ProZ.com Translation Forums

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material? | No more paper here

Mario Freitas — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 15:33:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: Mario Freitas
Post title: No more paper here

I haven't bought a dictionary in over 10 years. I gave away all the ones I had.
There is absolutely nothing in your books you won't find for free in the internet, with a lot more sources and content to compare, a lot faster, more accurate and up-to-date than in the books.

[Edited at 2017-12-21 15:35 GMT]

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material? | As the need arises - option not offered

Muriel Vasconcellos (X) — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 10:56:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: Muriel Vasconcellos (X)
Post title: As the need arises - option not offered

I voted for 1 to 2 years, which might be an average. I use a combination of Internet and hard copy dictionaries. Some of the Internet dictionaries are very slow; I can search faster and see more options with hard copy.

Please do let me know if you are interested in inheriting my large collection of hard copy dictionaries!

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material? | Not on a regular basis

Parrot — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 21:03:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: Parrot
Post title: Not on a regular basis

For all my combinations I have at least one monolingual dictionary, two or more bilingual dictionaries and specialized dictionaries in law, environment, and some technical fields, plus several style guides. I'm pretty much complete, so any new dictionary would really have to be of interest.

Also, some clients prefer we use their own reference material (and I don't blame them. They're usually way ahead of the compilers).

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material? | That gives me an idea

Mario Chavez (X) — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 19:12:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: Mario Chavez (X)
Post title: That gives me an idea

[quote]Jessica Noyes wrote:

A dear translator friend of mine died not too long ago, and his wife gave me his excellent collection of legal and business dictionaries. [/quote]

Maybe I'll post an add on my translators' association that reads:

Dear colleague,
If you are a seasoned translator approaching death, consider bequeathing to a younger translator all your dictionaries and reference books. Hard copy dictionaries, that is. I humbly submit my name as that “younger translator.”

Thank you!

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material? | Move then

Mario Chavez (X) — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 19:10:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: Mario Chavez (X)
Post title: Move then

[quote]tomtom88 wrote:

I can barely pay my rent and insurance! [/quote]

Portugal is cheaper to rent.

:D

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material? | Inherited

Jessica Noyes — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 15:50:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: Jessica Noyes
Post title: Inherited

A dear translator friend of mine died not too long ago, and his wife gave me his excellent collection of legal and business dictionaries.

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material? | Never

Edwige Thomas — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 15:04:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: Edwige Thomas
Post title: Never

I can barely pay my rent and insurance!

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material? | never

Gianluca Marras — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 14:06:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: Gianluca Marras
Post title: never

whatever I need is on the Internet and I still have some paper material that I never use

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material? | Generally agree

Robert Forstag — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 13:24:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: Robert Forstag
Post title: Generally agree

[quote]Chris S wrote:

The Internet is free! [/quote]

Most of my needs are met by a combination of what I already know and online resources. The kinds of issues that I tend to have trouble with (and I am sure that I am not the only one) cannot typically be resolved by merely consulting a dictionary.

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material? | Paper is more durable than bits

Mario Chavez (X) — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 12:54:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: Mario Chavez (X)
Post title: Paper is more durable than bits

[quote]Chiara Scanavino wrote:

Not everything can be found on the internet and not always are Google Translate and other dictionaries good.

For me dictionaries are interesting also on an academic point of view, since I have written my master thesis about the varieties of German in the learners' dictionaries of German language. However, traditional dictionaries are the best solution if you work in areas where you have no or a very bad internet connection. [/quote]

I recently completed a catalog for oil skimmers. The machine is simple enough but there are some industrial concepts I wasn't aware of. Enter the Illustrated Dictionary of Metalworking and Manufacturing Technologies, with well-organized sections. The one I was interested in had to do with metalworking fluids and coolants. This dictionary is pretty old (mid 90s) but the descriptions are quite encyclopedic. It exists only in printed form (hardcover).

