Word Magic Software is very pleased to announce the launching of our software’s 5.1 version. Multiple important changes have been added to this new update, but above all, a lavish revision and expansion of the dictionaries.
Our 5.0 databases hadn’t been updated since their launching in July 2007. For 5.1, however, six months of intense refinement and perfectioning have accumulated as a result of a collation using highly-renowned dictionaries in both English and Spanish; among the latter are the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española (DRAE), the RAE’s Diccionario Panhispánico de Dudas, the Bilingual Oxford, and the Gran Diccionario de la Lengua Española Larousse.
The most significant improvements are listed below:
- New links with WordNet (under license of Princeton University) for English definitions and Zirano Corp. (España) for Spanish definitions. More…
- Addition of almost 4,000 Names of Historical figures, with a brief description of each, available for both the Translator and the Dictionary & Tools. More…
- Addition of almost 1,000 new Spanish proverbs, with their English equivalent. More…
- Improved text translator with new functionalities, such as:
- Handling of .PDF documents with an Add-on Buy PDF Add-On here
- Total connectivity with the Word Magic Dictionary & Tools Profesional. Now the Translator can interact with each of the 4 tools.
- New copy function for copying the retranslation to the clipboard in the interactive window.
- New copy function for copying results within Dictionary & Tools.
- Greatly improved translation engine, especially Spanish↔English
- These improvements not only apply to Dictionary & Tools but also to Translator Standard, Professional and Professional Plus
- Miscellaneous Improvements:
- Improved Ambiguity Checker. Several bugs were repaired. More…
- The false virus warning of the AVAST antivirus program was resolved. More…
- Handling of irregular plurals in both languages. More…
- A more precise conjugation of the impersonal verbs and of “haber” More…
- New display of syllable separation of Spanish words in the dictionary More…
And, what’s more important to all our registered 5.0 Clients: This upgrade is FREE!
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1. New links with WordNet and Zirano
Another important breakthrough is the progress achieved by linking each Word Magic meaning to its corresponding meaning in WordNet from Princeton University (under whose license our dictionary obtains its English definitions), as well as with their corresponding Zirano meaning (under whose license our dictionary obtains its Spanish definitions). These links to both databases –under continuous progress – is a process of many years, which is why in each new Word Magic update, the User will see more and more linked words, which subsequently means more and more definitions, usage examples and a greater coherence within an immense variety of meanings.
This makes the Word Magic dictionary the only one in the world that includes everything: both bidirectional translation and definitions.
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2. Addition of almost 4,000 Names of Historical figures
Among the thousands of links from WordNet, we now have available new ones to historical figures, which we consider a very important addition. You will find names from Greek and Roman mythology, historical figures such as Nero, Euclid, Socrates, etc.
If you grouped all the recently added names, there would be enough to compile a book of some 800 pages, including five personalities per page.
These figures can be looked up in the dictionary by their name or by their last name. By giving only the last name, the complete name and details will appear. This applies to both the dictionary and the translator.
Here you will find important figures from Fine Arts and Literature, from Victor Hugo, to Marcel Proust, Chopin, Beethoven, Elgar, Bach, Whitman, Cervantes, and hundreds more.
Well-known political figures: all the US presidents; plus, Churchill, Ghandi, Nehru and even Fidel Castro, and hundreds more, each have their entry, with their complete name and a brief biographical description.
Popular figures, from Madonna to the Beatles:
Examples:
- George Harrison: English rock star; lead guitarist of the Beatles (1943-2001)
- President Bush, George Herbert Walker Bush : Vice President under Reagan and 41st President of the United States (born in 1924)
- Vannevar Bush: United States electrical engineer who designed an early analogue computer and who led the scientific program of the United States during World War II (1890-1974)
- George W. Bush / Bush, George Walker Bush / President George W. Bush: 43rd President of the United States; son of George Herbert Walker Bush (born in 1946)
Furthermore, we include Spanish translations when they are known and used in written texts.
- Sixth Baron Byron of Rochdale = Sexto Barón Byron de Rochdale:
English romantic poet notorious for his rebellious and unconventional lifestyle (1788-1824)
- Marcus Aurelius Antoninus= Marco Aurelio Antonino
Emperor of Rome; nephew and son-in-law and adoptive son of Antonius Pius; Stoic philosopher; the decline of the Roman Empire began under Marcus Aurelius (121-180)
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3. Addition of almost 1,000 Spanish Proverbs and their Equivalents
Our previous database already included hundreds of Proverbs. With this new addition, our dictionaries, the Translator STD and Professional are greatly enhanced. It is important to note that the proverbs have not been merely “translated” into English, but our specialized linguists have found the closest “English equivalent” after an exhaustive research in several sources. This highlights the proverbial and linguistic value of the new entries, where the wittiness and cleverness of both languages go hand in hand without losing the real meaning of each proverb.
When applicable, we have even included synonymic expressions in each language, which will give greater amplitude and delight to our users.
