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Talking Thai–English–Thai Dictionary
for iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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Features Questions:
Purchase Questions:
Requirements/Compatibility Questions:
Companion Material Questions:
Features Questions and Answers:
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Wow! How do I use this?
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This Talking Thai-English-Thai dictionary is an app that runs on
mobile devices using the Apple iOS operating system, including the
iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
Word in the Hand and Paiboon Publishing also offer separate versions
of our app which run on Google Android
devices and Microsoft Windows notebooks
and PCs.
To use the software, you simply run the program and start typing
letters of your word. As you enter each letter, the dictionary jumps
closer and closer to your word, and typically after only a few
letters, you have found your word. Each entry contains English, Thai
written using the Thai alphabet, and Thai written using a convenient
English-like pronunciation guide.
So you can read and search for Thai words even if you don't read Thai
script.
We have lots more information about the dictionary on our overview page, including the exact
requirements for
your iOS device.
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Will this run on my Android phone or tablet?
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For those devices, you want to get our Google
Android app.
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Will this run on my laptop?
Will this run on my PC?
Will this run on my Mac?
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If your laptop or PC runs Microsoft Windows, you want to get our Windows App.
If your laptop runs Mac OS, it is also possible to run our Windows
dictionary software inside a Windows emulator as explained here.
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Can I look up both English and Thai words?
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Yes. Most dictionaries let you look up English words, and some also
let you look up Thai words using Thai script. But Paiboon's
revolutionary three-way design bridges the gap for English speakers by
introducing a third section where you can look up Thai words that you
hear by their sound, using the same easy-to-read pronunciation
guide:
Search-by-Sound™ has been a hallmark of all Paiboon dictionaries
since 2002.
For more information on Search-by-Sound and why it's so useful for
Thai, click here.
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Will I see actual Thai script (the Thai alphabet)?
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Yes you will. Our dictionary comes with highly readable Thai fonts
and allows you to set the font size as big as you want! You don't
need any extra software to display Thai characters or even to search
for Thai words using the Thai alphabet. We provide a handy on-screen keyboard to help
you type Thai letters, or you can use your favorite third-party
keyboard.
If you don't read Thai script, our dictionary is still just as
useful! Every time a Thai word appears, it's written in the Thai
alphabet, but also in an easy-to-use, English-like pronunciation
guide, so you can read and sound out Thai words without needing to
read Thai script. And thanks to our indispensable Search-by-Sound™
feature, you can even find Thai words by their sound without needing
to know the Thai alphabet.
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Do I have to read Thai to use this dictionary?
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No. Our dictionary is equally useful to casual travelers who don't
read Thai and serious students who do, because every time a Thai word
appears, it is written both in the Thai alphabet and in an
easy-to-use, English-like pronunciation guide. So you can read and
sound out Thai words without needing to read Thai script. And thanks
to our indispensable Search-by-Sound™
feature, you can even find Thai words by their sound without having to
know how they are spelled in Thai!
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Do I have to be on the Internet to use the Dictionary?
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No. When you purchase our app and download it from the Apple App
Store, you have everything you need right on your device. All the
dictionary definitions and sounds are built-in, so you can look up
words and play all the high-quality sound recordings of each
Thai word without being connected to the internet or incurring any
data charges. Works on a plane or on the train.
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Does the dictionary talk?
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Yes. You can click on any Thai word in the dictionary to hear a
high-quality sound recording of a native Thai (Kun Benjawan of Paiboon
Publishing) speaking that word.
Click the  buttons to hear some
sample sounds:
Say goodbye to robot voices and limited sound sets: our comprehensive
sounds set a new standard in the industry.
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Can I speak to the dictionary?
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No. Our dictionary does not have speech recognition at this time.
However, you can Search-by-Sound™:
when you hear a Thai word, you can look up that word by its sound
using an English-like pronunciation guide. You don't have to know the
Thai alphabet. Click here for more details.
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Purchase Questions and Answers:
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How can I purchase the dictionary?
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There are two ways to purchase and install the app:
- You can use Apple's iTunes program on your PC or Macintosh to
access Apple App Store (iTunes will sync the app onto your device
after purchase).
- You can do it without needing a PC or Macintosh at all by using
Apple's "App Store" app that appears in your device's home screen. In
this case, your device will need to be connected to the internet via
Wi-Fi during purchase (because Apple does not allow users to download
apps larger than 20MB over 3G or other mobile networks). For example,
you could install from an internet cafe, restaurant, coffee shop, or
any other location in Thailand that offers Wi-Fi.
Either way, find it in the App Store Reference section as:
(links to Apple iTunes site)
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Do I get free lifetime upgrades to later iOS versions?
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Yes! We are constantly improving the dictionary by adding new
features and adding more vocabulary. For example, at the end of 2010
we more than doubled the size of our dictionary to 100,000+ entries,
and then at the start of 2012 we again increased the dictionary
size to 150,000+ entries, and this was available free for all existing
customers who had purchased the smaller dictionaries on their
respective platforms (Windows vs. iOS vs. Android). By purchasing the
dictionary now, you will be entitled to download free upgrades to our
iOS software as new features and vocabulary become available.
Each platform (Palm OS, Windows, Apple iOS, Google Android) is sold separately, so upgrades do not apply
across platforms.
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Is one purchase good for multiple iOS devices?
