yndigo

The state of terminology research on-line and off

A proper translator’s resume used to include a line about the hundreds of dictionaries she had in her library. This practice is fading as the Internet’s content grows more comprehensive. Many early Internet glossaries, like sites in general, were inchoate and neglected, and “real” dictionaries remained indispensible. One Web critic asserted early on that true to the nature of a web, the World Wide Web is broad, but not deep.

Many gaps have now been filled, many glossaries fleshed out, and some full dictionaries have made their way to the Internet unabridged. What’s more, some creative Googling can result in the perfect target-language — or even bilingual — contextual resources in almost any industry.

Real dictionaries shouldn’t be trashed just yet, though. In general, much more time is spent compiling and cross-checking terms in a dictionary’s published edition than an on-line glossary. And just like obsolete formats in music, not all albums, cassettes, or CDs have been transferred to the new media.