Customer Reviews

Webster's New World International Spanish Dictionary / Webster's New World Diccionario Internacional Espaol: English-Spanish Spanish-English / Ingls-Espaol Espaol-Ingls

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I am a native Spanish speaker, professional translator and former Bilingual Media Coordinator for the California Legislature. Additionally, I have been in Spanish-language media for over 25 years. Throughout my career(s) I have reviewed numerous bilingual dictionaries and found them to be lacking. Without a doubt, Simon and Schuster's dictionary is the most complete and accurate resource of its kind. The dictionary includes the latest terminology, including idioms and regionalisms, elements of gramar and a guide to pronunciation for both English and Spanish. I firmly believe that Simon & Schuster's International Dictionary: English/Spanish, Spanish/English should be stocked in every book store and library, particularly those serving educational institutions.

THERE, I SAID IT: IT IS A GREAT DICTIONARY. HOWEVER... NOTWITHSTANDING THE IMPRINT (WEBSTER'S) AND COPYRIGHT YEAR (2004), IT IS MERELY A REPRINT OF SIMON & SCHUSTER'S INTERNATIONAL SPANISH DICTIONARY, SECOND EDITION (1997!). SO BUYERS BEWARE. IF YOU ALREADY HAVE, AS I HAVE, S&S's DICTIONARY, DON'T BOTHER. IT EVEN HAS THE SAME MISTAKES (COMPRENHENSIVE, ON PAGE 135; GOVERNACIÓN [RATHER THAN GOBERNACIÓN] UNDER GOVERNANCE, ON PAGE 311; MALFEANSANCE, ON PAGE 453; ADEUDAR [RATHER THAN ADECUAR] UNDER MATCH, ON PAGE 561; DEDICAIÓN [RATHER THAN DEDICACIÓN] ON PAGE 1106, TO MENTION A FEW) AND OMISSIONS (YOU'LL NEVER FIND MANAGER). SEVEN YEARS AFTER THE SECOND EDITION OF THE S&S WAS PRINTED, YOU'D THINK THAT THE EDITORS OR PUBLISHERS WOULD AT LEAST PROOFREAD THE MANUSCRIPT BEFORE MISLEADING BUYERS WITH A NEW IMPRINT. IT IS, MY COMPLAINTS NOTWITHSTANDING, A MUST. ALONG WITH HARPER COLLINS SPANISH UNABRIDGED DICTIONARY (SEVENTH EDITION), OXFORD SPANISH DICTIONARY (THIRD EDITION), AND HARRAP'S SPANISH DICTIONARY (2003 EDITION), YOU'RE UNLIKELY TO FIND ANYTHING BETTER.

As a professional translator, I have used almost all the popular English/Spanish and Spanish/English dictionaries. This dictionary has the most accurate translations that I have ever seen. It is almost as a translation of the Webster's Dictionary. A must for all translators.

Since Spanish is spoken in many different countries and regions in the world, most countries have developed their regionalisms unique to their culture and tradition. The United States and California in particular seem to have a rich and diverse Spanish-speaking population. I think this dictionary helps understanding these unique terms and phrases.

If you a wondering why I write this review, it's because this dictionary has already paid for itself since I purchased it from Amazon.com

My Master's thesis was a review of Spanish-English dictionaries. Based on my research, I cannot recommend the Simon and Schuster's International.

On the plus side, it does have a large lexicon, and on occasion I have found a word in it I found nowhere else. But the dictionary's problems are many.

Its lexicographic technique is, to say the least, inferior. Take for example the English noun "Spring": "1. muelle, resorte. 2. rebote, elasticidad. 3. (fig.) elasticidad, vigor, energia. 4. fuente, manantial. 5. (fig.) fuente, principio, origen. 6. salto, brinco, corcovo. 7. primavera. For the English speaker writing in Spanish, this is hopelessly inadequate, as the dictionary provides no clues as to which word to use in which context.

Compare the treatment of the same word in the far superior American Heritage Spanish Dictionary: "(coil) resorte m, muelle m; (resilience) elasticidad f; (jump) salto; (fountain) fuente f, manantial m; (season) primavera; (source) fuente, origen." This is far more useful, as the dictionary provides glosses in the native language to guide the user through the choices.

