Comments on: Paper dictionary to the rescue http://thoughtsontranslation.com/2008/08/26/paper-dictionary-to-the-rescue/ ...the translation industry and becoming a translator Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:30:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: snoristed http://thoughtsontranslation.com/2008/08/26/paper-dictionary-to-the-rescue/#comment-522 snoristed Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:32:11 +0000 http://corinnemckay.wordpress.com/?p=168#comment-522 Ha! I'm still using my beloved paper dictionaries. I do Norwegian, Swedish and Danish into English and often find that I don't get a single hit on the Internet for a term I'm looking for (because of the small populations of the Scandinavian countries), let alone a bilingual hit that would give me the translation. The online dictionaries for these languages are few in number and of very limited use depending on the topic you're dealing with. Paper dictionaries are usually the best there is for these language pairs, but even so the paper dictionaries are woefully inadequate sometimes. Sometimes downright laughable. One good thing is that my paper dictionaries are updated with important terms all the time (in pen in the margins). And they still work even when the power goes out! Ha! I’m still using my beloved paper dictionaries. I do Norwegian, Swedish and Danish into English and often find that I don’t get a single hit on the Internet for a term I’m looking for (because of the small populations of the Scandinavian countries), let alone a bilingual hit that would give me the translation. The online dictionaries for these languages are few in number and of very limited use depending on the topic you’re dealing with. Paper dictionaries are usually the best there is for these language pairs, but even so the paper dictionaries are woefully inadequate sometimes. Sometimes downright laughable. One good thing is that my paper dictionaries are updated with important terms all the time (in pen in the margins). And they still work even when the power goes out!

]]> By: Corinne McKay http://thoughtsontranslation.com/2008/08/26/paper-dictionary-to-the-rescue/#comment-520 Corinne McKay Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:06:43 +0000 http://corinnemckay.wordpress.com/?p=168#comment-520 Thanks for the comments, MT and Ryan, and for pointing out a major gap in my post, that of electronic dictionaries. I haven't delved into them too much since I have some Linux compatibility issues, but you are definitely right to bring the issue up! And it looks like it's a consensus that paper dictionaries make nice eye candy for a translator's wall! Thanks for the comments, MT and Ryan, and for pointing out a major gap in my post, that of electronic dictionaries. I haven’t delved into them too much since I have some Linux compatibility issues, but you are definitely right to bring the issue up! And it looks like it’s a consensus that paper dictionaries make nice eye candy for a translator’s wall!

]]> By: Ryan Ginstrom http://thoughtsontranslation.com/2008/08/26/paper-dictionary-to-the-rescue/#comment-519 Ryan Ginstrom Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:04:37 +0000 http://corinnemckay.wordpress.com/?p=168#comment-519 I think the distinction to make here is online versus offline dictionaries, since many of the paper dictionaries are available in CD form now. I vastly prefer electronic dictionaries (online or offline) because searching is so much quicker. I can also quickly copy and paste terms into Google to see real-world usage, frequency, etc. Some of the paid dictionaries are also online now, and they have the great advantage of continual updates. Nevertheless, I still have a huge stack of dictionaries: monolingual/bilingual and general/specialist. I just use them increasingly rarely. I think the distinction to make here is online versus offline dictionaries, since many of the paper dictionaries are available in CD form now.

I vastly prefer electronic dictionaries (online or offline) because searching is so much quicker. I can also quickly copy and paste terms into Google to see real-world usage, frequency, etc.

Some of the paid dictionaries are also online now, and they have the great advantage of continual updates.

Nevertheless, I still have a huge stack of dictionaries: monolingual/bilingual and general/specialist. I just use them increasingly rarely.

]]> By: MT http://thoughtsontranslation.com/2008/08/26/paper-dictionary-to-the-rescue/#comment-518 MT Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:32:57 +0000 http://corinnemckay.wordpress.com/?p=168#comment-518 Actually the Harrap's is available as a CD ROM, as is le Grand Robert/Collins, and you can do text string searches on the same exact text as the print versions. It's infinitely faster than the paper dictionary, and not online. The only caveat is that backwards compatibility doesn't pose a problem for the paper dictionary, but my CD ROM dictionaries (and now DVD ROM dictionaries) have worked in some cases since Windows 98 and even on Vista now, too. CD ROMs and DVD ROMs are much more useful in my opinion than either paper or Web resources. (I laughed at the decorative dictionaries bit: I, too, have my 218 paper dictionaries arranged on nice bookshelves in my office, but haven't used one for some time. :-) ) Actually the Harrap’s is available as a CD ROM, as is le Grand Robert/Collins, and you can do text string searches on the same exact text as the print versions. It’s infinitely faster than the paper dictionary, and not online. The only caveat is that backwards compatibility doesn’t pose a problem for the paper dictionary, but my CD ROM dictionaries (and now DVD ROM dictionaries) have worked in some cases since Windows 98 and even on Vista now, too. CD ROMs and DVD ROMs are much more useful in my opinion than either paper or Web resources.

(I laughed at the decorative dictionaries bit: I, too, have my 218 paper dictionaries arranged on nice bookshelves in my office, but haven’t used one for some time. :-) )

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