| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: How often do you consult paper dictionaries, as opposed to online ones? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| e-dictionaries | May 2, 2014 |
If you count digital or e-dictionaries as paper dictionaries (such as those contained in the Casio Ex-word e-dictionary, which are equivalents of the original paper version, e.g. Large Pons D-E or Oxford Advanced Learners, Oxford collocations) then I use them every day because I teach and translate and find them very handy to carry around. And I have digital versions of paper dicts in my computer (e.g. Muret-Sanders D-E). If they don't work I try online.
| | | | Al Zaid
United States
English to Spanish
+ ...
I have some very good ones, specially the technical ones. Although I don't use them so much, having some digital dictionaries already.
| | | | | It varies a lot | May 2, 2014 |
I collect paper dictionaries - and I certainly have a row I use regularly, depending on the subject area and languages I am working in.
I use them more for Norwegian and Swedish, though I work comparatively rarely with those languages.
I rarely complete a medical text without checking in a monoligual paper dictionary at some point.
There are several other serous special-subject dictionaries that I feel are more reliable than the results of googling.
Others a... See more I collect paper dictionaries - and I certainly have a row I use regularly, depending on the subject area and languages I am working in.
I use them more for Norwegian and Swedish, though I work comparatively rarely with those languages.
I rarely complete a medical text without checking in a monoligual paper dictionary at some point.
There are several other serous special-subject dictionaries that I feel are more reliable than the results of googling.
Others are more for fun or KudoZ grabbing and bedtime reading.
But I am extremely lucky with my languages: all the best Danish to English and English to Danish dictionaries are online as well as on paper (or CD), and I subscribe to two packages. Then they are always up to date and almost always at my fingertips!
And the notes go into Multiterm...
I have CDs of several monolingual dictionaries, so those are online too. One does not work unless the CD is in the drive, so I use the paper version - it is quicker. But those are as reliable as the paper versions.
It would be really hard work if I had to use the paper versions all the time, but if I had to, then I would.
[Edited at 2014-05-02 12:20 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | nrichy (X)
France
Local time: 09:33
French to Dutch
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I have my main dictionaries in my laptop.
(so not online, and not on paper, and not on CD).
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| They look nice, but... | May 2, 2014 |
Lifeng Yang wrote:
In some linguist's avatar, there's a shelf with dictionaries in it.
Just like them, I also own lots of paper dictionaries.
A shelf full of dictionaries and similar reference books looks nice, and I have one. But really, how often do you reach up, pick one and open it? It is much quicker to search online, especially if you happen to be working away from its immediate vicinity, which I very often do, and online you can cross-check various sources quickly.
Sadly, it is with less and less frequency that I open a paper dictionary, which I fear will go the way of the fax machine, or the encyclopaedia. Do they still sell paper encyclopaedias?
[Edited at 2014-05-02 14:57 GMT]
| | | | Julian Holmes 
Japan
Local time: 16:33
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
Only when I have to rely on specialized paper resources made in the 'good old days' that have not and will never make it to CD and the Internet. And, some of them still have currency after all these years, like me, even though I am starting to fray around the edges. 
| | | | | Roget! and specialized dictionaries | May 2, 2014 |
Muriel Vasconcellos wrote:
Some specialized dictionaries, especially monolingual, are not online, others have clunkly lookup algorithms and it's faster to check the hard copy.
Nothing beats a hardcopy version of Roget's Thesaurus. The online version is totally shallow.
On the other hand, I have Merriam-Webster's unabridged International edition installed on my computer, and my go-to site for most bilingual questions is the Linguée site.
So it depends entirely on what I happen to need on a given day.
Hi, Muriel! I've quoted your entire post because I could have written every word, except that my M-W Unabridged is online, by subscription (and worth every penny of it--like my Chicago Manual of Style subscription).
Nothing online compares to the hefty hardcopy Roget's International Thesaurus. Mere lists of synonyms and antonyms are, as you say, shallow.
During the school year, I spend half of every week away from home. I also make extended trips outside Puerto Rico to visit my family. I must work, wherever I am, and cannot tote many books. Roget does go with me, despite its weight. At home, though, I often work mostly offline (I have data limits), so I consult my paper dictionaries regularly.
--Jane
| | | | Anthony Baldwin
United States
Local time: 03:33
Portuguese to English
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| I think I did that once | May 2, 2014 |
or twice in the past 5 years.
I have a metric arsetonne of glossary files, and have bookmarked numerous online resources, at this stage.
I have a good library of useful resources, but very rarely need them any more.
I think I've cracked open my dusty Collins-Robert FR/EN dictionary a couple of times, though.
In interpreting assignments, I have had to crack open my Noronha's (PT/EN legal Dictionary) a couple of times, too, but I'm not on the computer when interpreting.
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Yaotl Altan
Mexico
Local time: 01:33
Member (2006)
English to Spanish
+ ...
I use paper dictionaries daily, because I love reading not only the term I'm searching for, but other similar terms too. Thus, I get a whole understanding of the concept.
Besides, paper dictionaries do not depend on electricity or Internet connection.
Another advantange is that human sight enhances physically a wider range compared to the line showed by a software.
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 03:33
English to Spanish
+ ...
| Printed first, online second | May 3, 2014 |
As Yaotl said, printed dictionaries do not depend on the Internet or electricity to be useful.
I have a small desk on casters that I use as a dictionary rest. As a medical translator, I can consult Navarro's 2nd edition (which is a sizable book, about 9 x 11 inches more or less) in comfort.
My ample desk is also home to one or two more printed dictionaries. My fingers are faster while flipping pages than clicking on the mouse to find an online resource. Besides, I don'... See more As Yaotl said, printed dictionaries do not depend on the Internet or electricity to be useful.
I have a small desk on casters that I use as a dictionary rest. As a medical translator, I can consult Navarro's 2nd edition (which is a sizable book, about 9 x 11 inches more or less) in comfort.
My ample desk is also home to one or two more printed dictionaries. My fingers are faster while flipping pages than clicking on the mouse to find an online resource. Besides, I don't put much stock on Wikipedia, unless it's to confirm what a more reputable source has shown me.
I also consult my Javier Collazo volumes sitting on one of the nearby bookshelves (I have 8 spread over my apartment). So, I'm always getting up and picking a dictionary. There are some paper dictionaries that are unavailable online for a number of reasons. I happily pay for them. ▲ Collapse
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