviation, Automotive, Banking, Biology, etc.). In addition, in the Professional version it is possible to connect online dictionaries from the Multitran database (www.multitran.ru).
2) Program: abbyy Lingvo
Developer: ABBYY
Program website: www.lingvo.ru
Lingvo is a universal dictionary. As correctly stated in the site description, it is suitable for business, work and study, language learning, travel, professional translation. For such a full-featured package system requirements small and home computer The program will not be too “puzzling”.
System requirements ABBYY Lingvo (multilingual version)
Operating system: Microsoft Windows Vista/Microsoft Windows Server 2003/Microsoft Windows XP, 1 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, from 350 to 1200 MB hard disk space (depending on the number of installed dictionaries), sound card, headphones or speakers.
The development of Lingvo began in 1989 on the initiative of David Yan and Alexander Moskalev. Now this is the most popular electronic dictionary. The Lingvo translator is distributed in several editions, including the jewel version, with significant limitations. One of them is support for a small number of dictionaries. You can choose one of 11 languages for translation: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Turkish, Ukrainian, Latin or Russian.
The package includes more than 150 dictionary databases and 8.7 million entries. These dictionaries are developed on the professional resource LingvoDA.ru by independent lexicographers. Therefore, the difference between Lingvo and conventional dictionary programs is huge. Lingvo translates each word in great detail, the translation is illustrated with examples from books, newspapers, etc. From version to version, new dictionaries (including spelling and explanatory ones) and databases of spoken words appear in the program. But, since ABBYY Lingvo is a paid product, each update makes you think twice before paying to upgrade to a new version.
The developers of Lingvo met the needs of customers who, with the help of a dictionary, want to learn languages on their own and expand their vocabulary. This is what the Lingvo Tutor dictionary add-on is designed for. Tutor is a phrase book in 6 languages. The most commonly used colloquial phrases are voiced by professional translators. Which is important for understanding and correct pronunciation of memorized words.
What should be especially noted is that ABBYY Lingvo has good technical support (www.lingvo.ru/support/). Help will be provided by the Lingvo forums and community (www.lingvo.ru/Lingvo_Community/). There is even a fan club (www.lingvofanclub.info), but the latest news dates back to 08/01/06. All this will help you find out the answers to your questions, and the developers will help improve the program.
Today we will talk about text translation programs that are installed on a computer (so-called offline programs or simply software) and do not require a constant connection to the Internet.
Comment: Abbyy Lingvo is undoubtedly the market leader. It is probably known to everyone who has in one way or another encountered translating text and studying foreign languages. This program has the ability to install additional dictionaries (in addition to those already included in the kit).
You can download the free version from Yandex for six months (link). This version The dictionary includes about 200 dictionaries for 20 different languages.
All popular dictionaries such as Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford Dictionary, Longman Dictionary are available for the ABBYY Lingvo format. You can easily find them in open access, on the Internet.
Additional Dictionary Resources
- http://lingvodics.com/ is perhaps the most complete catalog of ABBYY Lingvo dictionaries, phrase books and encyclopedias. You can download them directly from the site. The catalog is updated regularly.
- http://lingvodics.com/pages/sites/ - a large list of sites with dictionaries in the ABBYY Lingvo format.
- http://traduko.lib.ru/ - Dictionaries for Lingvo. There are quite a few good dictionaries here, all available for download.
- http://www.lingvoda.ru/ - Association of Lexicographers Lingvo - a site dedicated to the creation of Lingvo dictionaries.
PROMT
Comment: a very old and quite good dictionary and translator. The official website says that this is an effective translation of texts from English into Russian and vice versa. Eat mobile applications for devices such as iPhone/iPad, Android and Windows Phone. Integration with various systems and the use of cloud technologies.
Allows you to translate:
- documents and files in .pdf, .docx, .xlsx, .ppt, etc. formats.
- web pages
- messages in various instant messengers (Skype, ICQ, etc.)
