FLYware: Fly Through Spanish Translator
© 2005 LeapFrog
This kit for the FLY pen (sold separately for $99) has three modes of operation. In the Spanish to English and English to Spanish modes, you write the word, neatly in all caps, in Spanish on the dotted FLY paper that you want to translate. If it is your word is one of the 20,000 the pen recognizes, you'll hear the translation and definition, in a fairly clear male voice. There's also a quiz game (Word Wrangle), where you make a grid of nine words, and race the clock to find a translation. Because children write their own words, in either lists or in a worksheet grid format, the experience can be very educational, although there is no ongoing record keeping, and word sets cannot be selected. So this is a limited translator tool at best. In terms of pure translation, it is possible to find much better free resources on the Internet. This, however, is the only translator where you write the word, giving it a unique educational application. One might easily argue that because you write the word, you learn it more effectively. We tried a range of pre-selected words that the pen was able to translate, including leash, institute, and travel. Words that are not recognized, like iBook, Disney or Pepsi, are simply spelled out. Other limitations to note -- translations are limited to single words and not phrases. The kit includes 15 pages of letter sized FLY paper, and a portable 50 page pocket translator.
$35, FLY, Smart Toy
Teaches: Spanish/English vocabulary, handwriting