Ultralingua’s New Online Dictionary Serves Students Better

Aug. 8, 2012 - PRLog -- With 15 years of experience making premier dictionary software, Ultralingua is launching a completely redesigned online reference service ( http://www.ultralingua.com/onlinedictionary/dictionary) this week. Accessible for free, it includes all of the reference materials language students need, no matter which educational program they follow.

With an existing online service and a team of language learners to look to, Ultralingua began investigating what would best serve online students in late 2010.

Marketing manager Ashleigh Lincoln explained, “We assumed we’d hear that good design and ease of use were important, but it was reliable content that students said they needed most. A lot of information is available online, but so much of it can’t be trusted. We were shocked – students already know have reliable content, so we just set out to make it easier to access it online.”

A team of linguists and language specialists keep definitions and translations up to date in Ultralingua dictionaries. They promise a balance between relevancy, by updating their databases often, and accuracy, by employing only linguistic specialists, that is unique among other language reference options.


The New Design

Watch Ultralingua’s video to see the new online dictionary in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNZQW48WHo0&feature=youtu.be



Under the old model, Ultralingua’s online dictionary offered a handful of free searches. After hitting the limit, users purchased Pro subscriptions for continued use.

“We knew it had to change - it just didn't work on the internet today” Lincoln said. “Now, you can sign up free to have access to virtually everything you’ll need. Some students will need the grammar references and other premium features, and the Pro account is still there for them.”

Features and Updates

See the before and after here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmARioM7FP0&feature=youtu.be

The redesigned online dictionary makes use of advances Ultralingua has made in app technology since their launch in the iTunes App Store in 2008.

More than 20 translation and monolingual dictionaries to choose from.
Verb conjugations in all standard tenses and forms in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, and Latin.
Instant translation of numbers into text, so users can see how they are written, in fifteen languages.
Favorites are available in Ultralingua for the first time with this launch. Users can mark entries they want to return to later, and organize them in their list for quick reference.
Grammar references with answers to hundreds of usage and syntax questions
This video shows the Favorites feature in action.

Initial reactions

Before the launch, visits to the online dictionary already made up about 80% of the traffic to Ultralingua’s website. Having resolved all of the major usability issues, Ultralingua expects the total number of users to increase steadily with the new design.

Lincoln concluded, “We will listening carefully to the feedback we get from users in the coming months. Close interaction with the people who use our software is what makes it better over time.”


Pricing and availability

Ultralingua Online Dictionary can be found at http://www.ultralingua.com/onlinedictionary. Sign up for a free account to get unlimited searches in all dictionaries, verb conjugations, and number translations, and the ability to create and store favorite entries. Pro subscriptions cost $29.99/year and come with ad-free display, grammar reference materials, and more.

About Ultralingua:

Ultralingua makes high-quality mobile applications for people who love languages. We have been developing reference tools for business, education, and travel since 1997.

Our apps are available for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, the web, and other mobile devices. Ultralingua’s dictionaries are compiled by a team of language professionals, including linguists, university professors, and professional translators. Our uniquely collaborative approach to software development results in applications that represent the best in design and linguistics.

Connect with us on our blog, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to learn more about us. You can also learn more about our apps in iTunes App Store.