A second problem with the Simon & Schuster is its poor organization. This is important in large desk dictionaries. In an entry for a complex word like "get," the Simon & Schuster forces users to lose time searching for their translation through unbroken columns that extend for more than a page.

Third, a good dictionary should maintain an up-to-date lexicon, including such cultural and technological additions to the language as "baby sitter," "hostile takeover," "software," "flash drive." The Simon & Schuster Dictionary is mediocre in this respect.

It has many errors, including some with false cognates (words that appear to mean the same in both languages but do not) and wastes space on unnecessary definitions.

The Simon & Schuster fails to live up to its claim as an "Intermational" dictionary. While its treatment of Spanish regionalisms is scanty, the depths to which it is bound by its American origins and fails to cover British English makes its title a mockery.

Due to its wide coverage, some users may find reason to add this work to their collection of Spanish-English dictionaries. But as a user's only dictionary, it is a poor choice. Oxford, Collins, and Larousse offer large dictionaries which do much better on all of the issues mentioned above. Most users should buy one of these instead.

I am a Spanish/English - English Spanish Certified Translator from Bogota, Colombia. I have worked in Mining, Pretroleum, Medical and Legal fields for more than 15 years, in Colombia and abroad and found this dictionary one of the most valuable tools in my daily life.

This dictionary preserves the essence of the languages and interpret their mutations in usage without distorting them.

When a colleague or a friend of mine is in the need of a meaning of a word, I usually say to them: "My favorite dictionary is here waiting for you, and remember, if you do not find it here, it does not exist."

I highly recommend the Simon & Schuster's International Dictionary for its foreign acquisitions, national and regional variants, the variety of meanings given to certain terms, the many slogans, and even the vulgarisms which do not appear in other dictionaries. Furthermore, it is one of the most complete and up-to-date bilingual dictionary in the Spanish and English-speaking worlds.

Soy una persona de habla hispana y he usado muchos diccionarios para traducir desde el Ingles al Español y viceversa. Creo realmente que no hay otro diccionario mejor que Simon and Schuster, para una persona comun. Tiene todo lo que se puede necesitar desde un ingles/español cotidiano hasta mucha terminología tecnica. Incluyen muy buenas expresiones. Es realmente el diccionario que debe comprar cualquier persona que busque una buena herramienta para los idiomas Ingles y Español

I am a Spanish major at NCSU and have browsed many spanish dictionaries. This is an invaluable resourse. I took the hard cover edition, which is HUGE, to my final exam of my 400 level "methods and techniques in translation" class. Not only did I find everything I needed for a very technical exam, but many classmates needed to borrow my book. If you are a student, you need this dictionary. It is the most accurate Spanish dictionary I have seen.

When I was working as an Army linguist, this was widely regarded as the most complete Spanish-English dictionary. Its entries are comprehensive, with excellent examples of contextual usage and thorough treatment of idiomatic usage. It is well worth every penny for a linguist with a solid grounding in basic vocabulary.

The other reviews are right about the mistakes in this dictionary; in that respect it is actually somewhat dissapointing. However, I can't even imagine what it takes to write the perfect dictionary, and this one is very good.

I am not a professional translator, but I do some translations for local government officials for our sister city program with Mexico. Therefore, I have a collection of dictionaries, and by far my favorite is the NEW WORLD "CONCISE" SPANISH DICTIONARY. It is half as big as this one, hence I use both. When I bought this one, I thought it was the unabridged version of the CONCISE, but to my dissappointment, they are not related at all.

Whatever you buy, avoid the MERRIAM-WEBSTER Spanish-English Dictionary: almost useless.

This is the best bilingual dictionary ever conceived. I don't understand how someone claiming to be a Phd in Spanish can say that the Oxford is better, when virtually every linguist states the opposite. Any bilingual writer or journalist, who has to use both languages on an everyday basis, can atest to the fact that, for precision, accuracy in meanings and reliability, the Simon & Schuster's is a much better tool.

There exists also a list (known among linguists) of 17 words that any good English-Spanish dictionary should contain. All these words are in the Simon & Schuster's, but only 11 of them can be found in the Oxford. And the Larousse is not a bad dictionary; in fact, it is very reliable, but doesn't match the accuracy and thoroughness of the S&S. Certainly, the Oxford is the poorest of the three.