Pages in topic:   [1 2] >
Poll: How often do you replace your paper (book-form) dictionaries?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Sep 5, 2016

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How often do you replace your paper (book-form) dictionaries?".

This poll was originally submitted by Ulrike MacKay. View the poll results »



 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 23:38
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Sep 5, 2016

I can’t remember ever replacing a dictionary because of a new edition. Some years back, I replaced an old one that I had to throw away because it was falling apart! Between 2006 and 2015 I traveled a lot (at least once a month) between Brussels and Lisbon for family reasons so I had a few dictionaries in double…

 
Michael Harris
Michael Harris  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 00:38
Member (2006)
German to English
Other Sep 5, 2016

I have not used any of them for years now, and let alone replacing any.

 
B D Finch
B D Finch  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 00:38
French to English
+ ...
Abandoning books? Sep 5, 2016

83% of respondents seem to be abandoning paper dictionaries. I still like to have them available as well as using on-line dictionaries. It might be a bit slower, but it's a good thing to look away from the screen and read from paper from time to time and, while leafing through a book, I notice other words or illustrations that I wasn't looking for and that I'd never have come across had I used an e-dictionary.

Paper dictionaries are vulnerable to flood, fire and being eaten by the d
... See more
83% of respondents seem to be abandoning paper dictionaries. I still like to have them available as well as using on-line dictionaries. It might be a bit slower, but it's a good thing to look away from the screen and read from paper from time to time and, while leafing through a book, I notice other words or illustrations that I wasn't looking for and that I'd never have come across had I used an e-dictionary.

Paper dictionaries are vulnerable to flood, fire and being eaten by the dog, e-dictionaries could be wiped by viruses or solar flares and shouldn't be used during thunder storms, so why not spread the risk?
Collapse


 
EvaVer (X)
EvaVer (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 00:38
Czech to French
+ ...
I don't Sep 5, 2016

and in some cases, this would be impossible - my Bulgarian-Czech dictionary is older than I am, and I don't think a new one has been published since. Admittedly, I don't use it much - when I translate from Bulgarian, it's mostly into French, and I have a recent BG/EN dictionary in case I fail to understand something, or use the Internet.

 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 00:38
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
I voted every three to five years if available... Sep 5, 2016

... because I do actually buy a new monolingual English dictionary now and then. Books are so delightfully cheap in English bookshops!

I rotate between Longman, Collins and Oxford Advanced Learner's, and do not actually throw the previous one away. I buy a paperback, and go for the latest version. They are interesting to compare, and I do get rid of them when they fall apart, as cheap versions eventually do.

I buy a new French-English - English-French paperback occasion
... See more
... because I do actually buy a new monolingual English dictionary now and then. Books are so delightfully cheap in English bookshops!

I rotate between Longman, Collins and Oxford Advanced Learner's, and do not actually throw the previous one away. I buy a paperback, and go for the latest version. They are interesting to compare, and I do get rid of them when they fall apart, as cheap versions eventually do.

I buy a new French-English - English-French paperback occasionally, and I am probably due for a new German one. I don't use them for work, but for keeping up with television and crosswords!

Apart from that I collect dictionaries and often buy them in charity shops and second-hand bookshops, though not systematically. Admittedly, some are just for bedtime reading, but I have picked up some really indispensable tools for work that way as well.

Otherwise I subscribe to a range of online dictionaries, because they are updated. I do still have the paper versions and actually used a couple during a recent power cut.

Finally, there are some excellent paper dictionaries in my languages that are not updated regularly, especially in specialist subject areas, so I don't replace them.
Collapse


 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Never Sep 5, 2016

B D Finch wrote:

83% of respondents seem to be abandoning paper dictionaries.


I'm not abandoning, I just don't see a need to update. Language doesn't change that much. And I hardly use the things now anyway.

I don't have any electronic dictionaries. I don't see the point. If I don't know a word, either it's just an obscure word that I can find quickly enough in a paper dictionary, or it's a technical term and so needs to be researched on the web.


 
Ventnai
Ventnai  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 00:38
German to English
+ ...
Never Sep 5, 2016

I haven't used paper dictionaries in a while. Some of the words I translate don't have a translation in English or don't even really exist in German either. Technology is developing at a fast pace and many of the ideas, concepts and terminologies would not be in paper dictionaries. Words also swing in and out of favour. I find Google, online dictionaries (reasonably good for DE_ENG) and other resources available on the Internet much more helpful.

 
John Cutler
John Cutler  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 00:38
Spanish to English
+ ...
Paper? Are you kidding? Sep 5, 2016

Paper? Not in my work!
I was looking up a word this morning and it was so recently coined that it didn't even show up in any online dictionaries. What chance would I have of finding it in a paper dictionary?
I suppose each translator will have their own answer depending on the subjects they translate. I personally need up to the minute resources.


 
Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member for the following reason: Requested by user.
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Yetta Jensen Bogarde  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 00:38
Member (2012)
English to Danish
+ ...
Sometimes, but rarely Sep 5, 2016

I have one shelf with paper dictionaries of various kind and they do come in handy once in a while.

Sometimes I add to the collection, when I see a good offer.

[Edited at 2016-09-05 11:47 GMT]


 
Elizabeth Tamblin
Elizabeth Tamblin  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:38
French to English
When a new edition comes out Sep 5, 2016

I recently received my new Collins Robert French English Dictionary, 10th edition, which I pre-ordered ages ago. I could spend hours just browsing through it.

 
Parrot
Parrot  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 00:38
Spanish to English
+ ...
Never Sep 5, 2016

Kidding? I just keep accumulating. Every little bit helps. In fact, I'm still looking for a couple that are out of print.

 
maryblack
maryblack  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 18:38
Member (2013)
Spanish to English
+ ...
I used one dog-eared Catalan-English dictionary... Sep 5, 2016

...to make up for the shortcomings of the online dictionaries AND to refer to all the notes and scribbles on extra words and meanings that I have added over the years.

 
Yaotl Altan
Yaotl Altan  Identity Verified
Mexico
Local time: 17:38
Member (2006)
English to Spanish
+ ...
I don't replace them... Sep 5, 2016

..because I'm happy with the information they still provide me. This is an example of some of them:

 
Pages in topic:   [1 2] >


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Jared Tabor[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Poll: How often do you replace your paper (book-form) dictionaries?






Trados Studio 2022 Freelance
The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.

Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

More info »
Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »