Language Learning Tips for Beginners: Dictionaries

Whilst I am always an advocate of a full, hard-back dictionary - the kind that you could cause some serious physical damage with - I do feel that in these modern times, where there is so much technology is at our fingertips, it is OK to supplement the old with something a bit more new and shiny.

So it is not only important to get acquainted with an online dictionary for your chosen language, you will also need to "shop around" to find the best dictionary to suit your needs.

Your needs will depend upon your goals, chosen language and linguistic background, but I have compiled a list below of some of the things that you may need to consider when choosing a good online dictionary:

Interface & Functionality

• Is it clearly laid out?
• If you are likely to require mobile use, does it function well on your Smartphone?
• Is the source language to target language ratio reasonable?  (i.e. can you understand the basic functionality of the dictionary, or would you need to break out your hardback to get that far?)

dict.leo.org - great German dictionary, but not an English word in sight.

• Does it have a search function?  Sounds daft, but many online dictionaries still rely on selecting words from pages of alphabetic lists.
• Are translations available in both directions? (i.e. target>source and source>target).
• Are you able to type in your target language?  If you are learning a language with specific accents or a non-roman alphabet, is there a facility to accommodate this?

ce.linedict.com allows you to search new chinese characters by drawing them

Grammar

• Are example sentences provided for context?
• Are noun plurals provided?
• Are noun genders provided?
• Are verb tables handy and clear to decipher?
• Is the word class elucidated (i.e. adverb, adjective, verb, noun,...)

en.pons.com provides phonetics, phonetic breakdown, word class and noun gender.

Pronunciation

• Are phonetic details provided?  I am a huge fan of learning the phonetics of a language alongside the vocabulary as I feel it really opens up some of the more daunting aspects of a language (i.e. the tricks to knowing pronunciation from a words spelling alone).  If you have a technical mindset then this can make those extra "z"s and "x"s a lot less scary very quickly.

wordreference.com provides sound files and phonetics

• Are sound files available?

Community

• Is there an advice forum for those really tricky translations?  How easy is it to sign up to use this feature?

Usually, given a bit of research, you will quickly be able to identify which dictionary is the right one for you, but I hope that this list helps highlight the possibilities out there and gives some food for thought that might encourage some more active sourcing.

Happy Hunting!  Please feel free to leave recommendations for others in the comments.