As the summer months approach, I’ve had a lot of customers calling to plan their vacations. Europe and Asia are the most common destinations, and there have been many inquiries about translators to recommend. I’ve done some research, and found this translator with a lot of capabilities and a low price.
In the major European cities, you can easily get around as most “city” Europeans also speak some amount of English. Language translation becomes more of a challenge when you get off the beaten path. Trying to maintain an awkward balance between learning enough of the language to get by, and hoping that the locals speak enough English to help, can be a drain on any traveling experience. This neat little gadget from SVAT (12 Language Speaking Translator) can alleviate a lot of the stress involved in trying to communicate your message accurately.
I’ve always found it frustrating trying to flip through some phrase book, and then stumble through pronouncing words I’ve never even seen before. The Talking 12 Language Translator helps you accurately and efficiently circumvent this problem. The best part about the device is that it actually will speak the text that you enter for translation. The speaking electronic dictionary is equipped to translate 12 different languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Russian, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Japanese, Chinese (Mandarin) and Turkish. One thing I really like about this particular selection is that this assortment of languages covers pretty much all of the global regions.
We’ve seen the evolution of translators over the past 20 years, and many of us have experienced the comedic and embarrassing results of the older translation models. However, because the translator ‘knows’ (and can speak) 700 select phrases for each of the 12 languages, you won’t have to deal with that experience again. The phrases are conveniently categorized into 8 groupings: General, Emergency, Entertainment, Sightseeing, Direction, Restaurants, Transport, and Hotel. I’ve found these designations to be helpful, but I am guessing that depends on your own personal preferences. The only frustrating thing that I found about this model is that you can’t enter your own specific phrases. It’s a little bit of a hassle, but I don’t think it’s worth paying the extra $150 for a model that does.
In addition to its translating capabilities the SVAT dictionary comes equipped with a phone book, and a world time daily alarm clock. The LCD screen is also nice and big. Depending on where you look, you can find this SVAT speaking translator for as low as $49.99, making this one-time investment definitely worth it for those who plan on traveling frequently, for long periods of time, or to a myriad of destinations.
I hope this answers some of your questions.
Although this translator seemed like the best value in terms of features and price, there are many other talking translators available:
Lingo Compact 12 Language Talking Translator ($69.95)
National Geographic 10 Language Talking Translator ($180)
Etaco East European languages Talking Translator ($450)
Safe travels,
“Ted on The Travel Desk”
Ted Phelps, Customer Travel Consultant
It’s time again for Travel Trivia Thursday! For those of you who are just joining us, every Thursday we will post a picture of a mystery destination with a hint as to where it is. You can guess by posting a comment about the photo. In addition to the name of the place, there is also a secondary, fun question to answer as well.
Congratulations to Albert McMath and Linda McNeill, who both guessed the location of Delphi, Greece correctly! However, Albert gets the official win because he answered the second question and told us what he would pack. Since you got it so fast last week I think I will have to make my hints a little bit more difficult in the future!
In that light, I am going to try a fairly hard one today:
Hint: This body of water is rumored to have been sailed by the Argonauts.
Send in your guesses as to the location, and also, if you could pick any person from history to travel there with you, who would it be, and why? Good luck!
Safe Travels,
Ted Phelps
Customer Travel Consultant
I was doing some research on updates in travel news when I ran across this information about The Leaning Tower of Pisa. I thought I might share what I learned, because I think it makes the prospect of visiting the tower considerably more exciting than before.
I would have to say that The Leaning Tower of Pisa is probably one of the most recognizable buildings in the world, which is what I had in mind when I decided to take the drive west from Florence into Pisa. I wanted to learn some of the history behind the building, and of course take the obligatory staged picture of myself “holding up” the tower.
After centuries of trying varying methods to correct the continual sinking of The Leaning Tower of Pisa, scientists and architects in Italy think they might have finally solved the problem…at least for the next three hundred years.
During the initial stages of construction, builders only got to the third floor before the building began to sink into the unstable clay. Over the course of the centuries the Tower continued to lean further and further. Many different methods of righting the building were tried, all to no avail. In the 1930s, under the direction of Benito Mussolini, concrete was poured in the Tower’s foundation; however, this effort only caused the building to sink more.
The Tower was closed 18 years ago due to fears that it might topple over, and by 1990 The Leaning Tower was more than four meters off of its original true vertical. Scientists estimated at this point that the Tower would collapse some time between 2030 and 2040. Not wanting this priceless landmark to perish, the Italian government spent €30 million on an extremely advanced project to remove soil, while also injecting cement into the foundation. The goal of this project was to ensure that the Leaning Tower wouldn’t sink any further, and to slightly reduce the angle of the tilt. When work was finished in 2001, the wires and counterweights holding the Tower up were removed, and the building reopened to the public.
When I first visited the Leaning Tower in 1998 the experience was enjoyable, and seeing the tower up close was definitely worth it. However, the fact that the tower had lots of cables attached to it, and more importantly that I wasn’t allowed to go inside, certainly detracted from my experience. I am definitely excited to go back and visit now that the tower is more of an interactive endeavor.
In 2008, there has been talk of opening up a “secret door” that was closed in 1930. This door grants visitors access to the center of the Tower, which allows one to look up through all the levels of the building to the sky above. I haven’t heard anything one way or another on these plans, but being able to stand in the middle of the Leaning Tower would definitely be a cool experience.
Hopefully you found this interesting and informative. Please share if you have heard anything more about these improvements to The Leaning Tower.
Safe travels,
“Ted on The Travel Desk”
Ted Phelps, Customer Travel Consultant
