Electronics For Everyone

Now you can communicate effectively with clear, concise definitions and translations from Merriam-Webster. This portable dictionary is chock full of extras, our patented Phonetic Spell Correction allows you to enter words as they sound and the device automatically provides alternatives for misspelled words, SAT and TOEFL word lists, word usage examples, seven games and crossword solver. Build your grammar knowledge with our grammar guides so you can speak and write with confidence.

User Reviews about Franklin Merriam Webster Spanish English Dictionary (DBE-1500)

Excellent! Perfect for increasing language proficiency and fluency.

I carry this with me daily. Even though I quite fluent in Spanish, it is helpful to look up infrequently used words and to improve grammar. I love the games. Hangman is my fave. -- Perfecto. Excelente. Perfect. Excellent- for all ages.

This is my second of these translators (I had the first one for a few years, then spilt my tea on it so it stopped working). Before buying the same translator again I had a good internet search to see if there were any better non-speaking Spanish-English translators out there, but everything that I read said that this was the best one! It is one of the most reliable translators on the market, it's fairly inexpensive, and it has a fairly large and useful dictionary stored inside it. It turns off automatically after about 2 minutes - so it saves batteries but doesn't turn itself so soon that it is annoying.

I've been reading a lot of Spanish novels, and this translator is very useful to help me understand what I am reading. I use it a lot. The battery lasts for a long time (months).

THE NEGATIVES:
1. The buttons are sticky - you have to press them down firmly when typing in a word. This means you can't type quickly.
2. The dictionary could be more complete. It contains about 40,000 words and phrases in Spanish - which sounds like a lot - but there are quite a few fairly common words that it won't translate for me. When I'm reading a book, there are on average about 5 words on each page that the dictionary won't translate for me.
3. The screen is not backlit - this is good because it saves battery life, but it does make the screen hard to read at times.
4. It would be better if it had come with a soft bag or case to protect it. The translator is made for travelling, and it really needs some sort of case to be adequately protected.
5. There is a feature that allows you to save about 25 words for you to review and learn. This feature would be better if it allowed you to save many more words than that (hundreds). 25 is definitely not enough, so I don't waste my time with this feature (I don't want to spend ages deleting words from it). -- Very good translator

I have been very pleased with the Franklin English-Spanish DBE-1500 translator and recommend it. It is much more convenient to key in a word than to leaf through the pages of a dictionary. To me, this is it's strength. I wasn't sure if I would like keying in the words, but it is a definite step up. My one reservation is that I would like to see it be more complete in terms of vocabulary. It is much better than a pocket dictionary, but it is not as complete as my large Collins Dictionary, and it is not unusual to come across a word that the Franklin does not have, while reading more advanced literature in Spanish. -- Franklin English-Spanish Translator DBE-1500

I bought this machine before reading the reviews. After I did get it home I came to Amazon and read some of the reviews and I was tempted to take it back. However the time limit for returns expired before it could do so. (30 days at OfficeMax).

So I opened the package and started using the dictionary. From the very beginning until this day almost every word I have looked up has been in it. Additionally the examples associated with the definitions have helped me immensely.

I am in intermediate Spanish student and I have no idea why anyone would speak negatively about this product or put this dictionary down. I like it a great deal and would recommend it to anyone who has ordinary expectations from a dictionary or who is learning Spanish as a begining or intermediate student.

I work hard for my money and I am very careful as to how I spend it. I am very satisfied with this purchase and would definitely buy again if something happened to this one or if I lost it. It is easy to use and serves my purposes very well. -- Well worth the money

This is a wonderful electronic alternative to big bulky books. I have been quickly able to look up words in an instant. One of my favorite features is a corrections automatic feature, similar to "Did you mean..." on internet search engines. Cant spell in English, so it is a real treat to have. I was a little put off at first by one of the reviews about how the person was looking for an abridged dictionary and that the Franklin 1500 was just for high schoolers and they were going to have to give it to someone els because its inferior, bla bla bla. Well I am glad I did not listen to them because its one of the best little investments I have made. Good luck! -- Wonder!!!