This is the second post on Terminology
Research. This post focuses on the glossaries that I use most often. Since I
specialise in translating legal and social sciences texts I am most familiar
with glossaries for these fields. It is particularly difficult to find
glossaries for some subjects and often using the techniques and resources
outlined in Part I can
be more helpful than trawling the internet for glossaries that may not be very reliable.
Considering this, it is always worth checking that the translation you have
found is the most appropriate for the context. This can be done by finding examples
of how the suggested translation has been used in an actual published text from
a reputable source (well-known newspapers, companies’ websites, etc.).
Glossaries:
The glossaries use I most often are organised into folders under
different categories in my Favourites folder:
KEY
*Glossaries
I use very often or official websites that should be reliable.
*Glossaries
I use to give me an idea, but this idea should be verified.
*Glossaries
I prefer not to use, but as a last resort I will see if what they say can be
verified elsewhere or point me in the right direction.
Ø
Translation
Ø English Glossaries
Ø Finance
Ø Legal
Ø Social Sciences
Ø Spanish Resources
Ø Finance
Ø
Legal
Ø
Social Sciences
Ø French Resources
Ø Finance/Business
Ø Legal
*Haopi (copyright law)
This is merely a list of the glossaries that I use most often and
it is by no means exhaustive. Unsurprisingly there are more financial, legal
and business glossaries available than social sciences ones. For research into less
prominent areas, like social sciences, articles and dedicated websites can be much
more useful research tools.
If a glossary cannot be searched online or is available to
download, I will usually download it and convert it into a format that can be
fed through OmegaT i.e. plaintext documents in which
terms are separated from their translations by a tab. You can do this in
various ways and I have found it easiest to 1. copy the table into word, 2. cut
it (Ctrl + X) and 3. paste it unformatted (Ctrl + Shift + V). For this to work
you must make sure you have set columns to be replaced by a tab (usually the
default setting).
The European Parliament has made their searchable database of
glossaries
available to the public. I have yet to explore this but I don't see how it
could fail to be an excellent resource.
Online dictionaries:
The OED website is a subscription only online version of arguably
the most comprehensive and reliable English dictionary available. So far I have
had access to the website through my university and the Council and I have not
yet decided if it is worth buying my own subscription.
The RAE website is a public online version of the Spanish language dictionary for peninsular (as opposed to Latin American)
Spanish.
I prefer this online monolingual French dictionary to others
available as it is simple to use, generally has straightforward definitions
(though is not very useful for specialised contexts) and has an encyclopaedia
and a bilingual section.
Very occasionally I will consult a physical dictionary if I am
struggling to find a definitive answer elsewhere.
Please feel free to use the comments box to add any other
suggestions and useful resources.
Thanks!
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