10 Essential German-English Dictionaries for Translators

German-English Dictionaries

All translators need dictionaries to help them translate texts from one language to another, and German-English dictionaries are among the most useful of these tools. In fact, it would be impossible to translate without them! To help you find the best German-English dictionaries, here are 10 essential options that will help you in your daily work as a translator. These dictionaries range from authoritative to small and portable—and everything in between! Let’s take a look at each of these options, as well as some things you should consider when buying your next German-English dictionary!

1) Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology

The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology is a dictionary of the etymologies (the origins) of words in the English language. It was published in 2009 by Oxford University Press and edited by Michael Adams, David Crystal, Simon J Greenhill, and John Simpson. This dictionary contains over 200,000 entries covering all aspects of English vocabulary including roots, prefixes, suffixes, and derivatives. This dictionary also includes information on how words have changed through time. For example, if you want to know why “pestilence” comes from the Latin word pestis, this dictionary can tell you. If you’re looking for more specific information about the history of a particular word, this dictionary has what you need.

Since its first publication in 1998, The Oxford Dictionary of English has quickly become established as one of the most authoritative and best-selling dictionaries on both sides of the Atlantic. While aimed primarily at native speakers, it is also a valuable source of reference for translators, with over 100,000 entries covering all common words and phrases.

2) The Merriam-Webster Dictionary

This dictionary is a well-known staple among professional translators and interpreters. It includes translations from German to English in an extremely convenient format. Rather than having to flip through pages of small print, you can simply access what you need with a few clicks on your computer’s keyboard. It’s available both online and as a downloadable application. A downside is that it isn’t as thorough as other dictionaries out there, but it makes up for it by being easier to use and more accessible.

3) The Collins Dictionary

Looking to learn or teach something new? If you’re an English teacher, translator, or any other kind of language professional, you’ll find Collins Dictionary invaluable. The dictionary is designed to cater to every level of language learner—from students who are just learning their first words up through advanced linguists. At 937 pages (as a paper version), it packs in a lot of information and plenty of useful features like a verb conjugator, word origins, and sample sentences.

4) The Oxford Medical Dictionary

The Oxford Medical Dictionary is an essential tool for medical translators and interpreters who work with complicated medical terminology. This dictionary includes all of your standard medical terms, as well as specialized ones. While it doesn’t cover any other languages beyond English, French, and German, you can use it to check your translation into a language that you do know. It also features many abbreviations commonly used in medical settings.

The Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) is a comprehensive resource for the study of regional dialects in the United States. The DARE contains over 3 million words, including definitions, pronunciations, etymologies, and examples of usage. The DARE is divided into four sections: North America, South America, Canada, and Caribbean. Each section covers different regions within those countries, so you can easily navigate to the area you need.

5) The Collins Cobuild Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

This dictionary is widely used by translators and interpreters, as it contains excellent examples and example sentences that are particularly helpful when translating from English to German. It’s also easy to use: Simply enter a word into its search engine, then choose German or English as needed. You can also see your full translation in context on a single page, which helps you understand how it’s being used in that particular piece of writing.

6) Longman’s Medical Dictionary (Bilingual Edition – English/German Edition)

Longman’s Medical Dictionary is a reference book of approximately 10,000 entries that provides definitions and explanations for words used in medicine. This dictionary contains every term and phrase a medical translator needs to know in order to translate from English into German, or vice versa. It has up-to-date terminology and features important new medical terms relevant to modern science and technology.

7) The Routledge dictionary of modern idiomatic expressions

A comprehensive guide to everyday words and phrases. Features idioms in current usage, including colloquialisms that have made their way into standard English. Includes definitions and examples of more than 4,500 idiomatic expressions, drawn from a wide range of source material—popular songs, websites, adverts, plays, poems and novels as well as literary works by Shakespeare, Austen and Wilde among others. Comes with a companion website with audio recordings where available.

