|
|
Viewing Review: Barron's German-English Dictionary (Woerterbuch)Review: Barron's German-English Dictionary (Woerterbuch)
By Kathy Steinemann
Barron's has produced an excellent German-English/English-German dictionary with over 100,000 entries. It covers the German Spelling Reform (Rechtschreibreform) of 2006. Barron's also produces dictionaries for French, Italian, and Spanish in a similar format. • Although advertised as a paperback, the dictionary actually has a tough plastic binding that should stand up to tough usage. The price is a fraction of what I have paid for similar hardcover dictionaries in the past. • There is a free electronic edition that you can download by using a special PIN card hidden inside the dictionary in a little envelope. The download allows you to use the dictionary on PCs, as well as most PDAs and smartphones. The supported operating systems include Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Palm OS, Windows Mobile, Symbian OS, MS Smartphone, Blackberry, and others. • Its compact size makes it more attractive than some other dictionaries I have tried - at 22.1 x 15 x 5.1 cm (8.7 x 6 x 2 in). • The English is American-style (not British). • An alphabetical thumb index makes searching easier and quicker. • The layout is visually pleasing. The type is not too small, and it is easy to pick out the information you are looking for without spending an inordinate amount of time searching. • Dated, pejorative, offensive, informal, and childish vocabulary is indicated, as are many other important items of information. • Headwords are provided along with translations, parts of speech, and pronunciation guide, as well as example phrases and idiomatic expressions. • Both new (post Rechtschreibreform) and old spellings are provided for appropriate words, such as dass (daß). • The dictionary begins with a usage guide, using yellow highlighting to clarify instructions. • The center of the dictionary features a colorful mini-atlas that graphically indicates counties where English and German are spoken. • Towards the back of the dictionary, you will find many extras such as: * Concise German grammar guide (written in English) * List of irregular German verbs * Concise English grammar guide (written in German) * List of the most important irregular English verbs * German prefixes and combining forms * German suffixes and combining forms * English prefixes and combining forms * English suffixes and combining forms * False friends * Numerals, ordinal numbers, fractions, multiples, decimal system * Conversion tables for length, surface, volume, weight * Geographical names: German to English and English to German * Symbols and abbreviations Barron's Foreign Language Guides German-English Dictionary (Wörterbuch Deutsch-Englisch) * ISBN-10: 0764137638 * ISBN-13: 978-0764137631 For the price, this dictionary is an excellent purchase, and I intend to buy a couple of extra copies. (c) Copyright Kathy Steinemann: This article is free to publish only if this copyright notice, the byline, and the author's note below (with active links) are included. About the Author: Kathy enjoys creating articles about learning foreign languages, especially German. She enjoys writing German-English short stories and poetry whenever she has time. You can also find more of her articles at 1st Rate Articles. Article Source: A Language Guide - http://www.a-language-guide.com More free articles: 1st Rate Articles - 1stRateArticles.com |
|