Here are some examples: (randomly taken from a list of 989)
- A amistades que son ciertas, siempre las puertas abiertas = True friendship always leaves a window open
- A base de educación se hace bailar al oso = Education moves the masses
- A buen sueño no hay mal catre = Any brick makes a fine pillow for the weary
- A buena hambre no hay pan duro = The famished make a feast out of bread crumbs
- A lo dado, no se le busca lado= Never look a gift horse in the mouth
- A cada capilla le llega su fiestecita = Every dog has his day
- A cada casa le llega su tiempo = Everyone has his day in the sun, Every dog has his day
- A camino largo, paso corto = Slow and steady gets you there in better shape
- Más vale paso que dure no trote que canse = Slow and steady gets you there in better shape
- A carne de lobo, diente de perro = When the going gets tough the tough get going
- A casa del necesitado habrás de ir sin ser llamado = When your brethern are in need don’t wait to be called in order to heed
- A comer y a misa una vez se avisa = One call should be all to get y’all off the wall
- A cualquier dolencia es remedio la paciencia = Patience can solve any problem
- A dar no nos neguemos que Dios nos da para que demos = To be able to give is the greatest gift of all
- A Dios le pido sueño y no cama en qué dormir = Ask God for skill not tools
- A Dios rogando y con el mazo dando = God helps those who help themselves
- A donde no te llaman no vayas = The uninvited are never well taken in
- A falta de pan buenas son cemitas = Beggars can’t be choosers
- A fuerza de ir todo mal, comienza por ir todo bien = When everything is going wrong try to do everything right
- A fuerza de ir todo mal, comienza por ir todo bien= Every cloud has a silver lining
- No hay mal que por bien no venga = Every cloud has a silver lining
- A fuerza ni los zapatos entran = Finesse can pass any test
- A fuerza ni la comida es buena = Nothing takes the right course by force
- A fuerza ni la comida es buena = Finesse can pass any test
- A gato satisfecho no le preocupa el ratón = A full guard-dog is never effective
- A gato viejo ratón tierno = The older the owl the younger the prey
- A gente villana pocas palabras = Never give a scoundrel a second thought
- A grandes males grandes remedios = The greater the illness the bigger the pill
- A la altura de las circunstancias = Up to the test
- A la calle y casa ajena, no salgas con vejiga llena = An empty bladder is a great travel companion
- A la mejor cocinera, se le va un tomate entero = Nobody is perfect, Even monkeys fall from trees
- Al mejor mono se le cae el zapote= Even monkeys fall from trees, Nobody is perfect
- A la miseria, le gusta tener compañia = Misery loves company
- A la oportunidad la pintan calva = Opportunity rarely seems inviting
- A la pera dura, el tiempo la madura = Time will soften even the hardest stone
- A la pereza, le sigue la pobreza = Sloth will never bring happiness
- A la prudencia, le llaman pendejada = There is a thin line between cowardess and prudence
- A la tierra que fueres, haz lo que vieres = When in Rome do as the Romans
- A lo tuyo tú, otro como tú ninguno = The man in the mirror is always the best manager for your affairs
- A lo único que debemos temerle es al miedo mismo = There is nothing to fear but fear itself
- A los que no vence la desgracia los instruye = That which does not kill us makes us stronger
- A mal vivir, mal morir = Live by the sword, die by the sword
- A mi buen saber y entender = To the best of my knowledge
- A mi no me cantan ranas, a cantar a la laguna = Go cry to your momma
- A mucho amor, mucho perdón = With great love comes great forgiveness
- A mucho hablar, poco obrar = He who talks too much does too little
- A muchos debe temer, aquel a quien muchos temen = The scarier the man, the more frightened he is
- A nadie le amarga un dulce = Sugar sweetens the most sour drink
- A palabras necias oídos sordos = Dumb words usually fall on deaf ears
- A boca de borracho, oídos de cantinero = Every drunk with a problem has a bartender who wants to be a shrink
- A pan duro, diente agudo = Teeth are hard to eat away hardship
- A quien de los suyos se aleja, Dios lo deja = If you turn your back on your own you will soon be all alone
- A quien de ti se fía, no lo engañes = If you receive someone’s trust fulfill your obligations you must
- A quien de ti se confia, engañarlo es villanía = Never stab someone in the back with their own gift
- A quien dices tu secreto, haces tu dueño = To tell a secret is to give someone power over you
- A quien dices tu secreto, regalas tu libertad = Let the cat out of the bag and he will scratch you
- A quien nada le debo, con nada le pago = I don’t owe you shit and no more than shit shall you receive
- A quien no fuma ni toma vino, el diablo lo lleva por otro camino = If you don’t smoke and don’t drink your vice is darker than you think
- A quien saber no quiere, no hay maestro que lo enseñe = There is no way to teach the unwilling
- A quien te dice ten, quiérele bien = He who gives you a gift, on a pedestal you must lift
- A rio revuelto, ganancia de pescadores = The wise take advantage of turmoil
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6. Miscellaneous Improvements:
Improved Ambiguity Checker. Several bugs were repaired.
The Ambiguity Checker points out the occurrence of ambiguities in Spanish texts, such as fabrica, which can be both a factory (fábrica) (Noun), or fabrica (verb). These events were not being recognized in previous versions, and now everything is working fine
The false virus warning of the AVAST antivirus program was resolved.
The antivirus incorporated into Windows Vista gave a false virus message with the previous version. This is already resolved.
Handling of irregular plurals in both languages. It now handles many nouns with an irregular plural in English, such as datum-data, memorandum- memoranda, virus-viruses, acarus-acari, etc. It also works the other way around: if the text says "acari" it translates it to "ácaros". It also includes thousands of nouns that do not pluralize in Spanish but do in English: análisis (sing)= analysis, análisis(pl)=analyses.
More precise conjugation of impersonal verbs and “haber”
The Dictionary & Tools conjugator does not conjugate the impersonal verbs in the first and second person, just in the third. Neither are the verbs that apply only to abstract subjects conjugated, example: ocurrir. It conjugates as: Ocurre, but not as "yo ocurro", typical failure in other conjugators.
New display of syllable separation of Spanish words in the dictionary: you can activate this option by opening the Dictionary & Tools, clicking on Tools/Options/Dictionary/Other Options and checking the box next to “Break Words into Syllables”. Spanish words as difficult as lingüística and leiomioma are then displayed on-screen, in the dictionary, separated into syllables: lin.güís.ti.ca / leio.mio.ma
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