Simplify your laptop buying
- Quick specs
- Price: Free to try (3-day trial); $99.00 to buy (Buy it now)
- Operating system: Windows Vista, Windows XP
- Date added: June 11, 2009
- Total Downloads: 5,646,101
- Downloads last week: 1,128
- See full specifications
A newer version of Babylon is available.
(Download doesn't provide access to previous versions of this program.)
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 140 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: Seth Rosenblatt on May 25, 2009
The ancient city of Babylon was a crossroads of cultures and languages, and the program Babylon makes good on its linguistic heritage. It can translate 31 languages from your desktop, offers a huge gallery of glossary add-ons, and gives direct access to Wikipedia results in 20 languages. In addition to deeper language libraries, the latest version introduces a new, streamlined interface, single-click document and Web site translation, and a new language detection-feature that recognizes languages without user input.
Babylon translates individual words and phrases on the fly by highlighting and right-clicking or using a hot-key combination that can be adjusted in the Settings menu. Babylon 8 also introduces a "globe" option that keeps the program running in the background and available on your desktop. You can listen to a computerized voice pronounce words in English, but you'll need to add more text-to-speech engines to hear words in other languages. Another helpful feature lets you quickly convert currency, measurements, or time zones, and you can create your own personalized glossaries with links and embedded images.
If you regularly need translations across all your programs and Web surfing, Babylon's default setting to load at start-up will probably seem like a boon. If that's not what you're looking for, you can adjust it under the Miscellaneous tab in Settings. Resource usage spiked when translating full documents, but not overly so--it worked rapidly and didn't interfere with a simultaneously running media player. The full-featured 30-day trial offers plenty of time to decide whether Babylon is valuable to you. The wide array of features and impressive options for adding custom content help this reference tool earn a top rating.
Publisher's description
From Babylon :Babylon 8 is the ultimate all-in-one translation solution operated by a single click on your mouse. Simply click on a word or text in any desktop application and get instant translation results into 75 languages. Translation of full texts, Web pages and comprehensive documents is supported by 31 languages. All these features and more, like the integration into Microsoft Office Speller menu, contextual access, language detection, currencies and units conversion, are accessible without interrupting your work flow. Babylon 8 comes with a new dictionary pack, including updated Babylon dictionaries and 17 new Wikipedia titles. You may enhance your translation experience with premium content dictionaries from acclaimed publishing houses such as Oxford, Britannica, Merriam-Webster, Larousse, Vox, Langenscheidt, Pons, and Duden. With Babylon 8, understanding, reading and writing in all languages is easier, faster, and more efficient than ever before.
What's new in this version:
Version 8.0 r20 features seamless integration into Microsoft Office Speller, easier access and new dictionaries.
More popular Language Software downloads
- 30,273 downloads 1. WordWeb
- 16,034 downloads 2. Client for Google Translate
- 11,423 downloads 3. Oxford Dictionary of English (Second Edition)
- 2,390 downloads 4. Spoken English
- 2,273 downloads 5. Talk a Lot Spoken English Course
- See all Language Software downloads
User reviews of Babylon 8.0 r20
- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 140 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
-
Showing 5 of 9 user reviewsSee all 9 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: Babylon 8.0 r20
"Beyond comparison - Really good tool"
Pros: True there are many paid and free dictionaries out there, but none of them - IHMO - operates with such an ease as Babylon. I am using it since years, never had any problems.
Cons: Not suitable for visually impaired persons (which should be standard nowadays)
Summary: True there are many paid and free dictionaries out there, but none of them - IHMO - operates with such an ease as Babylon. I am using it since years, never had any problems.
Once my hard disk crashed, I contacted the support and got a new licen... read more >> -
Version: Babylon 8.0 r20
"You will have to pay a lot..."
Pros: It's very convenient.
Cons: Technical support... WHAT technical support? You're on your own, even if you have a license. And their sales people are rude.
Summary: The product is convenient, but there are many dictionaries out there for free. As soon as you switch computers, you are almost forced to pay for the product again, even if you have a valid license because their technical support is so horrible. I re... read more >>
-
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Babylon 8.0 r20
"Unusable on OS X, ads in Windows, rude tech support"
Pros: I like having a separate icon in the dock for my dictionary, vs. opening another safari window.
Cons: But it is very inferior to wordreference.com for content, and terribly buggy in OSX. The windows version is even worse, and is technically adware.
The technical support I received was incompetent.Summary: Customer service may have set a record for absurd requests and delays. Being an IT pro, I deal with poor customer service and tech support on a daily basis, but I don't know if I've ever encountered worse than Babylon customer service.
Bo... read more >> -
Version: Babylon 8.0 r20
Pros: Nothing. Bad technical support. Once you purchased the product they are very hard to reach and they are not helpful nor available.
Cons: Their "support team" does not seem to respond via emails and there was no other way to reach them whether via chat or emails.
Summary: Their chat feature on their website is only for purchasing purposes. When I could not get any one to talk to me, I opened the chat feature and asked from the representative to guide me on how I may reach their technical support. The representative w... read more >>
-
Version: Babylon 8.0 r20
"SUCKED ON WINDOWS 7. I GO with "LINGOES" period!"
Pros: I used this one for several years and even paid for.
Was helpfull for a while.Cons: Useless with Windows 7
TOOOOOO EXPENSIVESummary: It's latest version I can compare to Windows Me - he he.
Hope I will not have to use it again.
Just found LINGOES and breeeeeeaaaaaaaath !! - See all 9 user reviews Write review
Submit your review
Previous Versions:
