Dictionaries and References
There are many online dictionaries available. We recommend the following:
- Word Reference. For general language.
- Le grand dictionnaire terminologique.For the specialised vocabulary of business and professions.
- Google Translate. This has to be used with caution as some translations can be wrong and even bizarre. It is clear that the artificial intelligence software that powers Google Translation has been making great advances and it is generally reliable, but not good enough yet for business purposes.
- Wikipedia can be very useful for translating. You simply look up the article in one language and then click on the other language on the menu on the left.
- Linguee is not a dictionary. It's more of a database of translations of documents by leading European organisations such as the European Parliament and the European Central Bank. It can be interesting to compare the different ways translators have dealt with various expressions in different contexts. Translation is an art requiring rigour and imagination.