Welcome to China's edition of Battle of the Browsers, where competing web browsers pit their wits and wiles against each other in a fight for the covetable title of Web Browser Extraordinaire. Three top browsers will tough it out, armed exclusively with China-centric internet add-ons in an effort to impress China's expat netizens. Having trouble deciphering Taobao but eager to explore this eBay equivalent? Tuned into Twitter but utterly bemused by Weibo's waffle? Yearning for Youtube, but can't figure out Youku or Tudou? These add-ons are here to help. So, beef up those bland browsers and optimise your online world for a faster, safer and more stimulating surfing experience.

Photo: Franker

1) Franker
Safari and Chrome both sport the impressive translation tool, Franker. Perfect for anything from single characters to whole page translations, it detects and deciphers over 50 languages, including both simplified and traditional Chinese characters. Unlike other web translation tools, Franker doesn't merely replace the original text with an English approximation, it “injects the translation directly into the original text” and is therefore ideal for surfers looking to improve or test out their language skills. Select anything from one character to whole articles, and Franker will insert the translation sentence by sentence, breaking up those reams of Chinese characters into manageable chunks. By default, Franker operates using Microsoft Bing, but you can select a preference for Google Translate if you're willing to stump up the $20 per million characters that Google charges for the privilege of using their services. Like any online translation tool, you're bound to end up with hilarious or indecipherable translations at times, but overall it's an extremely useful extension.

If you're using Safari, Franker is best used in conjunction with Side Tree Software's Translate extension. While it is possible to translate entire web pages with Franker, it's much easier to use Translate's handy toolbar button. Simply click the button and watch as your current browsing page is immediately translated via Google Translate. Preferences include options for opening new tabs or windows, an extensive selection of language recognition and some really exciting logo options for the toolbar icon!

Photo: Zhongwen: A Chinese Pop-up Dictionary

2) Zhongwen: A Chinese Pop-up Dictionary
Chrome's Zhongwen: A Chinese Pop-up Dictionary is similar in style to Franker, with additional features including pinyin pronunciation and flashcard capabilities. Simply hover the mouse over any character and this great add-on provides English definitions and pinyin pronunciation in a neat post-it style note alongside the original text. An updated version, Zhongwen Cloze: Advanced Flashcard Generation, also allows you to instantly save and organise vocabulary from the web onto flashcards. You can review saved flashcards at any time (by pressing Alt + W), and sync the cards with mobile devices for on-the-go revision. Words can be saved individually or in the context of entire sentences to create a personalised and contextual learning resource.

Photo: Mandarin Pop-up

3) Mandarin Pop-up
Exclusively available for Firefox, Mandarin Pop-up is a Chinese dictionary extension designed specifically for learners of Mandarin. Hover the mouse over Chinese characters and a tool tip appears, displaying pinyin pronunciation alongside the Hanzi and English definition. Although a little irritating when translating sentences and paragraphs, this extension can really improve your character reading and recognition. Firefox also offers Fox Lingo, proclaiming itself as “The Ultimate Language Tool”. Although it offers extensive services including auto translation, grammar checking, text-to-speech and language learning services, it falls short of its title through being occasionally vexing to use. With excessive extra windows, tabs and redirects it seems to be an irritatingly fiddly extension to get to grips with.

Screenshot: Flashcards

4) Flashcards
Slightly different from the translation tools mentioned above, Flashcards is a superbly stylish add-on for Google Chrome and Safari which allows you to create, study and test yourself on flashcards covering any subject. You'll need to sign up for a free Google mail and Flashcardstogo 'online tools' account to access all areas, but once it's setup it's an impressive learning tool. You can access online readymade flashcard groups via Quizlet, Flashcard Exchange and Study Stack, add extras to those readymade groups, or create your own sets of personalised flashcards in a more visually exciting fashion than Chrome's Zhongwen Cloze manages.

Extremely versatile, Flashcards offers access to countless pre-made flashcard sets (including plenty of Chinese language options), a plethora of study aids, hints and tips for studying, and the option of recording audio to accompany your flashcards. What's more, it can quickly be linked to downloadable apps for your android or iProduct of choice for easy and cheap on-the-go review sessions. Continually developing and with a promise that all future online versions will remain free for users, setting up Flashcards could prove to be good investment of your time. (Note: The full Flashcards To Go app for mobile devices costs £2.49 from iTunes Store.)

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Keywords: apps China tips for learning Chinese internet browsing China Chinese browser add ons add ons China