Clicktionary (Chinese Version)

Editors' ReviewDownload.com staffAugust 12, 2004The adage holds true: you do get what you pay for. This freeware, while potentially useful for language learners, has too many quirks to make it a must-have. Clicktionary essentially acts as a skin for a number of Clicklearn language dictionaries, in this case, simplified Chinese. It can translate English words into written Chinese, either by right-clicking words in any document, or entering them into a field in the program window. Be sure from the outset that your PC has Chinese fonts, however, or the translations won't be properly displayed. To use the full range of program features, you have to enter your e-mail address to create a Clicklearn account; that said, you can translate words without this step. A Personal Vocabulary option lets you save words for "practice" later on, which means little more than creating a list to read (but not print.) Clicktionary also takes up a mountain of memory when idle, about 20 MB. Overall, while this may be a useful tool for Chinese speakers looking for English help, the program faults overweigh the benefits.