The hardware Kindle has come a long way since 1.0. But a frustration I have always had with my book devices has been the relative lack of support for the non-English reader. As a second language learner, I felt the technology had potential it had not yet lived up to. I felt there were opportunities to make learning easier that were not being met, and that there was an unexploited market of learners eager for someone to fill that need.

Until recently, that someone has been third-party app makers. I have been using a specialized iPad app called FrenchReader for my, umm … French reading, because its Google Translate plug-in gave me more robust translation options for compound verb tenses and other special words. But I recently discovered that my new Kindle Touch had Google Translate funtionality also, so I put it to the test against FrenchReader to see who would come out on top. The results might surprise you!

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STEP ONE: Loading the Book

For my test book, I used a French version of the first Harry Potter book, which is available in multiple languages from Pottermore. Loading it onto the Kindle was easy—I just emailed the file to my Kindle’s email address, and there it was. Loading it into FrenchReader was just as easy. I put the book file in my Dropbox folder, and used my Dropbox iPad app to transfer it to FrenchReader.

Advantage: Neither

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STEP TWO: Starting to Read

It was easy to open up the book on both devices, and navigation was as simple since both interfaces are touchscreen-based. Tap to turn the pages, tap on the left to go back a page and so on. No issues. But FrenchReader seemed to mangle some of the punctuation, as the below screenshot shows. And when I read the same passage on the Kindle, there were no issues. So it has to be a difficulty with the app and not the book file…

Advantage: Kindle

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STEP THREE: Using the Dictionary

The Kindle has both a built-in dictionary and a Google Translate plugin. FrenchReader only has the Google Translate plugin. This gives the Kindle a slight advantage because it means I don’t need a live internet connection in order to look up a word. However, since I have the iPad with me more often than I have the Kindle (which I primarily use at home) that’s a bit of a draw. Additionally, the built-in Kindle dictionary is French-only. I do have a translation dictionary, but the Kindle seems to recognize it as an English dictionary and not a French one, so I can’t use it when reading French books.

On FrenchReader, simply tap on a word and drag the bars to highlight the desired word or phrase. You can copy, translate, look up or mail your phrase. It’s so helpful to be able to choose more than one word! It’s what first attracted me to this app. Unfortunately, there is no highlight or annotation function though…

On the Kindle, the initial look-up works much the same way, but there is also a ‘more’ button, and when you click on that, you get the Google Translate option. What’s more, when you are finished looking up the word, you can highlight or make an annotation before you go back to your main reading screen. So, if you were looking up a word you didn’t know and you want to save the vocabulary word for later, you can add a note and put in the translation. Then you can either go back later and copy those words to a personal dictionary book, or leave them in there so that if you read the book again, the translation is right there.

I have to admit, this is a power feature. In my English-language reading, I am so used to just deleting the book when I am done with it. But the Kindle does have the capacity to keep the books there and let you carry your library around with you. So the notion of keeping the French books on there and building up a library of my own custom ‘dual-language’ books to enjoy at any time appeals to me. It will be a lot less work to read this book a second time if I’ve already marked off the words I don’t know. And over time, perhaps I’ll learn them …

Advantage: Kindle

I don’t always have my Kindle with me, which means I’m limiting my French reading time to when I’m home. But since I’d need the Wi-Fi anyway, that’s not such a big deal, and the annotation feature more than makes up for it.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

I was first attracted to FrenchReader because it had functionality the Kindle lacked. That is no longer the case. While the Kindle could use some improvements in how the on-board dictionary is handled (for instance, it needs to slow multi-word selection, and its handling of dual-language books remains poor) the Google Translate functionality more than makes it for it. And the library management functions of the Kindle are far superior: I can group books into folders, upload them into my Amazon account so I can save and synchronize my notes across my devices, and I can use the Kindle’s highlight and annotate features to actually improve my reading of the book.

Kindle for the win!

 

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"I’m a journalist, a teacher and an e-book fiend. I work as a French teacher at a K-3 private school. I use drama, music, puppets, props and all manner of tech in my job, and I love it. I enjoy moving between all the classes and having a relationship with each child in the school. Kids are hilarious, and I enjoy watching them grow and learn. My current device of choice for reading is my Amazon Kindle Touch, but I have owned or used devices by Sony, Kobo, Aluratek and others. I also read on my tablet devices using the Kindle app, and I enjoy synching between them, so that I’m always up to date no matter where I am or what I have with me."

2 COMMENTS

  1. “I do have a translation dictionary, but the Kindle seems to recognize it as an English dictionary and not a French one, so I can’t use it when reading French books.”
    This is a problem with the dictionary, not the Kindle. In particular, the Merriam-Webster translation dictionaries had this problem. They have been updated to fix this, but you have to call Amazon CS to get a refund, and re-purchase to get the update. Then it will show up in Kindle settings as one of the dictionaries for French, and you’ll be able to set it as the default for French books. Or you could purchase a different Fr-En dictionary. (note this does not apply to Kindle Keyboard or earlier models, which are ignorant of language settings)

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