- various highly specialized texts (if appropriate dictionaries are available)
Price home version: 2900 rub.
GoldenDic
Official website: http://goldendict.org/
Comment: free (open source) multi-platform dictionary (there are versions for Windows and Linux) with support for various formats.
Supported Dictionary Formats
- Lingoes .LD2 files
- Babylon .BGL files
- ABBYY Lingvo .LSD, .DSL, .LSA and .DAT files
- StarDict files
- Dictd files
The application development process is a very expensive and time-consuming process, and developing a single program can take a lot of effort, money, and time. This is why programmers very often forget to localize programs into Russian. But thanks to the programs that are presented in this list, Russifying programs is now not difficult.
Programs for translating programs may not be tools specially created for this, but the most common “resource thieves” if they know how to change resources, and not just gain access to them. Most of the programs on this list were not developed for localization, however, this can be done with their help.
The simplest version of the Russifier. Of course, it was developed as a simple way to access program resources, but the skillful hands of users have found better uses for it. There are no advantages to it, as such, but there are disadvantages. For example, it has not been updated for more than 10 years, and its functionality has not been satisfactory for a long time, since eXeScope cannot gain full access to all resources.
PE Explorer
This program is one of the most powerful ways to access program resources. It has a very wide functionality, and it receives a “pass” to almost all parts of the program, which allows you to translate, even untranslatable things. An intuitive interface and the ability to recognize a virus even before launching programs makes it even more attractive.
Resource Hacker
Resource Hacker is slightly reminiscent of PE Explorer, at least in functionality. Thanks to this program, you can also access many resources, thereby translating more phrases and words. In addition, you can write your own scripts in it, which can then be installed directly into the program as a separate resource (perhaps this is how viruses get into programs).
LikeRusXP
LikeRusXP was developed specifically for translating programs, unlike the three previous programs. It does not have a large set of functions, like Multilizer, but it has built-in translators and even its own glossaries that can be supplemented. However, this program for Russifying programs is free only for a while.
Multilizer
On at the moment, this is the most powerful program for translating programs into Russian. Unlike Resource Hacker and similar “resource thieves”, it gains access to exactly those that need or can be translated. It has several importers, including “google-translate”. Thanks to importers, you can organize automatic translation, or translate each line manually.
The list of these programs was compiled specifically for those who cannot learn a foreign language, because now you have the opportunity to translate almost any program yourself. The most suitable, but also the most expensive tool for this is Multilizer, although someone may like another program. Or maybe you use localization programs that are not on this list?
For those who professionally translate from foreign languages, there is Abbyy Lingvo. Those who are constantly faced with foreign language texts that need to be quickly processed and generally understood use Promt machine translation systems. And if you need to contact a translator only from time to time to get an interpretation of an unfamiliar word in the text or to roughly understand what it’s about? we're talking about on a Chinese website, then contextual translators are indispensable. These small programs are convenient because they are always at hand and are ready to provide translation upon request.
Contextual translators did not appear yesterday or the day before. But with the penetration of the Internet into the masses, they have completely changed. Previously, these were applications consisting of software module and dictionaries. Some dictionaries were supplied with the program; additional ones often had to be downloaded separately. An overview of such applications - “Polyglot prompters or something about contextual translators" - can be found in the archive of our website for 2007. But if you try to follow the links provided in the article, you will see that almost all the programs over these five years have ceased to exist or have been abandoned.
When broadband Internet appeared in every home, it became much more convenient to use online translation services, and with them new contextual translators appeared. They no longer store dictionaries on your hard drive, and you don't need to download anything other than shell. As soon as the user makes a request, the application searches for a translation on one of the popular web services and displays the result in its window. Of course, this approach requires permanent connection with the Internet, well, who doesn’t have it now?
