MDBG Chinese Reader 5.3

As Hollywood would have you think, everyone in the whole wide world speaks English. And even if they do not speak English, they will understand you when you do speak English – but only if you speak slowly and clearly enough. This is simply not the case. There are a myriad of languages out there alongside English.

Like for example Chinese, Chinese is one of the many languages out there. Some of you out there may already know how to read and speak Chinese – good for you! But there are a tons of people who do not speak the language. Just because they do not speak the language doesn’t meant they cannot for example understand emails, or websites written in Chinese. They can, as long as they have the right piece of software.

The right piece of software in this case is MDBG Chinese Reader, an application that weighs in at some 500KB (meaning it will take but a moment to download the application, even if you’re on a less than spectacular internet connection) and works with the Microsoft-developed Windows operating system. Once the application is up and running, you need only place the mouse cursor over a Chinese word and a popup window will appear presenting you with the translation of that word.

MDBG Chinese Reader Provides support for Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office, MSN, Gtalk, QQ, ICQ, and many more other applications. This means that if you mouse over a word in Firefox for example, a popup window will appear presenting you with the translation of that word.

Furthermore, the application allows you to learn the proper pronunciation of a word. The application lets you listen to Mandarin Chinese pronunciations.

To start using MDBG Chinese Reader you must first download the application from the web. Then you must install it on your Windows-powered computer. Then you must provide a license to start using the trial version – to get a license you need only provide your email address and a license will be sent to your shortly. Once you have the license, paste it into MDBG Chinese Reader – now you can use the application free of charge for a period of 14-days. This is a bit of hassle, don’t you agree?

There are two MDBG Chinese Reader versions, the professional and the standard version. None of these versions is free; both cost money. The main difference is that the pro version lets you customize the dictionary with your own words, phrases, definitions, examples and usage notes and that it lets you import/share definitions with ZDT flashcards and other learning tools.

Pros

• Nice user interface
• Lightweight download size
• Easy to use
• Pop-up translation
• Listen to Mandarin Chinese pronunciations
• Provides support for Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office, MSN, Gtalk, QQ, ICQ, and many more
• Built-in offline dictionary
• Trial version is not restricted

Cons

• To try the application you must provide your email address and a license key will be emailed to you
• Free to use only during the 15-day trial period

MDBG Chinese Reader has been reviewed by George Norman on 17 May 2010. Based on the user interface, features and complexity, Findmysoft has rated MDBG Chinese Reader 4 out of 5 stars, naming it Excellent