Spanish English Dictionary

AltaVista came up with the first version of a Spanish English dictionary online as a translator. It was like having the science fiction Star Trek’s Universal translator Right at your fingertips. It was easy to translate words, phrases, sentences or even entire websites with the click of a button.

But this Spanish English dictionary had some problems. Oftentimes the translations weren’t very good. Sometimes they were nonsense. Generally someone could tell that the resulting text and output via translator.

For some people this issue with the Spanish English dictionary was actually a feature. They could use it to create alternate versions of a block of text. This is how it was done. Enter the text to translate from Spanish to English. Then reenter the English text and translated back into Spanish. Very often the result would be different than what was originally entered. With a little bit of editing it would be passable.

Since that time many sites have come up with a better Spanish English dictionary. Google is amongst them. When text is entered there to be translated to a new language, the result can be processed through the service again with the same text as original being returned. Unfortunately that means it can’t be used to write alternate versions of something. But the translation is generally superior.

There are other Sites that have a Spanish English dictionary that’s a bit more detailed in its results. Not only will it translate words, it will look them up and provide definitions for both Spanish and English version. For example, enter the word freeway. The result shows that the Spanish equivalent is autopista. The English definition is given ? a broad roadway that accommodates high-speed traffic. Enter the word autopista, and many results are returned. This includes expressway, freeway, highway, and even the UK motorway. Each of these words can then be clicked so their definition can be seen. In this case they all mean generally the same thing.

The days of the book form of these handy tools are coming to an end. More and more people are turning to the online versions. These are easier to search. And because many people write on a computer, it’s easier to incorporate the results. But even in the modern world Spanish English dictionary is here to stay.

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