Sure, the internet is full of free resources: dictionaries, glossaries, you name it. But other people (specialists, translators, terminologists, etc.) worked hard on those. Hard work aside, some of those online dictionaries are subpar, amateurish efforts.

For something to be found on the Web, someone has to make the time to create it and upload it. That time is money, even though the download is free for most of us. As a medical translator, I subscribe to cosnautas ( [url removed] ), an excellent source that is maintained by a team of medical professionals and translators. The material is so high quality that I'm happy to pay a yearly fee to have access to it.

I like free things as much as the next guy but I also care about my professional reputation. So, I have paid a pretty penny for my equipment and my dictionaries because my services ain't free or cheap.

Besides, paper lasts longer than ephemeral bits and needs no power source or batteries.

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material? | Buy?

The Shredder — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 12:09:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: The Shredder
Post title: Buy?

The Internet is free!

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material? | I subscribe to the big online dictionaries each year

Christine Andersen — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 11:32:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: Christine Andersen
Post title: I subscribe to the big online dictionaries each year

It probably depends on which country and languages people work in.

I subscribe gratefully to a selection of the big Danish - English dictionaries, and although I have hard-back copies of some of them, they do not have all the latest updates as the online versions do. I also have more volumes online than I have in hard copy, because the subscription package covers them. In fact I subscribe to two Danish packages.
So I don't buy as many dictionaries as I would otherwise.

I still have my French-Danish hard-copy dictionaries, which colleagues tell me are updated online, but I don't use them! I find other language pairs are not nearly as comprehensive online, but I know there was (and I hope still is) a cluster of very good Danish lexicographers who laid the foundations for the online dictionaries. They are not cheap, but they are well worth the investment.

I collect dictionaries for fun as well as for use - the categories overlap! I have seriously used dictionaries I picked up very cheaply in charity shops, and I have others collecting dust, which I thought I was going to use a lot.

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material? | Online dictionaries should only complete traditional dictionaries

Chiara Scanavino — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 10:33:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: Chiara Scanavino
Post title: Online dictionaries should only complete traditional dictionaries

Not everything can be found on the internet and not always are Google Translate and other dictionaries good.

For me dictionaries are interesting also on an academic point of view, since I have written my master thesis about the varieties of German in the learners' dictionaries of German language. However, traditional dictionaries are the best solution if you work in areas where you have no or a very bad internet connection.

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material? | Online subscription

Rita Utt — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 09:51:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: Rita Utt
Post title: Online subscription

I've got an online subscription for two legal dictionnaries
and I'm very happy with that.
I would subscribe to another monlingual German dictionary, but the one I want is impossible to get online.
Dear Dictionary Editors. I don't mind paying, but I would like to be comfortable.

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material? | The same here!

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 09:32:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Post title: The same here!

[quote]neilmac wrote:

As and when the need arises... [/quote]

Last time was about one month ago...

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material? | Never, but...

Agneta Pallinder — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 09:28:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: Agneta Pallinder
Post title: Never, but...

I am constantly finding new dictionary and reference materials on the Internet, which I either download or bookmark.

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material? | Other

neilmac — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 09:02:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: neilmac
Post title: Other

As and when the need arises...

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material? | All The Time!

Sundar Gopalakrishnan — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 08:47:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: Sundar Gopalakrishnan
Post title: All The Time!

I buy new dictionaries and/or reference materials all the time.

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material? | Not any more,

EvaVer (X) — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 08:29:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: EvaVer (X)
Post title: Not any more,

at least for my main languages, as everything can be found online. But I did buy some (paper) Bulgarian dictionaries a few years ago, as online resources are not very good in that language and the search is difficult if you don't have a Cyrillic keyboard.

Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?

ProZ.com Staff — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 08:10:02 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?
Poster: ProZ.com Staff

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How often do you usually buy new dictionaries or reference material?".

This poll was originally submitted by Michael Powers (PhD). View the poll results »