5 DICTIONARIES
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER 5 - Dictionaries
5.1 Monolingual Dictionaries in your Working Languages
Monolingual dictionaries are a useful reference tool as they allow the translator to check both the spelling and meaning of a given word. A professional translator will most likely work with computer-based dictionaries, however, the old print versions that sit on a bookshelf are still very useful.
5.2 Thesauruses in your Working Languages
Thesauruses are dictionaries that feature synonyms of every word and thus offer translators alternative semantic choices.
This is really important, for translating does tax the human brain and the equivalent meaning in the target language will not always spring to mind or, if it does, the translator’s ‘Sprachgefühl’ (feeling for the language) will tell the translator that the selection is just not right. The thesaurus will assist the translator in finding precisely the right word that conveys an accurate meaning in the target language.
5.3 Bilingual Dictionaries in Working Languages
It is quite obvious that every translator requires bilingual dictionaries, which allow translators to look up words of equivalent meaning in the target language. If that equivalent meaning, given by a dictionary, does not appear to be right, a translator may use a thesaurus for selecting the appropriate target language word. Many bilingual dictionaries are already available in electronic format and can be purchased as software or downloaded to your PC from the relevant Internet site. A computer-based dictionary is certainly a great time saver and can often be active on a split screen, or be called-up from the menu bar on your computer for immediate consultation.
5.4 Specialised Bilingual Dictionaries in the Languages and Subject Areas in which you Undertake Translations, e.g. Medical, Legal, Technical Dictionaries
Ordinary bilingual dictionaries are of little use to translators, who specialise in specific subject areas, such as medicine, law, science and technology and others. To undertake specialised translations, you may well have to invest in a collection of subject specific bilingual dictionaries. In addition to that, many translators also work with monolingual specialised dictionaries, which explain special terminology (e.g. medical terms) in greater detail. The same, of course, applies to other specialised areas, such as law, science and technology.
It is also important that medical translators have a good knowledge of the human body and its functions and know about the most common diseases that affect it. A legal translator must have an understanding of the difference between criminal and civil law as well as the various tiers of the local court hierarchy in both the source and target language country. British law and European law differ considerably and without understanding the underlying legal principles, a mere bilingual legal dictionary will be of little help as it may lead to unfortunate mistranslations.
5.5 Computer-based Dictionaries
Uploading an electronic dictionary on to your hard disk drive or onto a USB memory stick proves very useful. It allows you to access the dictionary with a mouse click or, depending on your software, by simply highlighting the word whose meaning in the target language you need to look up. If you have a 19 or 22 inch flat screen monitor you can have the dictionary running alongside the text you are translating, providing it has been e-mailed to you and is therefore on screen already.
Using computer-based dictionaries does not make your dictionary library obsolete for it is often necessary to refer to more than one source of information to find the right target language equivalent meaning. One source of language dictionaries that is currently free for downloading is LingoPad. Its dictionaries are comprehensive and up-to-date and you can toggle between languages and multiple dictionaries. There are of course a number of other sources on the Internet that allow for dictionary downloads in a number of languages, but be warned, many of these dictionaries are not comprehensive enough to serve a professional translator well. These comments are not meant to criticise or belittle the great amount of work that has gone into compiling these reference sources, they are merely there to save you time hunting aimlessly through innumerable internet sites.
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5.6 Web-based Online Dictionaries
In addition to downloadable dictionaries, the Internet is home to many excellent web-based bilingual and multilingual dictionaries. Here too a translator can spend many hours searching for the most comprehensive dictionary, only to almost give up the search in frustration. When undertaking this type of search for your language pair go to the university sites first. Many universities offer excellent online dictionaries, glossaries and acronym lists that are regularly updated. If you are searching for technical, medical, legal dictionaries or others, spell this out in your search, otherwise your search engine will simply take you to the many sites that offer non-subject-specific dictionaries and glossaries.
While undertaking a translation you can keep the dictionary webpage active in the background. This allows for the looking up of unknown words immediately by simply toggling between the translation (e.g. word document) and the dictionary. After entering the word you are looking for in the space provided, a multiple choice of answers will frequently appear on your screen. Ensure that you select the word that best fits the original meaning.
Online dictionaries are an indispensable tool for the modern translator.
5.7 Hand-held Electronic Dictionaries
Hand-held electronic dictionaries prove popular for people on the move and usually feature a network cable. This allows them to be linked to your home PC for the download of personal glossaries in your specialised translation area they can be updated regularly. They are available from foreign language bookshops and also on the web. Simply search under ‘electronic dictionaries’ or ‘electronic translators’ and then click on the URL that meets your needs.