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Poll: How often do you replace your paper (book-form) dictionaries? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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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 »
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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 Germany Local time: 22:10 Member (2006) German to English
I have not used any of them for years now, and let alone replacing any. | | |
B D Finch France Local time: 22:10 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 | |
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EvaVer (X) Local time: 22:10 Czech to French + ...
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. | | |
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 | | |
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 Spain Local time: 22:10 German to English + ...
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. | |
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John Cutler Spain Local time: 22:10 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. | | |
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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] | | |
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. | |
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Parrot Spain Local time: 22:10 Spanish to English + ...
Kidding? I just keep accumulating. Every little bit helps. In fact, I'm still looking for a couple that are out of print. | | |
maryblack United States Local time: 15:10 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 Mexico Local time: 14:10 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: | | |
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