Dictionaries

[tulosai]

In today's day and age, do you think owning a good foreign language dictionary is useful? I still keep a French one but am starting to think that, with Google translate, this may be an outdated notion.

[Trellum]

I've never been a big fan of dictionaries in general, I never used one when I was learning english, but I think the online dictionaries have everything I need.  I still own several paperback ones, but I rarely use them.  If I need to consult a word I simply use the internet  

I still prefer physical books over ebooks   Specially the ones I use to learn dutch    Too bad i don't feel the same way about dictionaries.  By the way, I don't trust google translate at all!  At least not for serious translations.

[Czarownica]

My parents still have a nice dictionary collection - they bought all of those dictionaries before Internet was a big thing, though. They have French to Polish/Polish to French dictionary, Russian to Polish/Polish to Russian, English to Polish/Polish to English and Latin to Polish/Polish to Latin. The last one I found very useful last year, because in my Latin class we had to had dictionaries for translation exercises.

I only own one paper dictionary; it's a kanji dictionary. I don't use it too often, but I find it very interesting. Otherwise I'm perfectly happy using online dictionaries.

[deyvion]

I have a big, big, BIG English dictionary (it is needed for school), and I have a small English-Turkish dictionary. I like the English/English dictionary the best, mostly because it contains so many words and definitions. The Eng-Tur one is so small, and it does not contain so very much. I will try to buy a real one in the near future, especially since I went out and bought a book in Turkish to try to translate it.

[Gregor]

I still prefer to own a physical dictionary and to be able to see it sitting on the shelf. However it's usually easier to look up a word on my iPhone. Paper dictionaries also have a limited life span, each new edition being more up to date. I suppose also it depends on how often you are likely to use a dictionary. If you are studying seriously for a degree it's going to be important. When I studied French I used not an English-French/French-English dictionary, but a plain French dictionary that an ordinary French person would use with no English in it at all.

[LauraM]

I still like physical dictionaries very much.  I also like physical books in general, still. 

Despite how handy the Internet and mobile phone apps are for looking up words quickly, I still find there's something very satisfying about paging through a dictionary when I have the time and opportunity. 

I've always enjoyed dictionaries -- both for foreign language study -- as well as in my native language, English.  I especially like unabridged dictionaries even though they can be very large, heavy and cumbersome.  I can't imagine that I will give them up completely. 

[SueA555]

I own an English/French dictionary as well as a Larousse -- a French only dictionary. I find both of them very useful when I'm reading and want to know the definition of a specific word. I love books, and use my dictionaries more than online resources when reading.

[kitkat0124]

I still think that owning a physical dictionary is still useful. I still use it everytime I read books. There are times I find physical dictionaries more convenient to use. I have a pocket dictionary and I always have it with me, everytime I read books. I can bring it anywhere.

[GetFresh]

They were useful before the digital age. Now that there's apps for your smartphones and devices, there's really no point in having an actual dictionary. They just take up space now. Digital dictionaries are more convenient too. You don't have to turn each and every page, all you have to do is type in the search bar.

[Daedalus]

I often find not having actual pages is more inconvenient. What if you want to compare several words? You can easily flip back and forth in a paper dictionary, but having to search for the two words all the time can be a bit annoying.

Also, I don't have a smartphone (and I'm not interested in one), so apps mean nothing to me.

[cinderr]

For me, there is something comforting about holding a dictionary in my hands. At the moment , since I am not involved in a language program, I only have bunches of English dictionaries. I do have a small translation devise, probably outdated.  :wacky:

[sidney]

Well you're not in front of the computer most of the time right? So during those times that you're offline and you want to translate a certain word, then it would be handy to just have a dictionary with you.

[fluffyducky]

I love the smell of books, and looking through dictionary pages and reading random ones used to be a hobby of mine, so I really prefer dictionaries to online stuff.

Also, what about those kids who don't have internet access or great technology easily available? A dictionary can be shared among the classroom or school easily without worrying about breaking things.

[justusforus]

I think dictionaries are very helpful not only for looking up a definition, but seeing alternate definitions and the origin of words.  I think if you read the entries and think about these things you can reinforce your learning both in your native tongue as well as in a second language.

[diprod]

I love dictionaries. They are my favorite books in the world! I always have on in my purse. Just the pocket ones though.

[Peninha]

I can't recall the last time I've used a paper dictionary, they are simply no longer necessary in my opinion, at least for those who have a computer connected to the internet, it's far more easy to use an online translator or dictionary.

[jfab]

I can't live without dictionaries. It will be hard for me to travel without it. Thank God for it was invented.

[Kandikkal]

I have a very old Malayalam-English-Hindi dictionary at home and I used it mostly while studying in school. At that time I didn't have PC and internet connection, so dictionaries helped a lot in learning and understanding the meaning of new words.

[Hanaseru]

I think that owning a dictionary is still useful just for the page flipping experience.  While searching for your word, you might stumble upon other words that you might just absorb into your memory.

[Baburra]

I still own a Japanese translation book, and even though the terms there might be a bit outdated since it was a book that was published a long time ago, I still find it very fun and educational. I think opening up a book is a little more fun than using a tablet or a laptop to read and learn since it's much more focused and feels a lot less like actual studying, but that's just me and it's why I hope it never goes out of fashion.

[RobynB]

In today's day and age, do you think owning a good foreign language dictionary is useful? I still keep a French one but am starting to think that, with Google translate, this may be an outdated notion.

I don't know, I think Google Translate has a long way to go still, I used it a while back to translate something into French and my sister who studied French didn't understand what I was trying to say. I think the old paper dictionary is still the best.

[JohnSword]

I still think that having a physical dictionary around is useful. While you can easily access online dictionaries nowadays, there are times when your internet connection fails (like mine).

Personally I prefer the page-flipping experience. Of course, those physical dictionaries are really a pain to bring around. I remember back in school, I used to learn Chinese and English. As such, I have to lug around 2 dictionaries. Definitely not for the faint-hearted.

[Gelsemium]

A paper dictionary it's losing alot of it's meaning especially when even in the libraries everyone has a tablet or a smartphone, it would be interesting to see a statistic of sold dictionaries recently.

[linguaholic]

In most cases, I would agree that 'paper dictionaries' can be substituted with 'digital dictionaries'. However, there are definitely some areas of study, where 'Paper dictionaries' are still a must. For instance,  I study Ancient Chinese and there are simply almost no (reliable) digital dictionaries available on the net. So, when analyzing these kind of texts, you definitely want to go to a library and get hold of a paper copy.

So, in conclusion, I would say: 'Online dictionaries' are often good enough, but if you are into something special, in the sense of an area that is not 'mainstream' and very specific, then you might need to consult a paper dictionary.