CD-ROM and online dictionaries have been popular for years. But did you know you can now download French-language resources for your mobile devices?
by Véronique Ponce
French-language dictionaries on the go
In the September 2008 issue of Professionally Speaking, we reported on CD-ROM dictionaries that are winning over those who see the benefits of finding the answers they need while at their computers. Now, for students and teachers on the go, mobile versions of many of these dictionaries are available.
Antidote
Antidote, a French-language software tool that checks and corrects compositions and has revolutionized the way that students and teachers alike write, now offers a mobile version for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad iOS 3.0 or later. The VoiceOver feature may help some students who have learning disabilities.
For information visit www.druide.com/mobile/m_english.html. (Antidote Mobile, $18.99 from the App Store)
Dixel
Dictionnaire Le Robert has launched Dixel, especially conceived for students. The online version is free for four years when you purchase the print version.
Designed for iPhone and iPad, Dixel encourages independent student research and offers practice exercises as well as study help pages.
Go to www.dixel.fr. (Dictionnaire Dixel pour iPad, $9.99 from the App Store)
Larousse
The Larousse English-French/French-English dictionary is now available for iPhone and iPad. Audio files to aid pronunciation are included.
(Dictionnaire Anglais/Français by Éditions Larousse, $5.99 from the App Store)
Wikipedia
And finally, tech-savvy Wikipedia enthusiasts can now download a complete copy of French Wikipedia to a mobile device or iPad, enabling Wikipedia searches even without Internet access.
This download won’t be for everyone: The archived file must be decompressed, is very large and might not be viewable on all devices. But for those who need to browse the encylopedia offline it is now at least an option.
Free from www.archive.org/details/frwiki_20100610
