Online Dictionaries and
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There are A LOT of online dictionaries to choose from. I have started this page to put together a list of some of the best online dictionaries resources that I have found. I will try to keep them in a sense of order so you can quickly go to the type of dictionary or translation service that you are looking for. Do you need a quick online translation (a word or two) from just about any language to any language? Here are some ready to use online dictionaries.
Of course a great resource online is www.dictionary.com - they also have a handy thesaurus.
Here's a quick translation tool:
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Translation Sevices |
If the language that you are looking for isn't listed in the above tool...
Try this site…
www.word2word.com ( online dictionaries )
- you will find an enormous choice of online dictionaries at this site for immediate translations.
BEFORE YOU CLICK…, this is an online service only, if you need an immediate solution, then it can be useful. If you have an ongoing need for a dictionary or for translation software, then keep reading, this service is too inconvenient for you. You don’t want to have to go online every time you need to use a dictionary.
For a more permanent solution…
Try this service by Ectaco…
AGAIN, BEFORE YOU CLICK… I have provided some information regarding Ectaco that might be helpful in understanding where you are going.
The days of lugging around a bulky, cumbersome dictionary or a tiny almost useless travel dictionary are over.
Recently they were featured in PCWorld magazine and received the prestigious Innovation Award for Design and Engineering. State-of-the-art technology.
The dictionary includes not only words, but phrases, idioms, irregular verbs as well as linguistic games and grammar. There is built-in voice synthesis technology that produces high-quality voice output in multiple languages (great for travel). The organizer has numerous features, imaginable and unimaginable.
Special models are able to translate incoming and outgoing e-mail messages and faxes from one language into another automatically. A digital voice recorder allows storing up to 15 minutes of human speech. These are powerful little units.
Click here for more info.
Do you need a quick translation for a sentence or two?
Try this tool…
The Systran software can be useful for private use, and in many other circumstances as a very powerful tool towards breaking the language barrier.
But… one word of warning…
If you want to translate your material on a website or any other format that will be available for the public, it would be wise to not depend on a machine translation, or online dictionaries. Unless you don't mind running the risk of presenting yourself or your material in an absurd and potentially ridiculous manner.
Imagine if you had a spiritual or religious oriented site, and you were trying to inspire your visitors by quoting the scriptures… for example… "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak", is perfect for what you want to express as an idea. So, because you want your site in several languages, you whip out your translation program and voila, your program translates your inspiring quote into "The whiskey is agreeable, but the meat has gone bad".
What??!!
This is extremely funny, but it is even funnier because this is how a machine translation really did translate this saying, it is a true story! I colored it a bit by imagining how it might have come to happen. Needless to say, a machine translation has the potential of turning a priest into a heretic!
It is good to make people laugh, but not at you! Machine translations, and online dictionaries can be very useful in their proper contexts, but again, DO NOT use them exclusively to present your material to the public.
If you need to translate anything substantial that will be available for the public, then you need to hire a professional translation agency. If you fall into this category, go to my "Choosing An Agency" page, there I explain how you can recognize a quality translation agency - what exactly you need to look for before you choose an agency.
As I come across good online dictionary resources, I will add them to this page.
Most Sincerely,
Timothy Warnock
Founder: www.Translate-to-success.com, and
Publisher: The Translate To Success Newsletter