⇡ Client for Google Translate 6.0
- Developer: TranslateClient
- Operating system: Windows
- Distribution: free (paid version available)
- Russian interface: yes
For several years this program was the most the best solution for quick translation of words and texts. Instead of opening translate.google.com in your browser, you could use this extremely simple utility. It was possible insert text for translation directly into its window or, alternatively, copy the symbols and click on the Client for icon Google Translate in the tray. In the latter case, the translation was displayed in the cursor area, so there was no need to even switch between windows.
In mid-2011, Google changed the terms of provision of the API of its Google Translate service - developers who use the service engine in their products were asked to purchase a license worth $20 per million characters. After this innovation in free version program, the Microsoft Bing engine was added, and the translation from using Google Translate began to be offered in Pro version(along with the ability to connect dictionaries and some other functions). However, in November last year, this shop also closed. Policy changes API usage Bing services provide free use service only within 4 million characters per month. To expand the limit, you need to pay $10 per million characters.
From the moment the restriction was introduced by Microsoft, the development of the program slowed down. Client for Google Translate now only works during the first days of the month until users of the program reach the limit from Microsoft (a quota of 4 million characters is provided for everyone). After this, instead of translation, you can see a bleak message Microsoft Translator is over the quota. Try again later or switch to Google Translate. It’s clear that you can buy the Pro version, but compared to free alternative applications, the once very popular Client for Google Translate seems like a dead project.
⇡ QTranslate 4.1
- Developer: QuestSoft
- Operating system: Windows
- Distribution: free
- Russian interface: yes
It is completely unclear how the QTranslate developers managed to do this, but in this free program Translation works through Google, Bing, and several other popular services: Yandex, Promt, Babylon, SDL. If desired, any of the services and supported translation languages can be disabled.
The program's interface is minimalist, but at the same time it has everything you need for quick translation: neat tabs with the names of services are located at the bottom, there are two fields for text, as well as a panel using which you can select the direction of translation, quickly change languages, clear fields. Clicking on the headphones in the text input fields turns on the text.
In order to quickly translate a word or a couple of sentences, you don’t even have to be distracted by switching to the program window. Simply copy the text to your clipboard and a QTranslate icon will appear next to your cursor. Clicking on it will display a pop-up window with the completed translation. Despite its tiny size, it can also fit several useful commands. So, with one click you can try to translate a fragment using any other supported translation system, replace the source text with the resulting translation, listen to how it should be pronounced, and copy it to the clipboard.
QTranslate can also be used to search for unfamiliar terms in dictionaries. If you select not a quick translation in the pop-up window, but open a dictionary window, you can find out what Wikipedia, Definr, ImTranslator, etc. knows about the searched word. Google search and other services.
To access web resources, you can configure the use of a proxy server, as well as set a timeout time.
By the way, if a quick translation is not needed, the program icon can be easily disabled in the settings. Conversely, it is possible to quickly display the translation immediately when selecting text. In general, as anyone likes. In addition, the program can display translation tools in the cursor area when you press predefined key combinations (default is Ctrl+Q). In the settings, exceptions are specified - applications in which QTranslate will not work. You can also enable translation of interface elements: just move the cursor to the desired inscription, press CTRL+Q - and the translation will appear in a pop-up window.
The program remembers the translation history and allows you to save it as an HTML file. In addition to the main features, QTranslate also offers virtual keyboard with support for about thirty languages.
⇡ Dicter 3.32
- Developer: Dicter
- Operating system: Windows
- Distribution: free
- Russian interface: yes
Dicter is one of the most simple programs for translation of texts. There are practically no settings in it; you can only change the hotkeys for calling up the translator window, the font size and autorun settings with Windows. Contextual translation is performed using a keyboard shortcut (by default, pressing the left CTRL and ALT keys simultaneously), or you can select the text and click on the Dicter icon in the system tray. By default, the program window appears in a simplified mode, when only the translation is shown, it is possible to change its direction, listen to the finished text, edit it and copy it to the clipboard. If you switch to the extended window mode, a field with the original will also appear.
