RSSEasy Ways To Use Bilingual Dictionaries
Jan 25
Spanish education, English, english dictionary Comments Off
Bilingual dictionaries are important tools for persons who study a second language. However, you cannot just look up a phrase or word in one language and go with the first translation. Many words go with two or more equivalents, and certain expressions and phrases are not easy to figure out. Bilingual dictionaries also go with a phonetic alphabet, showing the right pronunciation, together with specialized terms, abbreviations, and other instruments that help present a substantial amount of information in a limited space.
First, it is important to make sure you have bought a good dictionary. The dictionary should contain one or more examples of sentences for each entry, showing the proper use of the word in different contexts. The different meanings of one word should be present as separate entries, or at least there should be separate entries for adverbs, verbs, adjectives, nouns, etc. An indication of different fields and contexts a word can be used should be presented with each entry.
Once you’ve made sure you have a decent dictionary on you hands, you have to memorize the meanings of important symbols, such as fem., v., n., pl., etc. These are usually found toward the beginning. You will use your bilingual dictionary more efficiently if you memorize these symbols. Keep in mind that while phonetics is beneficial, it is not compulsory.
Next, you will find that there are different levels of language. Some words are old and hardly used in everyday communication while others are slang, and you don’t want to use them in a PhD dissertation.
When you look up some word, check if you came across the right translation. Make sure you have the right word – a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb. For instance, you should not use an equivalent of the noun ‘step’, if you look for the verb ‘to step.
If you can’t find the word in the dictionary, there are several possibilities. The word you are looking for may be a conjugated verb. Second, the entry you are looking for may be a past participle. Keep in mind that most dictionaries contain only the infinitive.
Doing a reverse lookup is a good idea as to find out if you have the correct translation. For example, if you have the word lapiz in Spanish, look in the Spanish section as to translate it back to English . The reverse lookup will help you achieve better accuracy, especially if you have to translate ambiguous words.
It is best to avoid using online bilingual dictionaries and especially computerized translations. The translation may contain errors, and it won’t be as good as if it is done by someone who is proficient in both languages.
Finally, it has been argued that monolingual dictionaries are better at providing good examples of words’ usage. In a monolingual dictionary, entries and definitions are in the same language rather than in a language pair. A good bilingual dictionary should serve you the same purpose; use http://www.wordthrill.com/.
