The Knight Library has many Spanish and bilingual dictionaries, including historical and topical ones, both in the Reference section on the first floor and in the stacks on the third floor. To browse the collection of Spanish dictionaries that you can borrow, go to the third floor and check the call numbers between PC 4625 and PC 4670, or do a subject search in the library catalog for "Spanish language dictionaries English". English-Spanish bilingual dictionaries are at PC 4640.
SPANISH-ENGLISH DICTIONARIES
Spanish College Dictionary by
The "HarperCollins Spanish College Dictionary is a standout--you're holding the best buy on the shelf in your hands right now. Here's why: Easiest to use: Usage levels are indicated throughout, with extensive examples to illustrate how words are used in context. A system of style labels identifies whether a word is formal, informal, literary, vulgar, dated, or euphemistic. In addition, specific meanings are clearly marked to guide the user to the correct treatment. The text also includes illustrations of pronunciations through the usage of the International Phonetic Alphabet, enabling easy access and effective communication for educational, business, and traveling purposes. Most consistently updated: HarperCollins dictionaries are updated more frequently than the competition, giving you the edge in reading, writing and understanding the language. Comprehensive: Fully updated coverage of both Spanish and English, including business, technological,and cultural terms and complete coverage of Latin-American usage. Here's a sampling of the new terms this edition includes: aromatherapy karaoke autoimmune male menopause carphone rollerblade circuit-training spellchecker cyberspace strapline dietetics telemarketing downsize teleshopping fly-drive varifocal junk TV virtuality
Oxford Spanish Dictionary
Compiled by expert teams of Spanish and English lexicographers and boasting a two-color layout, the Oxford Spanish Dictionary provides the richest, most contemporary coverage of Spanish from around the world. The result of thorough research using sophisticated computer programs to search for new terminology and ensure that all the latest vocabulary from Latin American Spanish and American English is covered, this superb resource covers over 24 varieties of Spanish as it is written and spoken throughout the Spanish-speaking world--from Spain to Mexico, from Peru to the River Plate. The fourth edition includes more than 4,000 new words, with over 300,000 words and phrases and half a million translations in total. The dictionary provides extensive supplementary material covering business, IT, and scientific terminology, and a completely revised section on the cultures of Spanish and English-speaking countries. As in previous editions, there are thousands of sample sentences to illustrate meaning and usage, special emphasis on idioms and regional expressions, and extensive glosseries for easy identification of senses, style, levels, and more. The volume also offers more than 100 pages of helpful appendices. The Oxford Spanish Dictionary includes a free SpeakSpanish Pronunciation CD-ROM, which enables you to type in a word or phrase or even paste in text from the web, and hear it spoken back to you in perfect Spanish. A work of unprecedented scope that captures how both languages are spoken and written in all contexts--from literature to informal speech to technical writing--the Oxford Spanish Dictionary is the ideal reference for native speakers of either language. Accessible, attractively designed, and wide-ranging, this dictionary is an essential tool for all students and teachers, as well as translators and language professionals. The Oxford Spanish Dictionary is the ultimate resource and the first place to turn for answers to all Spanish-English language questions.
SPANISH DICTIONARIES
In addition to being a free online dictionary, Word Reference also has language forums where native speakers and language learners can discuss meanings of words in context of phrases or geography. For example, the metro in Spain is the subte in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Another great site for looking up how to say a phrase is Linguee. You can search a whole phrase, and the site will search the internet to find comparable phrases on other sites. For example, the English idiom "pulling one's leg" means to tease or trick someone, but in Spanish the expression is "tomar el pelo" or pull a hair. Watch out for literal translations!
Do you know of another useful site? Please send your suggestions to Jeff Staiger, jstaiger@uoregon.edu.
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