An iPhone app I want to make that helps people make sentences in Chinese
Several time per day I look up Chinese words using the http://dianhuadictionary.com/ app on my iPhone. Often my goal is a sentence. I look up several words at a time that I will need for saying or text-messaging a sentence in Chinese. I usually know the correct way to say it and all the small connecting words, it’s the nouns I forget. For sentences, tools like Google Translate are generally not accurate beyond the most simple phrase, also they require an internet connection which can be spotty or too slow to bother with in mainland China. Searching the dictionary one word at a time is not an efficient way to create a sentence either.
So, I mocked this up. Write English words. Search. Select the proper characters/Chinese words to form your sentence. If words or phases are in the wrong order, drag up or down to correct them. Copy and paste, save, or just read aloud.
Perhaps a later version would have some simple Chinese grammar structures the user could drag in and place words into.
I’ll also say, Chinese dictionaries could benefit from cross referencing their search results with a Chinese character/word frequency lists such as: http://lingua.mtsu.edu/chinese-computing/statistics/char/list.php?Which=MO This way, when I lookup a word I don’t know, the most frequently used corresponding Chinese word appears at the top. (I know this would not work in all cases, but definitely most.) Since cross-referencing would likely decrease search speed, I suggest only showing the top 3 or 4 results and allow the user to press “show more” if need be. I’d also love to be able to mark words with tags, remove them from search results, and add example sentences. All this could even be synced back up to a main source or http://cc-cedict.org to help everyone.
Ian are discussing. 
Dan, and 
John Erik 2:09 am on July 16, 2010 Permalink |
I actually wrote this post and mocked this up last year… thus the slightly off translation.
Ian 2:19 am on July 16, 2010 Permalink |
I could see how this would work, BUT the important step would be to recognize how to put the sentences in the proper order. Maybe divvi this into two apps, one for tourists that just need help to get around (so you could select pre-determined words like “Where” and “Bathroom”… etc), and then another more advanced app for students. Something that would recognize parts of speech and help put the parts in the right place. You should still have my email, discuss?
John Erik 2:26 am on July 16, 2010 Permalink |
Yes. Totally agree. And, emailing.