8) New Oxford American Dictionary (Bilingual edition – English/German Edition)

Anyone serious about learning a new language should get The New Oxford American Dictionary. Whether it’s your native tongue or something else, you need to know it inside and out—and have a good grasp of its quirks, too. The Oxford dictionaries are great because they not only list word meanings in several languages but also offer extensive background information on each definition. These books make excellent resources for anyone who writes in multiple languages or is planning to do so professionally.

9) Webster’s Revised Unabridged

The online version of an 1828 English dictionary, edited by Noah Webster, that claims to offer all words in use in America at that time. It’s a fantastic resource and includes historical notes on each word. Don’t let its age fool you; it’s still an excellent dictionary today. It’s also entirely free!

10) Chambers Dictionary

The Chambers Dictionary is one of few bilingual dictionaries to include pictures, which makes it particularly valuable for beginner translators. It’s also designed specifically with foreign students in mind, so you can expect a lot of translation of specialized terms and usage that you won’t find in other dictionaries.

Ten apps that help you learn German

There is hardly anything we use more often in everyday life than our smartphones. So if you are in the process of learning German with us, you can also use your mobile phone for this. There are many dictionary apps, both paid and free, to help you study. However, it is important to say that an app cannot replace a language course. It can only contribute successfully to practice. In the following we will introduce you to some of the best apps for learning German, you may already have some of them on your smartphone. Also, all apps are available for IOs and Android.

1. Duolingo.

Duolingo is one of the most popular online dictionaries and language courses out there. The idea behind it was to create a program that would make the learning of languages fun and easy. The problem with Duolingo is that it doesn’t really teach you how to speak or write in another language, but rather just gives you words from which you can guess what they mean. This makes it very hard to learn a new language because the only way you’ll know if you’re guessing right is by asking someone who speaks your target language and seeing if they understand you. What makes it stand out is the fact that it’s an app for both machine and human translation.

2. Voice Recorder

This app is usually already installed on every smartphone, but is used very rarely. Especially when you are learning German, the dictaphone can be very helpful. The app features offline support, auto suggestions, audio pronunciations, and more. You can even read vocabulary with translation from a book and then listen to it later or on the go. Of course, the same goes for grammar topics. You can record yourself explaining the topic. The app provides professionally recorded translation audios along with standard written pronunciation guides.

This way you learn twice, because on the one hand you have to explain the topic, which means you have understood it, and on the other hand you have to memorize possible special cases by listening. You can also record conversations, for example with your language teacher, of course only if they agree. Voice recorder also provides areas solely for the voice translator and text-to-speech feature.

It is one of the greatest free translation and language dictionary apps available, capable of translating text messages, voice-to-voice translations. This feature-rich translator could use an offline mode, though, just like most other major translator apps and also features alternative translations.It is one of the best free translation apps and language dictionary apps that can translate text messages, voice-to-voice, as well as text-to-voice translations.

3. Busuu

6. DW Learn German

The DW Learn German app offers various ways to learn German, e.g. B. selecting a video series or interactive exercises? Even as a beginner, it is very easy to learn via the DW app. If you still don’t understand where to start learning, take a quick and easy placement test and find out which course is right for you. Using this app is completely free. All of the app’s content is streamed from the internet and doesn’t take up much storage space on your phone. The machine translation feature of this app is referred to as the quick translation on iOS or free professional translations on Android.

7. drop: Learn German. speak German

8. Learn German quickly: German course

9. Tandem Language Exchange

Tandem is the largest language exchange app with millions of users. The user can collaborate with a native speaker and practice languages. Find your partner and start chatting to speak German.

This app uses a social learning method where you and the other person form a team and teach each other your native language. Besides chatting, you can also make voice calls, video calls, text messages, and picture messages.

10. HalloTalk

It is a global language learning and language exchange app that connects you with speakers of other languages ​​including English, Japanese, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, Turkish and 150+ languages. Basically, you and the other person speak the language and vice versa. Someone who speaks the language and wants to learn your language. Two people teach each other through voice messages or texts.

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