Research Guides: Translation Resources: Reference Sources

Oxford English Dictionary

Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary is an authoritative English dictionary and an excellent reference source for translation studies.

Find Print Dictionaries

To find monolingual dictionaries, including specialized ones, do an Advanced Keyword Search using subject words "xxx language dictionaries" (e.g., German language dictionaries).

Subject search produces very specific results; for example:

Catalog records for German language -- Dictionaries
Catalog records for German language -- Glossaries, vocabularies, etc
Catalog records for German language -- Idioms -- Dictionaries
Catalog records for German language -- Slang -- Dictionaries

To find bilingual dictionaries, use the Advanced Keyword Search and type the terms English, dictionaries, and the target language you're looking for (e.g., German) into each of the search boxes.

You can also use Subject search following the formula in this example:

German language--Dictionaries--English

To find multilingual dictionaries, do an Advanced Keyword Search using subject words "polyglot dictionaries". To limit these to a specific subject, you can also add another term such as law or medicine.

Online Dictionaries

Credo Reference
The database includes more than a dozen bilingual dictionaries (published primarily by Collins) and over 100 subject dictionaries (in English) from multiple reference publishers.
Oxford Reference Online
Includes English and bilingual dictionaries as well as subject dictionaries and quotations.

Select Dictionaries on the Public Web

Dicts.info (Free Dictionary Project)
Free online dictionaries for many languages.
Lexicool
A directory of "all" the online bilingual and multilingual dictionaries and glossaries freely available on the Internet.
Multilingual Books: Online Dictionaries
"A collection of pages with links to online dictionaries in languages from all over the world, including monolingual online dictionaries, bilingual online dictionaries, online technical and specialty dictionaries, and online translation engines and hyper-dictionaries."
Planet Translation: Bilingual Online Dictionaries and Glossaries
"Planet Translation is a useful and comprehensive source of information on the translation market. Our mission is to provide translators, interpreters, terminologists, and technical writers, as well as those in need of translation services with the information they desire."

Allusions - Dictionaries

Catalog search results for Allusions -- Dictionaries

Etymological Dictionaries

To find etymological dictionaries in various languages, use the following formula:
target language -- Etymology -- Dictionaries; for example:
German language -- Etymology -- Dictionaries

German language -- Foreign words and phrases -- Dictionaries

Idioms - Dictionaries

To find dictionaries of idioms in a language, use the formulas in the examples below:

Picture Dictionaries

To find picture dictionaries in the library catalog use the following formula:
Picture dictionaries -- language; for example:

Rhyming Dictionaries

To find rhyming dictionaries in the library catalog use the following formula:
Target language -- Rhyme -- Dictionaries; for example:

Selected print rhyming dictionaries

Collins Rhyming Dictionary by Rosalind Fergusson; Andrew Motion (Foreword by)
Call Number: Langsam Stacks PE1519 .F37 2006
ISBN: 0007209967
Publication Date: 2007-03-01
Presenting an accessible way to find the rhyme or satiric lyric you need, this dictionary groups together the most satisfactory rhymes, taking stress and vowel assonance into account. It also contains an index that helps you jump straight to the word you're looking for.
Merriam-Webster's Rhyming Dictionary by Merriam-Webster, Inc. Staff (Editor)
Call Number: Langsam Stacks PE1519 .M47 2007
ISBN: 9780877796411
Publication Date: 2007-06-01
New edition! The tool of first resort for a new generation of poets and lyricist. More than 67,000 entries. Includes one-, two-, and three- syllable rhyming words, open compounds, and brand names. Fully cross-referenced for ease of use. Based on the best-selling "Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary"
Oxford Rhyming Dictionary by Clive Upton (Editor); Eben Upton (Editor)
Call Number: Langsam Stacks PE1519 .U67 2004
ISBN: 0192801155
Publication Date: 2004-10-21
Hugely comprehensive and completely up to date, the Oxford Rhyming Dictionary is the ultimate rhymer's companion. An ideal reference tool for songwriters, poets, copywriters, and lyricists, and useful for students and teachers in the classroom, it offers over 85,000 words and is more thantwice the size of most of it's competitors, giving you the best possible chance of finding even the most elusive rhyme. This dictionary is simple and straightforward to use: you locate the word you need in the index, and are referred to the place in the main text where you will find the words that rhyme with it. Browse a little further and you will also find, near by, close rhymes and half rhymes for the word inquestion. Words are organized according to their sound rather than alphabetically, which means you can find a rhyme to match a word as it is spoken, rather than how it is spelt. Whether you're in search of a gluey Drambuie, pastrami with tsunami, or a Salt Lake City subcommittee, this dictionary will help to increase your vocabulary and will take your rhyming skills to a whole new level.

