Customer Reviews

Kenkyusha's New Japanese - English Dictionary

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a literary translator I've turned to both the 4th and 5th editions thousands of times. There are two essential differences. First, the entries are in romanized Japanese in the 4th, and in kana in the 5th. This might deter some students, but it shouldn't: it doesn't take long to get used to the Japanese system. Second, and far more important, the 5th edition contains 40% more words than the 4th, and the English equivalents provided are far more useful and contemporary. All of us have chuckled and moaned at the quaint "English" that appears here and there in the 4th edition--expressions that one has never heard from the mouth of a native speaker. In the 5th edition these have been replaced with sensible, real-life equivalents.

This book costs 18900 yen, that translates to $160. The amazon pricing is simply put, insane. As a dictionary it's the most authoritative, but as a product it is not worth this much money.

Having worked for too many years now as an interpretor (Japanese to English) and translator and being deemed "native speaker" in the process, I can only say that, if one must use a dictionary, the so-called "Green Goddess" is the only one. A suggestion: Stay from any English-Japanese dictionaries, because they can be quite misleading. Want something cheaper and more authoritative than the Kenyuusha Green Goddess? Use the Japanese TV. Only from real-life situations can one fully grasp the parameters of a word's usage. As the Japanese say, "hada de wakaru".

I got mine through amazon.co.jp and it arrived in 3 days and
was only $195.00. This is a superb reference and now entries are
in kana and not romaji.

It is a great translator and I think everyone should own one.