MED Magazine - Issue 42 - September 2006 How do you go about writing a bilingual dictionary? Introduction If I had a pound for every time I’ve been asked that question, I could probably stop writing them. I don’t think I’ve ever given anyone who has asked a straight answer though. It’s a process that not that long ago took about a decade, so how do you go about describing that at a dinner party, on a bus journey or indeed in a short article? Dictionaries past and present The whole business of dictionary writing – especially the timescale – has changed enormously since those days, as indeed have the dictionaries themselves, which in part answers the second most common question you’re asked when you reveal you’re a lexicographer: Why do we need any more dictionaries? My reply to that is usually simpler: Would they expect schools to still be using textbooks from the 1950s? A dictionary is a tool that reflects language and its use and must therefore keep abreast of developments and the times as well as increasingly meet the specific needs of particular user groups. Dictionaries need to be pitched to maximize their benefits. A dictionary aimed at young learners of English, for example, will differ significantly from one intended for university students or professionals. There are general dictionaries, business dictionaries, legal dictionaries; an endless list of types and permutations. Content aside, technological developments – most dictionaries these days are simultaneously published in print and electronic format – as well as the look and feel of products we choose to buy all contribute to the need for publishers to regularly update their products as well as occasionally aim to come up with ground-breaking new angles or distinguishing features that will further help and interest each new generation of dictionary user. The essential process of compiling a bilingual dictionary remains basically the same although technological advances have improved and dramatically shortened the process. Whereas once you could have got away with just working on two or three major projects for your entire lexicographic career, these days a project can last from as little as six months to a couple of years, depending on how much data a publisher already holds in its databanks and how sophisticated their data-processing systems are to get at a targeted starting point for a new product. One thing to remember about bilingual dictionaries that cannot be underestimated in the planning, is that a bilingual dictionary has two sides, each involving the source and target language with the basic process having to be worked through for each side by native speakers of both languages. Five basic steps to writing a bilingual dictionary 1 Compilation of a framework Gather linguistic evidence Whereas in my early days, this process involved a couple of afternoons a week leafing through publications ranging from The Economist to Hello, armed with a highlighter pen, a set of index cards for recording finds, and an all-important cup of tea and a biscuit, these days the use of a corpus, with millions of words captured and numerous search and query tools at the lexicographer’s disposal, takes out a lot of the effort (and fun!) as well as offering a more scientific and representative map of the language to start out from. Painstakingly analyze and
categorize it Construct a framework Now that framework compilation is computerized, there are complex tagging structures to categorize the data down to the last detail. Everything from the headword to the punctuation is controlled by different tags and this makes the output and manipulation of data a lot easier and more cost-effective than in the old days of long-hand compilation and keying. 2 Translation of the framework
entries 3 Bilingual edit 4 Consistency checks 5 Final edit and proofreading Conclusion So, whenever I get asked the same old question again, I can just whip out a copy of this article and that should make anyone sorry they ever asked! On the few occasions I’ve mistaken someone’s passing curiosity as genuine interest and engaged with their opening question, another question invariably follows: But doesn’t it get boring? Well, yes, sometimes it does as no doubt aspects of every job do. The point is that nothing much is that interesting until you’re immersed in it and you have to struggle to make sense of it and get the job done. A bilingual dictionary is like an enormous jigsaw puzzle where you’ve got to keep trying the different pieces – although unlike a jigsaw puzzle, there are many possible combinations and pictures those pieces could make. That struggle, together with different language combinations, product specifications and the chosen angle, keep the process alive and bring a new dimension to the work each time. Copyright © 2006 Macmillan Publishers Limited This webzine is brought to you by Macmillan Education |