Today I am here with Ashleigh Lincoln, Marketing and Communications Coordinator from Ultralingua. They have just released a new Esperanto-English dictionary app for the iPhone and iPad! Learn more in our interview below.
Why did you choose to create an Esperanto-English dictionary? Does it work in both directions?
It does work both ways, and the dictionary itself has 30,000 headwords with 50,000 translations. So even if you do get stuck on a word, you’ll be able to figure it out right quick with the app.
At Ultralingua, we make apps for people who love languages and language-learning. It only seemed right that we made an app for one of the most passionate language-learning communities out there… Esperantists!
What have been reactions to it so far?
So far, we’ve had a really positive reaction and a lot of interest. The Ultralingua Esperanto-English dictionary is the most comprehensive dictionary out there, so people seem to be into that.
What are the advantages of using your dictionary over a traditional dictionary made of paper?
There are definitely a lot of advantages. The biggest advantage I think of is quick, easy searching. Imagine you’re at conversation club, and you’re having this great conversation, but then you get stuck on a word. Instead of lugging out your big paper dictionary, you can just whip out your iPhone or iPad and look it up right then and there. You don’t have to struggle to find the word.
Ultralingua dictionaries make it easier for language learners because you have all the information you could ever need at your fingertips-and you don’t even need an Internet connection. Oh, and another thing to note is that when you buy an Ultralingua dictionary, you help the environment. It takes a lot of paper to make a dictionary!
Do you have any future plans for other Esperanto products?
We already have a Mac and Windows version of Esperanto-English dictionary available here and we’re always working on improving our iOS apps, so iPhone and iPad users have a lot to look forward to!
We also have some cool online tools coming out soon, but we’re trying to keep it a surprise for our users (it’s just more fun that way!) And we love user requests, so if you love Esperanto and want something we don’t have yet, shoot me an email at lincoln@ultralingua.com.
The Ultralingua team
In which other languages do you have dictionaries? Which have sold best for you?
We have dictionaries in 13 different languages that include Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Norwegian… and Klingon (that one’s fun!) in a bunch of different combinations. They’re all extremely comprehensive and detailed. Our most popular apps tend to be the Spanish-English dictionary, the French-English dictionary and the German-English dictionary, but they all do pretty well.
Thanks for the interview and I’ve enjoyed using your app on my iPhone and iPad. Best of luck to you! Our readers can learn more about your app on Apple’s App Store.
