Surving and Monitoring use of Vocabulary Learning Strategies

Vocabulary researchers such as Schmitt (40), Kudo (41), Orita (42), and Loucky (29) have examined more than 50 other effective vocabulary learning strategies, coming up with some useful taxonomies that makers of dictionaries should be aware of and seek to maximize in their design of electronic features and functions in particular. Language learners do appear to benefit greatly from specific strategy training in this essential area of language development (43).

Loucky (29) has presented useful surveys of CBDs or EDs presented in CALICO Journal. He also included many recommendations for how to properly integrate computerized lexicons, both portable and online, into CALL as effectively and enjoyably as possible. He explained a useful taxonomy of VLS for all designers and users of computerized dictionaries to help students maximize their learning of target language vocabulary.

CALL Journal in December, 2005, highlighted the www.CALL4All.us website, showing how learners and teachers may use its extensive encyclopedia of preorganized online dictionaries and language learning links to produce more effective and enjoyable reading and vocabulary learning lessons. These tools include the use of online glossing engines and reading labs, word-surfing games, vocabulary profilers most useful for text analysis and simplification, readability analyzers, and so on.

State-of-the-Art Technical Features. Probably the company offering the largest variety of functions and types of computerized dictionaries for the most languages is Ectaco, whose U.K. site enables one to search for both type of software/platform and particular language pair combination sought. It can be accessed at http:// www.ectaco.co.uk/how-find/. Their programs for handheld, portable devices may be found at http://www.ectaco.co.uk/ Software-for-Pocket-PC/.

Electronic Dictionaries. Electronic dictionary and electronic translator handhelds are modern, lightweight, and fashionable gadgets with a great variety of features. An electronic translator or dictionary is becoming a definite must-have in many areas of business. More expensive devices are based on advanced speech recognition and text-to-speech technologies.

Advanced models may include these useful functions: 1) a business organizer, 2) bidirectional, 3) voice recognition or synthesis, 4) extensive vocabularies (up to 1,000,000 words), 5) grammar references, and 6) phrase banks containing colloquial expressions and common phrases, irregular verbs, and more. Ectaco offers more than 70 titles for over 20 languages at: http://www.ectaco.co.uk/Electronic- Dictionaries/.

Translation Software. For example, Ectaco has devices featuring a wide range of software products, over 220 titles, translation tools, and learning aids for over 35 languages designed for all standard computer platforms, such as Windows, Pocket PC, and Palm OS.

Many devices have tools for various language goals (e.g., text translators, accent removers, bidirectional talking dictionaries, localization tools, and language office tools), which include speaking and nonspeaking EOs, voice and travel language translators, handheld PDAs, and software bundles for Pocket PCs, Windows, Palm OS, and Cell phones.

Although some online dictionaries charge fees, a majority are now available for free use. Most of these are now organized at the author’s www.CALL4ALL.us site, under Dictionaries Galore! http://www.call4all.us///home/_all. php?fi=d. Many examples of excellent translation software programs and portable, software, and online dictionaries can be seen and even ordered from these sites directly, or from those shown in Table 1.

1. http://www.ectaco.co.uk/how-find/ (Ectaco).
2. http://www.call4all.us///prod/_order.php?pp=2 (For language learning software, http://www. call4all. us///home/_all. php?fi=d links to most web dictionaries).

3. http://www.wor.com/shopping/ (World of Reading Language Learning Software).
4. http://speedanki.com/ (Speedanki.com offers Kanji Level Tests and flash cards to help one learn and review for national Japanese Proficiency Tests).

5. http://quinlanfaris.com/?cat=3 (Compares technical functions and differences between Seiko and Canon Wordtanks and the Seiko SR-E9000 PEDs).

6. http://flrc.mitre.org/Tools/reports/products_list.pl? LID=199# (Translation software and professional tools used for customized and specialized dictionary creations. Completeness of report is dependent on the completeness ofthe data entries and is expected to improve rapidly over time. Information is provided by each developer or vendor).

7. http://flrc.mitre.org/Tools/internetMT.pl * (These translation programs are intended for giving a general gist of meaning, not as a substitute for human translation. However, this site is the best quick view of machine translation options online, covering 13 online translation engines).

Computerized Dictionaries and Translation Software Programs Available. The most detailed and extensive table of translation software and computerized dictionary products may be found at the Foreign Language Resource Center’s http://flrc. mitre.org/Tools/reports/products_list.pl?LID=202. Information provided by each developer or vendor at that site includes company, product names and version, and descriptions of languages and functions included.

As about 75 companies are listed, only the list of companies providing these kinds of products will be listed here to make online searches possible. Computerized translation software companies include the following: ABLE Innovations, Alis Technologies; Acapela Group; Agfa Monotype Corporation; Al-Buraq; Arabeyes; Arabic OCR; arabsun.de; ARA- BVISTA; AramediA; Arava Institute for Environmental Studies; ATA Software Technology Limited; Alchemy Software Development; Abbyy Software House; Applications Technology; Ascender Corporation; Atril UK, Ltd.; Atten- sity Corporation; Basic Language Systems Corporation; Basis Technology; CACI, Inc.; Ciyasoft Corporation; CIMOS; Automatic Vocalization for Arabic; Automatic- Topic-Detection/ Abstract of Document;

Compure, Computer & Language Technology; Ectaco; Galtech Soft, Ltd.; GlobalSight Corporation; International Systems Consultancy; IBM; Ice-LC Software; Idiom Technologies, Inc.; Jubilant Technologies, Inc.; Language Analysis Systems; Language Engineering Company; Language Weaver, Inc., LLC; Lingua; Linguist’s Software; Lockheed-Martin; Marine Acoustics, Inc.-VoxTec; Paragon Software GmbH piXlogic; Postchi.com; Melingo, Ltd.; MetaTexis Software and Services; Microsoft Corporation; MultiCorpora R&D, Inc.; Nattiq Technologies;

Nisus Software; NovoDynamics.- com (Detects new application programming interface, API); Paragon Software; Sakhr Software Company; SDL International; SIL International Publishing Services; Smart Link Corporation; Tavultesoft Pty, Ltd.; Telelingua; THUNDERSTONE SOFTWARE; TM SYSTEMS; TRA- DOS Corporation; Transclick, Inc.; Translation Experts; translation.net; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); United Nations; University of California, Davis; University of Maryland; U.S. Army Intel Center; Verity; WORDFAST; World Health Organization; WorldLanguage Resources; and Xerox-The Document Company.

Among the various types of advanced applications provided by innumerable types of software from these companies are multilingual translation; dictionaries; language learning applications and toolkits; speech recognition; information retrieval; multilingual word processing, spelling, and grammar; optical character recognition with easy insertion into Windows word processing; and web development and browsing.