Many mainland Chinese are learning to speak English, but it still can be a difficult country to navigate for foreigners who aren’t familiar with the local language.

But technology is coming to the rescue. Many travelers to China and Taiwan rely on talking electronic devices equipped with English-Chinese and Chinese-English dictionaries that actually do the speaking.

Talking dictionaries can serve as a translator when haggling with a street vendor in Guangzhou or giving directions to a taxi driver in Shenzhen.
Advertisement

MANUFACTURING
MANUFACTURING ProductionOperators (2nd &…

Hospitality HOT OPPORTUNITIES.
Hospitality HOT OPPORTUNITIES… COOL CR…

Activities Director Kentmere Nursing
Activities Director Kentmere Nursing Car…

SALES/OPTICAL FT/PT
SALES/OPTICAL FT/PT positions available …

All Top Jobs

About Top Jobs

Or say you want a discount on a laptop at a stores in Beijing. You can locate a list of shopping phrases on your hand-held e-dictionary, hit a key and have the device tell the clerk that the item is too expensive. Entry-level models, which start about $100, are adequate for looking up basic definitions and useful phrases.

As technology for hand-held devices improves, portable e-dictionaries have added better features – improved speakers, color screens and better replication of the human voice. Some also are MP3 players or include medical and legal dictionaries, organizers or currency converters.

USA Today business travel reporter Roger Yu, with the help of native Mandarin speaker Connie Tsou, tested four widely available electronic dictionaries.