8.1 Using Dictionaries

While it might be a part of the process that we haven’t given much thought to, the way in which we use dictionaries actually has a big impact on the quality of translations that we are able to produce. At what point in the translation process we look up words in dictionaries, which kind of dictionaries we use, and how we use them, all have a big impact on the choices we make in translating a source text. It is important to reflect on how to use dictionaries to our advantage and how to avoid allowing dictionary entries to drive us to make mistakes.

a) Dictionaries and the translation process

As we studied in Lesson Three, following the five steps of the translation process will help us to drastically improve the quality of the translations we produce. As a review, the five steps are:

Step 1) Read the source text closely
Step 2) Confirm meaning
Step 3) Write a first draft
Step 4) Re-read and edit
Step 5) Write a final draft and check

The phase in which we are likely to use dictionaries most often is Step Two: Confirming Meaning. It is in this phase that we identify any words which we do not understand or are not sure how to translate, and use resources, most often dictionaries, to help us decide how to translate them. In order to do this successfully, it is vital that we have first completed Step One of the translation process and read the source text closely. We must understand the basic message of the source text before using a dictionary to look up words, because the context in which words are used determines which of many possible translations will be correct.

After writing the first draft we are likely to use dictionaries again during the editing process. Upon re-reading the first draft we identify phrases or sentences that do not sound natural and can consult dictionaries to improve the translation. In conclusion, we might need to look up words in dictionaries anywhere between Steps 2 and 5 of the translation process, but are likely to do so most often in Steps 2: Confirming Meaning, and 4: Editing.

b) Types of dictionaries and when to use them

There are two main types of dictionaries that we commonly use in translation: bilingual dictionaries which provide the translation of a word from a source language to a target language (Spanish - English or English - Spanish) and monolingual dictionaries which provide the definition of a word in the same language (English - English or Spanish - Spanish). It is very useful to use a monolingual dictionary along with bilingual dictionaries in order to confirm the meaning of the many possible translations given in the bilingual entries. This can be illustrated in the following example:

Example 8.1

In the Lesson 6 quiz, many students had trouble identifying “satiated” as an incorrect translation of the adjective “harto” in the context of the sentence “Estoy harta de sus mentiras”. A good method for answering this question would be:

After seeing all of these possibilities, one might conclude that the meanings of “to get tired of” or “to get sick and tired of” or “to get fed up with” fit the way “hartar” is being used in the context of the source text. It should be easy to rule out “to gorge oneself” or “to stuff oneself”, but we might not be familiar with the meaning of “to satiate”. The best way to overcome this lack of certainty is to look up “to satiate” in a monolingual English-English dictionary.

After looking up “satiate” in the monolingual dictionary one can analyze the context in which “estar harto” is used in the source text and reasonably conclude that translating “harta” as “satiated” does not effectively communicate the intended message.
 

We may use printed versions of dictionaries or online resources, both have advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of printed dictionaries is they are usually more detailed and often of a higher quality. The Larousse Spanish-Spanish dictionary that all of you have should be a useful tool for translation. However, looking up words in printed dictionaries can be time consuming. The biggest benefit of using online resources is the speed with which answers can be found and the variety of sources and websites which can be consulted.There are also many specialized dictionaries for various professional fields. If one were to need to translate legal documents or instructions, it would be helpful to have a bilingual legal dictionary.

c) Guidelines for using dictionaries

There are many practices for using dictionaries which can help us to take advantage of the information that they offer most effectively. Following are some suggestions for using dictionaries:

1. Underline or identify any words that you aren’t sure how to translate in the source text. Before looking them up in a dictionary, analyze the context in which they are used, and if you don’t understand the meaning of a word, try to infer or guess what it means.

2. Look up unmodified words. If the word is a verb, look up the infinitive form of the verb, for example if you come across “dejó” and aren’t sure how to translate it, look up “dejar”. This may take some analysis of verb form to figure out what the infinitive form is. If looking up a Spanish adjective, search for the singular, masculine form. If translating from English to Spanish, look up the non-modified form of adjectives (not comparative or superlative); for example to translate “busiest”, look up “busy”. Likewise, it generally makes sense to look up the singular form of a noun. To recap, look up the:

• infinitive form of verbs (to translate “he pedido” look  up: pedir)
• singular, masculine form of adjectives (to translate “inesperadas noticias” look up “inesperado”)
• singular form of nouns (to translate “cuentas”, look up “cuenta”)

3. Look up words one at a time and consider the context when searching for the best translation. It’s not useful to make a list of words to look up, because then you won’t be thinking about the context of the sentence when you consult the dictionary. Always look at and read the source text sentence while looking up a word in it and analyze the context to find the most optimal translation.

4. Be careful of homonyms. A homonym (not to be confused with hyponym) is a word that looks or sounds just like another word in the same language, but has a different meaning. Examples of homonyms are: 
trabajo - I work                   trabajo - noun for work/ job 
me siento - I feel                me siento - I sit 
fine - ok                             fine - money charged as a consequence: to pay a fine.
Confusing a word for its homonym can lead to confusion and an incorrect translation.

5. Compare definitions in monolingual dictionaries, as we described in 8.1 part b. Another option would be to look up words in reverse. If translating from Spanish to English, you would choose one of the possible English translations and then look up that word in the bilingual dictionary from English to Spanish to see how well it matches. For example, if seeking a definition for the word “conceder” you can look it up in a Spanish-English dictionary. You would find several possible translations such as: to give, to grant, to award, to admit, and to concede. If you weren’t sure which of these definitions best fit the way “conceder” is used in the source text, you could look each of them up in reverse (from English to Spanish) and compare meanings in order to choose the most fitting definition. Even if you do think you know which verb would be best, it can be helpful to confirm this by looking up the definition in reverse.

6. Remember to think about the message and don’t trust the translations and definitions you find in dictionaries entirely. Human languages are highly complicated, and words are often used idiomatically or connotatively in ways that dictionaries can fail to capture.

d) Online resources

Following is a list of online dictionaries that might be helpful for you. It is recommendable to check more than one source for each word that you are unsure how to translate. This is the best method to guarantee that you will create the best possible translation.

Thesaurus
A thesaurus is a dictionary of synonyms (words with the same or very similar meaning in the same language). Consulting a thesaurus can be very useful when translating and trying to find the perfect word when you are already clear about the meaning, but unsure how to express the idea most naturally. However, one should use the thesaurus with caution, many words that are listed as synonyms actually have different uses, or slightly different meanings, so it is best to double check back with a reverse translation or monolingual dictionary to ensure that the word you are choosing is the one that best communicates the message of the source text.