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Even translating in the digital age, you can't entirely escape the need for a hard copy, German English dictionary. At German Translation Tips and Resources we want to make your life easier - so here is our Top 10 List of Dictionaries and basic translation reference books for all your German translations:
| 1. OXFORD DUDEN GERMAN DICTIONARY, (3rd edition, Sept. 2005) My pick of the German English dictionary crop – for serious students and professionals. Over 320,000 words and phrases, 520,000 translations. Over 3,000 new words in each language, including “blogger”, “destination wedding”, and “oxygen bar”. Cultural notes: vital aid in translating information about uniquely German phenomena, e.g. cultural/political institutions, customs etc. Correspondence section: sample letters, CVs, emails, text messaging and using the telephone. Colour design and clear layout - easy to use. FREE CD-ROM pronunciation guide: type in a word or phrase and hear it spoken back to you in perfect German. Hardcover: 1800 pages, Language: German-English & English-German ISBN-10: 0198609744, ISBN-13: 978-0198609742 or the 2. COLLINS GERMAN DICTIONARY, (7th edition, Oct.2007) |
A Pocket / Concise German English Dictionary:
For on the move, when you don’t want to lug too much weight around.| 3. COLLINS CONCISE GERMAN DICTIONARY,(6th Edition, Oct.2007) For intermediate to advanced learners of German. 190,000 references.For students and professionals using German at work. All the latest vocabulary from a wide range of fields.Special feature entries about life and culture in German-speaking countries.Tips on spoken and written German. Colour layout guides. Paperback: 1408 pages, Language: German-English & English-German ISBN-10: 0007252765, ISBN-13: 978-0007252763 4. COLLINS POCKET GERMAN DICTIONARY,(6th Edition, April 2007) 5. POCKET OXFORD GERMAN DICTIONARY,(3rd Edition, Feb.2008) |
Monolingual Resources:
When you study German translation and take exams, in addition to your German English dictionary, you’ll also be encouraged to use monolingual resources. This means that, in addition to your standard German English dictionary, you'll need a good monolingual German dictionary and a good monolingual English dictionary, plus a Thesaurus. These are the minimum tools in your translator's toolkit in terms of support materials for assessing if your chosen German translation makes sense in its particular context.English:
| 6. NEW OXFORD DICTIONARY OF ENGLISH, (2nd Edition, 2006) Powered by the Oxford English Corpus, the world’s largest language research project. 355,000 word phrases and definitions.12,000 encyclopaedic entries and 68,000 explanations.Boxed usage notes.Concise Guide to Good English. Hardcover: 2088 pages, Language English ISBN-10: 0198610572, ISBN-13: 978-0198610571 (My copy of the Oxford Dictionary of English also came with a free Oxford Spellchecker CD.) |
German: The major names in German language publishing are Langenscheidt, Duden, Wahrig and Pons.
| 7. LANGENSCHEIDT GROßWÖRTERBUCH DEUTSCH ALS FREMDSPRACHE, (Feb.2006),(Langenscheidt large dictionary of German as a foreign language, with CD-ROM) Langenscheidt’s standard dictionary for all learners of German, including a CD ROM containing the entire contents of the dictionary. Around 66,000 word and phrases, 63,000 sample sentences and more than 30,000 composite words. Section on grammar and the correct use of language. Hardcover, 1253 pages, Language German ISBN-10: 3468490364, ISBN-13: 978-3468490361 8. WAHRIG DEUTSCHES WÖRTERBUCH, DAS UNIVERSELLE STANDARDWERK ZUR DEUTSCHEN GEGENWARTSSPRACHE. (Wahrig German Dictionary, the standard work on modern German), 2008 A total of 260,000 words, phrases and sayings. Info-boxes explain the origin and meaning of interesting terms. Two-colour layout. Incorporates all 2006 spelling reform changes. 9. DUDEN: DAS WÖRTERBUCH DER ABKÜRZUNGEN,(Dictionary of Abbreviations), 2005 |
Thesaurus
OK, you've got your German English dictionary and understand all the German vocabulary. Time to check the quality of your English with a thesaurus!
There are many available versions, this is one of the most popular:
| 10. CONCISE OXFORD THESAURUS, (3rd Edition, 2007) A comprehensive reference text for home or the office. Improve your writing style, lists of nouns to give you the edge in solving crosswords and word puzzles, a useful encyclopedic reference. In the UK and Europe, this edition of the Thesaurus comes with a free Oxford Spellchecker on CD-ROM. Hardcover: 992 pages, Publisher: OUP Oxford, Language German ISBN-10: 0199215138 ISBN-13: 978-0199215133 |
Your stock of general hard copy German English dictionaries are the basis of your translator's toolkit. However, you’ll need to supplement them with dictionaries which provide more specialist vocabulary in a particular subject area (see these specialist German dictionaries ) as well as online dictionaries, glossaries and other online resources. And don't forget German English dictionary software - nowadays many dictionaries are available in software or CD form, to download onto your PC or hand-held device.....
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