A Note About Dictionaries and Online Translators

Throughout the year we will do dictionary activities in class to help students learn how to use these tools most effectively. We will also use online translators and dictionaries to reveal their strengths and weaknesses.

First year students should use their textbook as their major reference book. Students who plan to study Spanish seriously (two or more years) should invest in a good dictionary. A good dictionary should be large enough to include at least 40,000 words and small enough to fit in a backpack. Electronic dictionaries are available, but a regular paper dictionary is much more economical. Electronic dictionaries are more likely to be broken or stolen; they also cause distractions in class.

Online translators are getting better every year, but there is no translator currently available that can write even as well as a first-year student of Spanish. These programs confuse parts of speech, mangle sentence structure, and choose words that students don't know. Misuse of an online translator (typing in whole sentences and copying machine translations into assignments) is a violation of class policy. Students will lose credit for the assignment each time and be suspended after the second instance. Worse than that, they will not learn any Spanish from the assignment.

If you see your child using an online translator, please remind him/her that dictionaries (paper or online varieties) are far superior resources. If an assignment is frustrating, remind your child that I am available to help after school or during seminar. My goals are to help students be proud of their work and to give them accurate feedback.

Thank you for your help. Please contact me if you have any questions.