Poll: How many times a dictionary you bought happened to be really bad?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Mar 22, 2016

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How many times a dictionary you bought happened to be really bad?".

This poll was originally submitted by Monika Jakacka Márquez. View the poll results »



 
Julian Holmes
Julian Holmes  Identity Verified
Japan
Local time: 19:35
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
Never Mar 22, 2016

The price of imported books in Japan is astronomical. So, whenever I bought dictionaries or other books, I researched them thoroughly and made sure in advance that were of particular relevance to my work. Some sections would be more relevant than others, so I wouldn't say that any purchases were a mistake - just some were better than others, never bad.

This was in the pre-Internet days.

Now, I buy on Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble for more specialist stuff. User reviews a
... See more
The price of imported books in Japan is astronomical. So, whenever I bought dictionaries or other books, I researched them thoroughly and made sure in advance that were of particular relevance to my work. Some sections would be more relevant than others, so I wouldn't say that any purchases were a mistake - just some were better than others, never bad.

This was in the pre-Internet days.

Now, I buy on Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble for more specialist stuff. User reviews and ratings are generally provided, which is really useful, and I can 'test drive' the book by browsing Contents and sample pages so I know what I'm buying before I plonk down my spondoolicks.
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inkweaver
inkweaver  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 11:35
French to German
+ ...
Other Mar 22, 2016

I don't buy dictionaries since I usually find everything I'm looking for online. Besides, I don't even think that there are any useful dicitionaries in my working fields.

 
Michael Harris
Michael Harris  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 11:35
Member (2006)
German to English
Morning Julian Mar 22, 2016

Other, define "bad" or even worse, "really bad"

 
Alexander Kondorsky
Alexander Kondorsky  Identity Verified
Russian Federation
Local time: 13:35
English to Russian
+ ...
I can hardly remember Mar 22, 2016

The last time I bought a dictionary (as I seem to remember) was in 1997

 
Julian Holmes
Julian Holmes  Identity Verified
Japan
Local time: 19:35
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
Good evening, Michael Mar 22, 2016

Michael Harris wrote:

Other, define "bad" or even worse, "really bad"


bad = contrary to my expectations
really bad = totally unrelated to my work, therefore, unusable and a waste of money

Does this work for you?

Expanded definition of 'really bad'

[Edited at 2016-03-23 10:10 GMT]


 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 11:35
Spanish to English
+ ...
Never Mar 22, 2016

I "acquired" an ES-EN Beigbder Atienza technical dictionary (a friend lent to me about 20 years ago and I still have it - he has the other tome, EN-ES), which leaves much to be desired. I don't know if I would describe it as really bad, though. Just not very good or useful, and I rarely consult it nowadays.

The last time I bought a dictionary on paper was also over two decades ago, the Alcaraz Varó-Hughes Diccionario de Términos Jurídicos, for legal terms. I find it quite useful,
... See more
I "acquired" an ES-EN Beigbder Atienza technical dictionary (a friend lent to me about 20 years ago and I still have it - he has the other tome, EN-ES), which leaves much to be desired. I don't know if I would describe it as really bad, though. Just not very good or useful, and I rarely consult it nowadays.

The last time I bought a dictionary on paper was also over two decades ago, the Alcaraz Varó-Hughes Diccionario de Términos Jurídicos, for legal terms. I find it quite useful, and there don't seem to be many bilingual legal dictionaries available. Before that, I bought the Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus, although I can't remember the last time I consulted it. They all sit on the shelf below my printer, will be taken out in the next week or so for dusting, if nothing else.
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Parrot
Parrot  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 11:35
Spanish to English
+ ...
Rarely Mar 22, 2016

Dictionaries being so expensive, I tend to research first.

However, there are disappointing institutional products (by "institutional" I mean officially sanctioned dictionaries/terminology). And there are useful non-standard works, such as the Spanish Consumer Organization's dictionary of abbreviations doctors in Spain have used at one time or another (monolingual, but full-sized at that), which is available free of charge in the public interest.

...
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Dictionaries being so expensive, I tend to research first.

However, there are disappointing institutional products (by "institutional" I mean officially sanctioned dictionaries/terminology). And there are useful non-standard works, such as the Spanish Consumer Organization's dictionary of abbreviations doctors in Spain have used at one time or another (monolingual, but full-sized at that), which is available free of charge in the public interest.

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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 10:35
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Really bad? Never! Mar 22, 2016

I’m kind of addicted to buying dictionaries and encyclopedias: I find it nearly impossible to enter a bookstore without buying something. The Internet age has had a positive influence on me and I’m feeling much better now thank you but I still have a good collection even if when I moved back to Lisbon I was forced to give away 10 big card boxes full of them…

 
Laura Orsal
Laura Orsal  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 11:35
English to French
+ ...
Never! Mar 22, 2016

Dictionaries are quite expensive, in particular "specialized" dictionaries, so I always do some research before buying one.

In some fields and working languages (Law - German/French), it is difficult to find a lot of dictionary resources so there are a few quality-renowned publishers so you cannot buy the wrong one...

Anyway, you always end up learning something


 
Petro Ebersöhn (X)
Petro Ebersöhn (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 12:35
Never bought a bad dictionary Mar 22, 2016

... but noticed some digital dictionaries not meeting my expectations going around for free.

 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 11:35
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Other Mar 22, 2016

There is one publisher whose dictionaries contain quite a few mistakes. Years ago, even before I became a translator, I bought one of their books...never again.

 
Chié_JP
Chié_JP
Japan
Local time: 19:35
Member (2013)
English to Japanese
+ ...
Not really Mar 22, 2016

I used to receive dictionaries, paper or e-book,
as an occasional gift from my family who are keen on books and learning.

I just chose one that most suited to my purpose. College teachers blamed some dictionary for letting students get wrong at the same point - I never bought one myself.

Later on I started to buy dictionary software but never had a bad one so far.


 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:35
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Never Mar 23, 2016

Paper dictionaries are put together with a lot more care than the ones you find online. I love my dictionaries!

 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 07:35
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Dictionary? Mar 23, 2016

You mean paper dictionary? I haven't had one of those since I don't remember when.

 


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Poll: How many times a dictionary you bought happened to be really bad?






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