French Dictionary
People call French the language for lovers. That’s why a French dictionary may be of use. Or it could be just to translate sentences into French, or find out what French words mean.
Many language students have a French dictionary. Such a dictionary would have English words translated into French and French words translated into English. People find it useful.
Many French dictionaries found their way onto the Internet. This included translation services such as AltaVista and more recently Google. These can be used to translate sentences or entire blocks of text. That’s useful when speaking with people from other countries.
Here are some words from a French dictionary. Toast in English is a piece of bread made crisp by exposure to dry heat. Many kinds of toast exist. Of course French toast must be mentioned. It’s pain perdu in French. It’s made by dipping the bread in egg and frying it. It can be topped with butter, fruit, syrup, or many other items including strawberries.
Toast in the French dictionary can be to honor someone or something. For example a guest may toast a host. The French phrase is en l’honneur de.
Bread can be found in the French dictionary. The French word is pain. It’s really loaf as in a loaf of soap. Panade in French is bread soup.
Cafe in a French dictionary would be a restaurant. The word is used in English too. If you own a restaurant in France you’re a restauranteur. In French it’s a masculine word.
The French word for potato is found in the French dictionary – pomme. When turned into french fries the French would call it pommes frites. That was once explained on the popular children’s show Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. The phrase pommes de la soupe would be potato soup. If you wanted a baked potato with some cheese on it you might ask for pommes du fromage.
There’s more than romance in a French dictionary.
German English Dictionary
There are many words to find in a German English dictionary – this series discusses them. Let’s look at some of these words.
Earlier articles in this series explore the different types of a German English Dictionary. Some show both languages’ version of a word as well as definitions and more information. Both can be enjoyable.
The German English dictionary series has resulted in a lot of email. One New York woman wrote: I’m glad I found this. I never imagined these dictionaries could be such powerful launching points for knowledge. My children are enjoying it.
Kids’ world opens up when reading a German English dictionary. For example they might like to know that one of their favorite things in the world, toys, is kinderspielzeug in German. The German word for children is kinder. In America a child’s school is kindergarten.
Other people have feedback on the German English dictionary. Mary O’Leary said: I never imagined words could be so much fun. It’s something the whole family can enjoy. That’s why this series is still going.
There’s another type of school that might be found in the German English dictionary. It’s school in English. It means a coordinated group of cetaceans. Cetaceans means large sea animal. Whales are amongst these. A schule is a group of these, in German. It shouldn’t be confused with the place of learning.
Frank Nelson from Ohio had something to say about the German English dictionary series: Wow! These articles are amazing. I thought languages were boring, but this makes it fun. No argument here, it’s true.
The center is covered by the German English dictionary. In German it’s zentral. That’s similar to the English word. Zentral is used for both center and central.
Some people think languages can be boring. But when you use a dictionary, such as a German English dictionary, they can open the door to a great deal of interesting information.
January 22, 2009
Spanish English Dictionary
When people want to convert English to Spanish or vice versa they often use a Spanish English dictionary. This dictionary is common for Spanish students of all ages. As the Internet has grown, many of these have popped up. Mostly they are web pages to translate text. They’re better than ever before.
Babelfish was the first Spanish English dictionary online to gain fame. It was like something out of a science fiction movie. One button press could translate almost any text.
It was an imperfect Spanish English dictionary. The translations often left a great deal to be desired. Translated text was easily spotted.
Some people considered this problem with the Spanish English dictionary to be a good thing. It was handy for a quick rewrite. This is how it was done. Translate something into English. Then reenter the English text and translated back into Spanish. Very often the result would be different than what was originally entered. With a little bit of editing it would be passable.
Some websites now offer an improved Spanish English dictionary. Google has one. Text can be translated to multiple languages and then back without any changes. It’s not a rewrite tool. But the translation is generally superior.
There are other sites that have a Spanish English dictionary that’s a bit more detailed in its results. Not only will it translate words, it will look them up and provide definitions for both Spanish and English version. For example, enter the word freeway. Autopista is the translation in Spanish. The English definition is given – a broad roadway that accommodates high-speed traffic. Enter the word autopista, and many results are returned. This includes expressway, freeway, highway, and even the UK motorway. Now click an English word to see its definition. A highway, freeway, expressway and motorway are all about the same.
Fewer and fewer people use the books. People do so much work online that it’s becoming a burden to look things up in a printed book. But they still use a Spanish English dictionary.
English Gaelic Dictionary
Many people use online dictionaries. These take many forms. One popular type is a language to language work like an English Gaelic dictionary. These are more like translators than dictionaries.
In the old days in language if someone wanted an English Gaelic dictionary they would have a book. People would find their word to see the translation. For instance a person would find the phrase where is the airport to get the translation. Sometimes people would look up things the wrong way and come up with words that really didn’t make sense in the context they were spoken.
An online English Gaelic dictionary is an automated translator. It allows people to enter in phrases, words, or even a whole block of text . The translation is complete in seconds. A web site can even be translated except for any images or text as graphics.
In the early Internet days surfers browsed to the Babelfish English Gaelic dictionary. Alta Vista now owns it. Many people used it. People love new technology. It was often used by people who chatted with others who spoke different languages. The translations weren’t always terrific.
One test of the English Gaelic dictionary was to translate one way then back to the original. The result was sometimes a whole new sentence or text. For example translating the phrase I want a cake from language A to language B and then back to language A might result in something like a cake is mine. This was a good way to come up with alternate versions of a sentence or paragraph, but it proved the translation wasn’t really up to par.
Recently Google has come up with a translation service that includes an English Gaelic dictionary. Google’s service is superior to the old one. Translate to ten different languages and then back – the text will be the same. Now people can’t perform rewrites of sentences and paragraphs. But they may be receiving better translations.
In ancient times there were scholars would perform translations. An English Gaelic dictionary was unheard of. Now you can feel like a king thanks to the Internet.
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