Poll: Do you use print dictionaries? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| | Lieven Malaise 
Belgium
Local time: 00:26
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
No, I've abandoned those a very long time ago, the last one probably before the year 2010. Paper dictionaries have no place in a profitable workflow.
| | | | Johan Beyens (X)
Belgium
Local time: 00:26
French to Dutch
+ ...
| lately, more often | Apr 17, 2025 |
I wasn't using them for some time, but the last two years or so I find myself referring to printed materials more often again. This is partly because I find internet search is becoming more time-consuming by the sheer amount of irrelevant/unreliable results (also, why does Google not seem to recognise "" anymore?).
[Edited at 2025-04-17 13:22 GMT]
| | | | | Yes (less and less) | Apr 17, 2025 |
In 2012, I had a total of 88 paper dictionaries, ranging from nuclear engineering to medicine (I can’t remember ever having translated anything nuclear but I have to admit that for a good while I couldn’t enter a bookshop without buying at least one dictionary). Anyway, when I moved from Brussels to Lisbon in 2015, I gave some to my ex-colleagues and the remaining are either sitting pretty at my bookcase or still living in boxes in my storage room. I have been translating for over 40 years, ... See more In 2012, I had a total of 88 paper dictionaries, ranging from nuclear engineering to medicine (I can’t remember ever having translated anything nuclear but I have to admit that for a good while I couldn’t enter a bookshop without buying at least one dictionary). Anyway, when I moved from Brussels to Lisbon in 2015, I gave some to my ex-colleagues and the remaining are either sitting pretty at my bookcase or still living in boxes in my storage room. I have been translating for over 40 years, so most of them were bought when there weren't any electronic resources. Today, I use them less and less, although I look at them as good trustworthy friends… ▲ Collapse
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While I agree that speed matters, the depth and reliability of a good print resource is sometimes just unmatched.
That’s why I still use a high-quality technical dictionary for French–Portuguese.
But honestly, I mostly rely on my own termbases, AutoSuggest Dictionaries and glossaries — I’m totally addicted to terminology! 💕
| | | | Iulia Parvu
Romania
Local time: 01:26
Member (2022)
English to Romanian
+ ...
Only for the legal field.
| | | | | Yes, because I can't rely on AI | Apr 17, 2025 |
Johan Beyens wrote:
I wasn't using them for some time, but the last two years or so I find myself referring to printed materials more often again. This is partly because I find internet search is becoming more time-consuming by the sheer amount of irrelevant/unreliable results (also, why does Google not seem to recognise "" anymore?).
[Edited at 2025-04-17 13:22 GMT]
I agree. Since Google forced its Gemini AI into the search engine, sometimes the results include machine translated pages. This has been increasing lately, so instead of wasting my time refining my search prompt to adapt it to Google's (stupid) AI, I just look for a paper or digital PDF dictionary not contaminated by any AI.
The more AI hallucinations invade the webspace, the more I rely on paper or PDF-edited glossaries/dictionaries. And since the mainstream trend is to keep forcing people to use AI in anything, I guess I'll go back to using printed (paper or PDF) dictionaries more often.
| | | | | Same language | Apr 18, 2025 |
I don't use print dictionaries to find translations of words, but I do use print dictionaries to look up definitions of words in the same language.
So I have a Chambers and a Concise Oxford in English, and in Greek I have Meizon (for help doing crosswords) and a big Babiniotis for Greek words I can't find anywhere else.
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I love them but no, not anymore
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as internet searches for EN to MT are very limited and unreliable. IATE is by far the best but it does not apply to all sectors. For example, if I search for beauty products, I cannot find the words I need there so paper dictionaries are still my best bet. Not the same for IT or FR to MT though and it's a hassle for those languages. Luckily I know both languages very well so I can search those online and then adapt.
[Edited at 2025-04-18 11:28 GMT]
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Not for work, but I like to keep some (Latin, German) paper dictionaries around so when I get stuck or just bored, I can open one at a completely random page and read some entries.
It's always interesting, feels like learning something (even if I forget it soon), and less risky than getting lost in Wikipedia, social media, etc. Sure, many online dictionaries have a random word or word of the day feature too, but it doesn't feel the same.
| | | | | Only legal and rare texts | Apr 18, 2025 |
Rarely do I use it in some cases, like legal texts, for which I have useful print dictionaries
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| I ususally do not | Apr 18, 2025 |
I ususally do not use print dictionaries. Sometimes I decide to print other materials, because I find it easier to highlight certain elements on paper, rather than on documents. One criticism I have towards univeristies in this field, and mainly my university, is that we are not taught how to use online ersources as much as we should and also when it comes to exams, only analogue resources are allowed.
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