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Yes! The standard policy of Apple's iTunes App Store is that once you
purchase our app, you can install it on more than one iOS device as
long as each device uses the same iTunes account.
Apple refuses to tell us the maximum number of devices you can install
on, but we have heard from outside experiments that the maximum seems
to be 5 devices.
Your purchase of the iOS product does not entitle you to use the app
on other platforms (e.g. Android, Windows). The other platforms are
sold separately. See below.
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Do I get free lifetime upgrades to other platforms (e.g. Android)?
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No. Each platform (Palm OS, Windows, Apple iOS, Google Android) is
sold separately, so our free lifetime upgrades do not apply across
platforms.
The simple reason for this is that all the platforms for which we've
developed dictionaries so far (Palm OS, Windows, Apple iOS, Google
Android) are completely and utterly incompatible at the developer
level, and so each app has required a complete rewrite of all our app
UI code from scratch with no re-use of old code. This means the
development process for each is extremely costly and time-consuming
for us at Word in the Hand. So it is necessary for us to charge
across platforms in order for us to have any hope of recovering our
development costs. Otherwise, we would simply not be able to stay in
business and offer you any dictionary at all!
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How often do you update the app?
What is added in updates?
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Although we have no fixed schedule for updates, we typically update
apps on all our platforms about once a year to add a large batch of
new entries (we started at 42,000 entries in 2009, increased to
100,000 in 2010, and increased to 150,000 entries in 2012) and then we
occasionally release additional updates to add new features or address
issues with new devices.
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If I already have the Android/Windows/Palm dictionary, can I get a discount?
Can I trade in my older version for the iOS version?
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No. We sell each platform (Palm, Windows, iOS, Android) separately
because, while the apps are certainly similar on the surface and we
understand that generally only one platform at a time is useful for
customers, it turns out that each of the different platforms (Palm OS,
iOS, Windows, Android) for which we've developed dictionaries so far
are completely and utterly incompatible at the developer level, and so
each app has required a complete rewrite of all our app UI code from
scratch with no re-use of old code. This means the development
process for each is extremely costly and time-consuming for us (months
for each). We hope you understand.
Another issue is that even if we wanted to have such a trade-in or
discount system, the payment systems of Apple, Google, and PayPal are
not integrated: so there's no way for us to generate a working license
of two products with one credit card purchase, nor is there a way to
transfer a license to, say, the Apple iOS App Store based on an
earlier valid purchase on Google Play/Android Market. That stuff is
all under the strict control of Apple and Google and they don't play
friendly with each other.
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Do you offer an academic discount?
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Not at this time.
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Can I get a discount for bulk purchases in our business/school/institution?
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Our complete product line of dictionaries for Windows, iOS
(iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch), and Android is a dream come true for large
institutions who employ large numbers of expat workers. With a single
easy centralized purchase, you could have the world's leading
Thai-English dictionary for English speakers on every employee's
device, smoothing their transition to the Land of Smiles and saving
you both work and training costs. Plus, Paiboon Publishing offers a
huge range of other Thai language learning materials for those
employees who want to go deeper. If your business, school, or
institution is interested in purchase of a large number of units (say,
3000-5000 units over the multi-year course of our business
relationship), please contact us and we can
discuss creating a customized version of our software that is easy to
deploy across your entire institution.
For those who wish to make smaller bulk purchases, we would love to be
able to offer bulk purchase discounts, unfortunately at this time, the
Apple iTunes App Store controls pricing and does not give us the
opportunity to offer different prices for different quantities.
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What changed in each version of the software?
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To see a list of all software versions so you can find out what
changed, visit this page.
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Requirements/Compatibility Questions and Answers:
Companion Material Questions and Answers:
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What other Thai learning materials are available?
What else does Paiboon Publishing produce?
Which Thai books work best with the dictionary?
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A:
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 The Talking Thai-English-Thai dictionary was developed by
Paiboon Publishing and Word in the Hand™ Inc.
Paiboon Publishing is the world's leading producer of South-East Asian
language learning materials, including the famous Thai for Beginners and the infamous Thai for Lovers. There's even an audio companion
to the learning books, a guide to pronunciation, and a multi-volume series on how to Speak Like a Thai.
Our software dictionary is the perfect companion to these materials
because it supports the same pronunciation guide system as the Paiboon
Thai products (for more detail on pronunciation guide systems, see Search-by-Sound™).
If you have a mobile device, don't miss out on this indispensable
learning app from Paiboon Publishing:
 The Thai
for Beginners App
by Benjawan Poomsan Becker
and Dominique Mayrand
For iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch: Buy Now
For Android: available mid-2012.
The best Thai language learning app available anywhere!
Paiboon Publishing’s Thai for Beginners app makes it easy to study
your Thai lessons wherever you go with your iPhone, iPad or iPod
Touch. The lessons follow the format of the Thai for Beginners book
but a real Thai person speaks each of the over 3,000 words or
phrases. Test your ability to hear and understand Thai or test your
knowledge of written Thai with the built in exercises. Hearing the
spoken Thai will help you increase the speed of learning the language
that no book alone can do. Plus you’ll find many new opportunities to
practice your Thai since your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch will be with
you all the time.
Buy Now from the Apple iTunes App Store
For more info on Paiboon Publishing products, see www.paiboonpublishing.com. Here are just some of
the titles that you can use alongside the dictionary software:
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