| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | The end of printed dictionaries? Thread poster: Pablo Bouvier
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| Looking for specialized information | Dec 9, 2009 |
I can easily believe that an online, electronic dictionary can and will replace general purpose dictionaries in most instances. For my pair I use the often unreliable tool LEO as a crude bilingual thesaurus or to look up odd terms in various specialties where the team seems to have gotten some surprisingly good input.
However, in many specialty fields general purpose dictionaries are useless, and even most technical dictionaries do not provide enough fine differentiation between the... See more I can easily believe that an online, electronic dictionary can and will replace general purpose dictionaries in most instances. For my pair I use the often unreliable tool LEO as a crude bilingual thesaurus or to look up odd terms in various specialties where the team seems to have gotten some surprisingly good input.
However, in many specialty fields general purpose dictionaries are useless, and even most technical dictionaries do not provide enough fine differentiation between the usages in different subfields that one can use them with much confidence. In such cases obscure, limited edition dictionaries (for my pair often ancient stuff from the GDR) are often very valuable.
Because they are hard to find, I think digitizing them and making them available through Google Books or other channels is a valuable goal to pursue, but I do not believe their content will ever be integrated in a useful way in these database-backed online dictionaries.
Of course these old, specialized sources often fail to provide much context and suffer from many of the same shortcomings as the ubiquitous, often amateurish online glossaries from many sources, and of course terminology evolves, but they often provide a necessary "snapshot" of information from a particular period that helps one solve a difficult problem in a text. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Shouldn´t translators be engaged by Google? | Dec 9, 2009 |
I think that live has changed forever with Internet, and for dictionaries too. The logical solution could be:
-Google or wikipedia, as the most known resource in Internet, takes the leadership. What is the use of thousand of bad dictionaries? Take into account that we speak about dictionaries, not about democratic points of view, in this sense, the hugh amount of glossaries and dictionaries in internet is just nonsense. Life is too short to make exactly the same thing twice. The same shoul... See more I think that live has changed forever with Internet, and for dictionaries too. The logical solution could be:
-Google or wikipedia, as the most known resource in Internet, takes the leadership. What is the use of thousand of bad dictionaries? Take into account that we speak about dictionaries, not about democratic points of view, in this sense, the hugh amount of glossaries and dictionaries in internet is just nonsense. Life is too short to make exactly the same thing twice. The same should apply for any other research.
-Translators and linguist show Google how to make good dictionaries. Google does not know, which is normal. Translators do not know how to make search machines and that is normal.
-Software experts collaborate to make the thing user friendly and useful
-Several writer-levels so that not everybody is able to put nonsense. AS in ProZ there are Pro translators, beginners, specialists, etc.
-Remuneration should be. How? I don´t know. A proposal. Google gives the dictionary for free, BUT, when you look for a word, there is an ad or several which are going to be paid. And the system (asker, ansewrer, colaborator, etc) receives a piece of the cake. It is a win win relation. Everybody wins, wich is always the best way in business and in life.
The "system" should of course also include the old dictionaries in paper but digitalized. There is very good stoff out there to let it out. It should be incorporated and remunerated. ▲ Collapse
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Felipe Gútiez wrote:
Take into account that we speak about dictionaries, not about democratic points of view, in this sense, the hugh amount of glossaries and dictionaries in internet is just nonsense.
Exactly. In technical matters I simply do not believe in democracy but authority and knowledge. That's why I don't think Google is the way to go as they don't hire experts or linguists: they simply rely on the information supplied by the mass.
| | | | | Still believe Google or Wikipedia or someone similar should lead | Dec 9, 2009 |
Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote: Felipe Gútiez wrote:
Take into account that we speak about dictionaries, not about democratic points of view, in this sense, the hugh amount of glossaries and dictionaries in internet is just nonsense. Exactly. In technical matters I simply do not believe in democracy but authority and knowledge. That's why I don't think Google is the way to go as they don't hire experts or linguists: they simply rely on the information supplied by the mass.
Google is international. Maybe the United Nations could do something (UNESCO). Someone has to do it, and quick, please,
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| UNESCO has better things to take care of | Dec 9, 2009 |
Felipe Gútiez wrote: Google is international. Maybe the United Nations could do something (UNESCO). Someone has to do it, and quick, please,
Hm... I reckon that given the massive violation of human rights in so many countries in the world, the UN has more important things to do...
| | | | Pablo Bouvier 
Local time: 21:20
German to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | The end of printed dictionaries? | Dec 9, 2009 |
Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:
As Rudolf mentioned, we can use our dictionaries on paper anywhere, any time, no electricity needed, no computer or mobile phone needed, no recharging, no Internet, no further damage to the environment after printing, other than the fuel consumed transporting them during their life.
Producing one piece of a dictionary on paper is far more energy efficient and clean (with today's highly environment-friendly pulp and paper plants and printing shops) than manufacturing and using electronic devices as references.
Hi, Tomas: I agree with you about long-term sustainability. But, who cares?
Google and the USA are two of the biggest world polluters. Do you really believe that they are going to disappear for this?
I would bed, you (and I) know already wich will be the industralised countries reaction towards the current climatic summit. Unfortunately...
| | | | | Electronic dictionnaries | Dec 10, 2009 |
I own a very good electronic dictionnary, and I can't imagine my life without it.
When you buy this kind of electronic dictionnary, it already contains more than 30 monolingual and bilingual dictionnaries and a couple of encyclopedias. Good specialized dictionnaries (especially medical/legal dictionnaries) and extra languages can be added easily (either by downloading them on the internet and adding them to the ED via USB cable, or by purchasing the micro SD version). All that fits... See more I own a very good electronic dictionnary, and I can't imagine my life without it.
When you buy this kind of electronic dictionnary, it already contains more than 30 monolingual and bilingual dictionnaries and a couple of encyclopedias. Good specialized dictionnaries (especially medical/legal dictionnaries) and extra languages can be added easily (either by downloading them on the internet and adding them to the ED via USB cable, or by purchasing the micro SD version). All that fits in my pocket, and I can take it everywhere with me without having to carry around 20 kg of paper dictionnaries.
However, such advanced electronic dictionnaries are not available outside Japan (and I suppose, Korea and China). The ED I have seen in Europe/Australia are far too basic for professional use.
What's more, it will take some time before all my favourite paper dictionnaries and glossaries are available in electronic version. For the most obscure of them, it might even never happen... ▲ Collapse
| | | | Claudio Porcellana (X)
Italy
| Electronic dictionnaries? | Dec 10, 2009 |
can you put a link?
I'm interested, even if I'm quite sure there is no EN>IT dictionary so far
Claudio
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| Electronic dictionaries | Dec 10, 2009 |
Claudio Porcellana wrote: can you put a link? I'm interested, even if I'm quite sure there is no EN>IT dictionary so far Claudio
Of course there is.
http://smartimports.net/product.php?productid=16299
I don't see the point in the product category anymore, and I can assure you it will die out almost completely fairly soon. There is a reason why it wasn't a hit to begin with outside of the gadget-crazy Japan, but who wants to carry a dumb little box with content you can probably never update now, when your laptop/netbook/pda/mobile phone can do the same job better?
Just get a phone with a large screen and get some msdict dictionaries for it. Or a netbook.
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