Customer Reviews

Lithuanian Dictionary: English-Lithuanian/Lithuanian-English

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This English-Lithuanian Dictionary is very easy to use in translating from English to Lithuanian and I really like the abundant selection of words. There are also example sentences for almost every word. The introductions are written in English and Lithuanian, but the English instructions help the best and are more thorough. What I find very helpful is the middle section which has about 30 pages of notes on grammar. This is a quick and easy reference guide in case you forget the declension or conjugation of a word and then you won't have to look it up in another book. There is also a section on Geographical areas and Acronyms. If you are looking for a book with Dictionary, English AND Lithuanian instruction, and a short section on grammar reference, this book is for you. However, I must note that this Dictionary is for intermediate speakers and writers of the Lithuanian and English Language. If you are not familiar with the language, you may have problems understanding the dictionary and the concepts it is trying to convey.

No criticism of the authors, but it would be fair to say that the dictionary could be much better.

In essence, it is just an improved version of the Soviet-time Lithuanian dictionaries, compiled at the time when authors had little chance of travelling to an English-speaking country and had little familitarity with living language (you can still feel that most of the English vernacular relates more to Dickens than to modern life).

There is evidence of badly lacking knowledge of anything remotely economic or scientific: you will be referring to specialized dictionaries very often. It is fair to say that the book is good for a student or a casual user; any professional translator or linguist should have low expectations to avoid disappointment.

Significant work has been done improving the dictionary compared to previous editions, but not nearly enough. At the same time, publishing dictionaries is a notoriously expensive business, involving years of work by many people - something that no publishing house in Lithuania can afford at the moment. In the circumstances, it is the best dictionary available and it will have to do; there is still enormous room for improvement.

If you're unaware of this language, then this really isn't for you. Otherwise for the intermediate lugan speaker, GO FOR IT. I have a Lithuanian Dictionary that I purchased in Lithuania, Its good. But this is MUCH better. This has both Lithuanian and English Dictionary in it. Great job to Bronius Piesarskas, Bronius Svecevicius. Knowing of the language they have performed a great task in putting this all down in print. Sveikas!

Routledge's LITHUANIAN DICTIONARY is a reprinting of the dictionary by Bronius Piesarskas and Bronius Svecevicius originally published by the Zodynas press in Vilnius in 1994. The material contributed for Routledge's edition comes to only a new cover, and a brief supplement by Ian Press on Lithuanian grammar which says no more than would the decent textbook you should already have.

As far as dictionaries go, this is pretty comprehensive and well-edited, not the paltry list of one-to-one translations that one finds in e.g. Hippocrene dictionaries of smaller languages. I believe this is the best option for English speakers learning Lithuanian. HOWEVER, as the dictionary was originally written for Lithuanians learning English, one important matter is missing from the Lithuanian items: the accent. The accent is especially important for scholars of comparative Baltic or Indo-European linguistics, one of the larger audiences for a Lithuanian dictionary, and it's a real pity not to see the accent indicated here. Students of the Lithuanian language should ensure that they make sure the accent of newly-learnt vocabulary items from a native speaker.

I strongly suggest avoiding the Routledge printing of this dictionary. It is a fragile paperback whose binding cannot lie flat and which will soon begin to crack. It is also very overpriced, something that one regrettably comes to expect from Routledge. There's a 2002 hardbound edition from Zodynas that is very durable and can be had from Lithuania for cheap if you can pick it up there or acquire it from a Lithuanian bookshop in the U.S.

I am an American-born Lithuanian speaker who learned an "old-fashioned" version of Lithuanian from my grandparents with many Anglisized words and Polonized words. I have been using this dictionary for the the past ten years in assisting in translation in both directions and it is an invaluable treasure for me. I've also learned modernized Lithuanian words for which my family had employed contrived or corrupted vocabulary. I've never referred to another Lithuanian dictionary since. As for the gentleman who had concerns about the quality of the Routledge paperback binding, with the heavy, heavy use that both my own copy and that of my mother have received, both bindings remain entirely intact though the edges of the pages are brown from fingers paging through. This is the definitive Lithuanian-English dictionary hands down.