OK, but lots of missing words
The interface is quite good but it's frustrating when some common words (e.g. "tract") are missing. This would be less annoying if it allowed users to add their own entries.
Letting down the standard
I was recommended the Ultralingua French dictionary for iPhone, and it’s amazingly good. I therefore bought the Ultralingua German dictionary, which is good, though not quite as good as the French. The Russian one was next, and it’s… adequate.
The Esperanto one is a real let-down. It’s driven by the same interface as the others, and I have no problems with that – it’s excellent. But the words and their translations are so shoddily done. It’s full of misprints and the range of words is… well… bizarre.
Still, if I ever need the Esperanto word for ‘eelmonger’ or ‘to offer aast’ I’ll know where to look.
Get a good proofreader, Ultralingua: this was so obviously done by a computer that it’s shameful.
The Esperanto one is a real let-down. It’s driven by the same interface as the others, and I have no problems with that – it’s excellent. But the words and their translations are so shoddily done. It’s full of misprints and the range of words is… well… bizarre.
Still, if I ever need the Esperanto word for ‘eelmonger’ or ‘to offer aast’ I’ll know where to look.
Get a good proofreader, Ultralingua: this was so obviously done by a computer that it’s shameful.
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Needs some work
Even the website mentions the lack of Esperanto conjugations which the earlier reviewer noted. There are no Esperanto conjugations. Verbs change for tense, not grammatical person, in Esperanto.
But the lack of non-existent conjugations, is not the only problem with this dictionary. As with the competing dictionary, the list of words needs to be expanded. I was able to quickly come up with a dozen recognizable English words that neither dictionary had Esperanto words for, even though such words do exist.
This one is also somewhat bare-bones on features. And while the app is supposed to sync by iCloud, it’s not listed in the Documents & Data section of either of my iOS devices. Favorites don’t sync across devices as a result.
Then there are the typos. This is serious, and should nearly cost the third star (it’s a weak third star, just as I noted the other app is a weak fourth star). For example, there is an entry for “abaseeslf.” No, it’s not an Esperanto word either. It’s a error for the English “abase oneself, “which somehow lost the space and “on.” It’s not the only one. A casual perusal found “put intoe’s pocket.” Same error. Typographical errors in dictionaries are serious stuff.
I also found some errors in order. The dictionary puts “maco” between “maĉi” and “maĉo.”
Although it lacks some of the features of the other Esperanto dictionary app, if it were cleared of typos, its list of words were greatly increased, and shades of meaning clarified (both apps need these last two) that would make up for its lack of features. That would only lift it from a 3 to a 4. It’s not pricy, but you deserve better than this.
But the lack of non-existent conjugations, is not the only problem with this dictionary. As with the competing dictionary, the list of words needs to be expanded. I was able to quickly come up with a dozen recognizable English words that neither dictionary had Esperanto words for, even though such words do exist.
This one is also somewhat bare-bones on features. And while the app is supposed to sync by iCloud, it’s not listed in the Documents & Data section of either of my iOS devices. Favorites don’t sync across devices as a result.
Then there are the typos. This is serious, and should nearly cost the third star (it’s a weak third star, just as I noted the other app is a weak fourth star). For example, there is an entry for “abaseeslf.” No, it’s not an Esperanto word either. It’s a error for the English “abase oneself, “which somehow lost the space and “on.” It’s not the only one. A casual perusal found “put intoe’s pocket.” Same error. Typographical errors in dictionaries are serious stuff.
I also found some errors in order. The dictionary puts “maco” between “maĉi” and “maĉo.”
Although it lacks some of the features of the other Esperanto dictionary app, if it were cleared of typos, its list of words were greatly increased, and shades of meaning clarified (both apps need these last two) that would make up for its lack of features. That would only lift it from a 3 to a 4. It’s not pricy, but you deserve better than this.
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