Poll: How many times a dictionary you bought happened to be really bad? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
| | Julian Holmes Japan Local time: 19:35 Member (2011) Japanese to English
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. ▲ Collapse | | | inkweaver Germany Local time: 11:35 French to German + ...
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 Germany Local time: 11:35 Member (2006) German to English Morning Julian | Mar 22, 2016 |
Other, define "bad" or even worse, "really bad" | |
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I can hardly remember | Mar 22, 2016 |
The last time I bought a dictionary (as I seem to remember) was in 1997 | | | Julian Holmes 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 Spain Local time: 11:35 Spanish to English + ...
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. ▲ Collapse | | | Parrot Spain Local time: 11:35 Spanish to English + ...
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. ... See more 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. ▲ Collapse | |
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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 France Local time: 11:35 English to French + ...
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) 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 Germany Local time: 11:35 Member (2009) English to German + ...
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. | |
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Chié_JP Japan Local time: 19:35 Member (2013) English to Japanese + ...
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. | | |
Paper dictionaries are put together with a lot more care than the ones you find online. I love my dictionaries! | | | Mario Freitas Brazil Local time: 07:35 Member (2014) English to Portuguese + ...
You mean paper dictionary? I haven't had one of those since I don't remember when. | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: How many times a dictionary you bought happened to be really bad? Protemos translation business management system | Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!
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