Online rhyming dictionaries

Rhymes at Woxicon
Free rhymes finder in 13 languages.
Rhymezone
WikiRhymer

Synonyms and antonyms

For searching the library catalog use the following formula: Language -- Synonyms and antonyms -- Dictionaries; for example,
English language -- Synonyms and antonyms

Terminology and specialized dictionaries

Terminology

Keyword search results for dictionar* and (terms or terminology)

To find terminology in a special area use the following formula:
dictionar* and (terms or terminology) and [abbreviation or versions of the subject]; for example:

Specialized foreign language dictionaries

To find dictionaries in various subject areas, use the following formula:
subject -- dictionaries -- target language; for example,

Law -- Dictionaries -- German
Science -- Dictionaries -- German
Technology -- Dictionaries -- German

Glossaries

Use the formula in the following examples:

Online Terminilogy Databases

General: Europe

IATE
"IATE (Interactive Terminology for Europe) is the EU's terminology database. It has been used in the EU institutions and agencies since summer 2004 for the collection, dissemination and management of EU-specific terminology. The project was launched in 1999 with the aim of providing a web-based infrastructure for all EU terminology resources, enhancing the availability and standardization of the information."
EuroTermBank
"The EuroTermBank project focuses on harmonisation and consolidation of terminology work in new EU member states, transferring experience from other European Union terminology networks and accumulating competencies and efforts of the accessed countries. The project will result in a centralized online terminology bank for languages of new EU member countries interlinked to other terminology banks and resources." EuroTermBank focuses on Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, but include other EU countries and languages as well.
Eurovoc
Multilingual thesaurus provided by the European Union, representing official European Union languages.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION - Translation and Drafting Resources
Compilation of links to official sites, online bilingual and multilingual dictionaries, term banks and glossaries, for 23 languages of the European Union.

General: United Nations

UNITERM (United Nations Multilingual Terminology Database)
Multilingual terminology database with provides United Nations nomenclature, technical or specialized terms and common phrases in the six official UN languages.

Specialized terminology databases

FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) Term Portal
Access to the UN-FAO FAOTERM database (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish, Russian, Italian) as well as other FAO and non-FAO language resources (other terminology resources, dictionaries, etc.)
Glossaries of Trade Terms
MINÉFITERM
MINÉFITERM is the terminology database of the Translation Centre at the Ministry for the Economy, Industry and Employment and the Ministry for the Budget, Public Accounts and the Civil Service (France) in English, French and German
SICE
Multilingual dictionaries of trade terms compiled by the Organization of American State's Foreign Trade Information System (SICE)

Encyclopedias & Handbooks on Translation

A Companion to Translation Studies by Sandra Bermann (Editor); Catherine Porter (Editor)
Call Number: e-book
ISBN: 9781118616154
Publication Date: 2014-01-22
This companion offers a wide-ranging introduction to the rapidly expanding field of translation studies, bringing together some of the best recent scholarship to present its most important current themes Features new work from well-known scholars Includes a broad range of geo-linguistic and theoretical perspectives Offers an up-to-date overview of an expanding field A thorough introduction to translation studies for both undergraduates and graduates Multi-disciplinary relevance for students with diverse career goals
Encyclopedia of Literary Translation into English by Olive Classe (Editor)
Call Number: Langsam Reference PN241 .E43 2000 v.1-2
ISBN: 1884964362
Publication Date: 2000-12-01
First published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
The Oxford Guide to Literature in English Translation by Peter France (Editor)
Call Number: Langsam Stacks
ISBN: 0198183593
Publication Date: 2000-05-11
The Oxford Guide to Literature in English Translation highlights the place of translation in our culture, encouraging awareness of the issues raised, making the translator more visible. Concentrating on major writers and works, it covers translations out of many languages, from Greek to Korean, from Swahili to Russian. For some works (e.g. Virgil's Aeneid) which have been much translated, the discussion is historical and critical, showing how translation has evolved over the centuries and bringing out the differences between versions. Elsewhere, with less familiar literatures, the Guide examines the extent to which translation has done justice to the range of work available. The Guide is divided into two parts. Part I contains substantial essays on theoretical questions, a pioneering outline of the history of translation into English, and discussions of the problems raised by specific types of text. The second part consists of entries grouped by language of origin; some are devoted to individual texts (e.g. the Thousand and One Nights) or writers (e.g. Ibsen, Proust), but the majority offer a critical overview of a genre (e.g. Chinese poetry, Spanish Golden Age drama) or of a national literature (e.g. Hungarian,Scottish Gaelic). There is a selective bibliography for each entry and an index of authors and translators.
A Practical Guide for Translators by Geoffrey Samuelsson-Brown
Call Number: Langsam Stacks P306 .S25 1998
ISBN: 1853594296
Publication Date: 1998-10-21
An invaluable guide that offers practical advice on most aspects of translation, for those who have little or no practical experience of translation in a commercial environment, particularly those who wish to freelance. This revised edition (first was 1993) adds new information on electronic publishing and other emerging technologies. It assumes only a basic knowledge of personal computers (and, of course, fluency in the target language).
Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies by Mona Baker (Editor); Gabriela Saldanha (Editor)
Call Number: e-book
ISBN: 1317391748
Publication Date: 2019-09-20
The Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies remains the most authoritative reference work for students and scholars interested in engaging with the phenomenon of translation in all its modes and in relation to a wide range of theoretical and methodological traditions. This new edition provides a considerably expanded and updated revision of what appeared as Part I in the first and second editions. Featuring 132 as opposed to the 75 entries in Part I of the second edition, it offers authoritative, critical overviews of additional topics such as authorship, canonization, conquest, cosmopolitanism, crowdsourced translation, dubbing, fan audiovisual translation, genetic criticism, healthcare interpreting, hybridity, intersectionality, legal interpreting, media interpreting, memory, multimodality, nonprofessional interpreting, note-taking, orientalism, paratexts, thick translation, war and world literature. Each entry ends with a set of annotated references for further reading.