To receive a translation, Dicter uses Google service Translate, but there are no restrictions on translation in the program. Possibly your own expenses for purchasing the right to use API developers are covered due to the fact that the installer with default settings installs an advertising module for services from Yandex (be careful when installing and do not forget to uncheck all the boxes!).
⇡ Google Translate Desktop 2.1
- Developer: AthTek Software
- Operating system: Windows
- Distribution: free (ads included)
- Russian interface: no
As you can guess from the name, Google Translate Desktop also uses the Google Translate engine to work. The program is free, but supported by advertising - be prepared for the constant flickering of the flash banner at the top of the window. However, if it is not yet installed on your system Flash Player from Adobe, instead of a banner you will see simply empty window. The program does not require installation and is ready to work immediately after running the ggtranslate.exe file.
Google Translate Desktop does not support translation using hotkeys, but it monitors the contents of the clipboard. That is, as soon as you press CTRL+C or copy text to the clipboard in another way, it immediately appears in the translator window.
The original language is detected automatically, but you can also hardcode it in the settings. The translation language is also specified in the settings, and here the program lacks flexibility. If, for example, the user wants to make a translation not in the usual direction (for example, Russian → English), but in the opposite direction (English → Russian), it will not be possible to receive it automatically, since the program will try to translate from English to English and will get stuck at this point. The button for quick change translation directions—if the source language is detected automatically, the button is inactive. You have to manually select a language from a long list.
The program window also has buttons for speaking text (translated only), copying results to the clipboard, and clearing the window of text. The results can be saved as text file. It is also worth paying attention to the input line at the top of the page. By entering the site address here, you can quickly get a translation of the web page (it opens in the browser).
⇡ Lingoes 2.8.1
- Developer: Lingoes Project
- Operating system: Windows
- Distribution: free
- Russian interface: yes
Break through advertising blocks on the Lingoes website, which instead of a translator slip in installers of completely different programs, it’s not easy. But when you do succeed, you will be rewarded. Lingoes is one of the most functional free systems for quick translation, and in the program itself, unlike the site, there are no advertisements.
The program supports thirteen (!) translation services, including the ubiquitous Google Translate, Yahoo, SYSTRAN, Microsoft Translator and others. Translation can be performed either in the program window (to do this, just go to the “Text Translation” section) or in a pop-up window.
Depending on your preferences, you can choose to have a pop-up window appear when you copy text to the clipboard, when you highlight it, or when you hover over a word. At the same time, the program’s reaction is easily customizable: when translation of the selected text is enabled, you can set exceptions, and when translation is active by pointing at a word, you can specify what additional actions need to be performed for the program to translate it (for example, clicking right click mouse and click Ctrl keys). By default, this function is enabled to ignore numbers, but you can also ask the utility to ignore Latin, Cyrillic or other characters.
Hot keys are also fully supported - with their help you can not only open the translation window, but also, for example, read out the text. In the program settings, you can select the translation service that will be used by default, set the first and second target languages (the second will be used if the source language matches the target language).
Lingoes has built-in not only translation using online services, but also an incredible number of different capabilities. Because of them, the program interface looks overloaded, but if you need a calculator, currency converter, periodic table, unit converter, international telephone codes, list of irregular verbs English language or information about the current time in different countries— know that Lingoes has it all.
⇡ Conclusion
For a translator, especially one that is positioned as a solution for quick translation, the most important things are speed, an uncluttered interface and ease of call. In all three respects, it seems to us, QTranslate has no equal. Despite the fact that, for example, Lingoes has many more settings that describe the appearance of a translation window, there is no such convenient option as in QTranslate. An unobtrusive icon that appears when text is selected and automatically disappears if the user does not access it, this is much more convenient than a translation pop-up window constantly appearing on the screen. However, it all depends on how intensively you use the translator. Both Lingoes and Dicter also seemed to us to be very worthy programs.
