| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Do you still use paper dictionaries for translating? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| | | One at least on paper | May 24, 2011 |
I'd be lost at times without Alcaraz and Hughes' Diccionario De Terminos Juridicos Ingles-Espanol/Spanish-English, quite an antiquity these days, but I still find it v useful and I know my way around it. If it were available on line I'd consult there. I just checked on Amazon to see what has been published by Alcaraz (Hughes died some years ago - a great loss) since, and was stunned to see the prices people are asking for second-hand copies of the 1993 and the 2003 editions! Maybe I could live w... See more I'd be lost at times without Alcaraz and Hughes' Diccionario De Terminos Juridicos Ingles-Espanol/Spanish-English, quite an antiquity these days, but I still find it v useful and I know my way around it. If it were available on line I'd consult there. I just checked on Amazon to see what has been published by Alcaraz (Hughes died some years ago - a great loss) since, and was stunned to see the prices people are asking for second-hand copies of the 1993 and the 2003 editions! Maybe I could live without mine... ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mary Worby 
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:39
German to English
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My paper dictionaries are all up the loft! I mainly work in pretty fast-moving industries and the paper dictionaries are out of date very quickly. Researching a term on the internet is almost invariably quicker and more reliable!
| | | | Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 10:39
Member (2006)
German to English
| not very often | May 24, 2011 |
and usually only where there are several translations of the same word in internet.
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I have tried it both ways, and my paper dictionaries are faster for me most of the time - less to sort through, better organized. I find that when I sort on line there is usually a lot of stuff to plow through that I'm not interested in.
(I'm very quick at looking words up alphabetically, and I think that's part of why I'm more efficient with paper dictionaries.)
Besides, it's good exercise for the arms - makes the job a little less sedentary.
[Edited at 2011-05-... See more I have tried it both ways, and my paper dictionaries are faster for me most of the time - less to sort through, better organized. I find that when I sort on line there is usually a lot of stuff to plow through that I'm not interested in.
(I'm very quick at looking words up alphabetically, and I think that's part of why I'm more efficient with paper dictionaries.)
Besides, it's good exercise for the arms - makes the job a little less sedentary.
[Edited at 2011-05-24 09:39 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 10:39
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Muriel Vasconcellos wrote:
I have tried it both ways, and my paper dictionaries are faster for me most of the time - less to sort through, better organized. I find that when I sort on line there is usually a lot of stuff to plow through that I'm not interested in.
(I'm very quick at looking words up alphabetically, and I think that's part of why I'm more efficient with paper dictionaries.)
Besides, it's good exercise for the arms - makes the job a little less sedentary.
[Edited at 2011-05-24 09:39 GMT]
I've also tried it both ways, however, I've found that many times the good old paper dictionaries produce much faster results - and less undesired advertising. This is not to say that I don't use online dictionaries, because I do, especially when I'm looking up terms in the fast growing and changing industries.
Still, I just "love" my paper dictionaries. 
| | | | Angela Dickson (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:39
French to English
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Mostly monolingual ones, for definitions (usually supplemented by online research).
What I'd really like is a lectern, so I could keep my most commonly used dictionary on it for easy reference. Something like this, perhaps:
| | | | Sonia Hill
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:39
Italian to English
I very often refer to my paper dictionaries first, although it does depend on what I am researching.
As well as my general IT>EN/ES>EN dictionaries, I have a whole collection of specialist subject IT>EN/ES>EN dictionaries and monolingual dictionaries, including the Dorlands Medical Dictionary. If my paper dictionaries can't help or if something needs further clarification, then I search online.
I love buying and hoarding books and always enjoy getting a new dictionary ... See more I very often refer to my paper dictionaries first, although it does depend on what I am researching.
As well as my general IT>EN/ES>EN dictionaries, I have a whole collection of specialist subject IT>EN/ES>EN dictionaries and monolingual dictionaries, including the Dorlands Medical Dictionary. If my paper dictionaries can't help or if something needs further clarification, then I search online.
I love buying and hoarding books and always enjoy getting a new dictionary ▲ Collapse
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Interlangue (X)
Angola
Local time: 10:39
English to French
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| Sometimes yes | May 24, 2011 |
I work with reference documents more than with dictionaries. Some clients send them along with the source text. Others can be found easily on the Internet (European legislation for instance), sometimes in multilingual versions.
True, it involves quite a bit of searching and reading, but I like it and keep learning all the time.
| | | | Allison Wright (X)
Portugal
Local time: 09:39
These days, though, the first port of call is usually online, and referring to paper dictionaries less frequent, although still occurs several times a day. My homemade, custom made, wooden lectern used to sit on the desk immediately behind my desktop keyboard. My ergonomically perfect office situation no longer exists since I migrated almost three years ago, and I left what I now realise was an amazing old-fashioned desk behind. Now that I work on a laptop, with an ordinary table, the lectern se... See more These days, though, the first port of call is usually online, and referring to paper dictionaries less frequent, although still occurs several times a day. My homemade, custom made, wooden lectern used to sit on the desk immediately behind my desktop keyboard. My ergonomically perfect office situation no longer exists since I migrated almost three years ago, and I left what I now realise was an amazing old-fashioned desk behind. Now that I work on a laptop, with an ordinary table, the lectern serves me better as a foot rest!
I do believe paper dictionaries will be useful for a long time to come. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Emma Goldsmith
Spain
Local time: 10:39
Member (2004)
Spanish to English
Angela Dickson wrote:
What I'd really like is a lectern, so I could keep my most commonly used dictionary on it for easy reference.
I don't use paper dictionaries very much, but when I do I set the heaviest one up on a conductor's music stand. Not as beautiful as the one in your photo, but very effective (an ordinary music stand wouldn't cope with the weight).
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less frequently since there are more and more specialized online glossaries. For things like IT and telecom, the old fashioned paper dictionaries aren't very useful, only for general things. But I still have them handy!
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Reed James
Chile
Local time: 04:39
Member (2005)
Spanish to English
| Best of both worlds | May 24, 2011 |
When my paper dictionaries get too dog eared and tattered from years of use, I simply rip out the pages and feed them to my scanner. That way I have an electronic and hence portable version. I am also careful to back up these scanned files and have them at several locations - just in case.
| | | | maryblack
United States
Local time: 03:39
Member (2013)
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Mainly for Catalan... | May 24, 2011 |
... since the online dictionaries available are pretty sketchy still.
| | | | Jenn Mercer
United States
Local time: 04:39
Member (2009)
French to English
| Online dicitionaries still fall short | May 24, 2011 |
I have not found online dictionaries to be as comprehensive or as good at providing context for specialized fields. I tend to use online dictionaries to save time for general references and areas in which I do not yet have sufficient paper dictionaries.
As for lecterns, I have an unfinished wooden stool next to my desk which works amazingly well.
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