CLAVE: Diccionario de uso del español actual. 1997. REF PC4625 C53x 1997 Excellent Spanish-language dictionary provides thorough and current definitions, new vocabulary, anglicisms and word borrowings from other languages (including terms such as groupware), and slang. Particularly strong inclusion of "americanismos," or, Latin American Spanish usage and definitions; prologue by Gabriel García Márquez. In Spanish.
Collins Spanish Dictionary. 1997. REF PC4640 .S595 1997 Unabridged bilingual Spanish-English dictionary, with lengthy definitions plus regional labels, part of speech, many sample phrases, plus pronunciation, spelling, and grammar guides. Occasional inset definitions provide lengthier, explanatory definitions and etymologies. See, for example, the definition of the term gringo. Published by HarperCollins; in English and Spanish.
Diccionario Anaya de la Lengua Excellent online Spanish dictionary offers simple word searches, plus allows searches of word parts (beginnings, middles, or ends). Ample definitions identify gender, part of speech, and etymology. In Spanish. Update: Formerly available at: http://www3.anaya.es/diccionario/diccionar.htm , now this URL reroutes to Diccionarios.com - which apparently pulls from the Diccionario General de la lengua española Vox. Evidently the Diccionario Anaya is no longer available online?
Diccionario de la lengua española. 1992 (1999 printing). REF PC4625 .A3 1992 Authoritative two-volume Spanish dictionary published by the Real Academia Española. Expansive definitions, with regional labels and some etymologies. In Spanish.
Diccionario técnico y de ingeniería. 1996. REF T9 .G8 1996 Bilingual Spanish-English dictionary covers vocabulary used in the areas of civil, mechanical & electrical engineering; architecture; physics; chemistry; mathematics; agriculture; machinery & machine-tools, and related specialized technical fields and their vocabularies. Published in Mexico; in Spanish & English.
Diccionario usual Digital version of the Real Academia Española's Diccionario de la lengua española. Make sure to select the "Ac. 1992" version, rather than the 18th century version entitled Diccionario de autoridades (also available on that web page), unless you are doing historical work. Allows exact word or prefix searches. In Spanish.
Diccionarios.com Simple and quick online versions of the Diccionario General de la lengua española Vox, Diccionario de sinónimos y antónimos de la lengua española Vox (both of which are Spanish language only), the bilingual Spanish-English Advanced English Dictionary Vox, the bilingual French-Spanish Diccionario esencial Vox, and the bilingual Catalán-Spanish Diccionari Avanci Catala-Castella Vox.
English-Spanish Spanish-English Medical Dictionary. 1997. GEN R121 .R626 1997 Simple but current bilingual medical dictionary provides very brief definitions, with occasional phrases and regional labels. Does not include highly technical (Latin-based) medical terminology, focusing instead on medical lay terms necessary for communication. Published by McGraw-Hill; in English and Spanish.
Nuevo catauro de cubanismos. Fernando Ortiz. 1985. GEN PC4854 .C8 O7 1985 Dictionary of Cuban regionalisms and slang, with many lengthy definitions. In Spanish.
Official Spanglish Dictionary. 1998. (Currently on order for REF) Guide to US Latino Spanish vocabulary from Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and other cities across the US. From the editors of the Cuban American revista Generation-ñ.
Oxford Spanish Dictionary / El diccionario Oxford. Beatriz Galimberti Jarman, et al. 1994. REF DESK PC4640 O94x 1994 Recent and authoritative Spanish-English, English-Spanish dictionary. Includes useful "regional labels," indicating in which countries or regions a certain term is used, and how. In English (esp. British English) and Spanish.
Routledge Spanish Dictionary of Business, Commerce, & Finance. 1998. GEN HF1002 .R687 1998 Current and comprehensive bilingual business dictionary, published in London - New York. In English and Spanish.
finding Translation Materials (to learn more on the art of translation)
American Literary Translators Association Website of this professional association includes information on the organization, reviews, an index to their journal Translation Review, plus related scholarly links elsewhere. In English.
APETI (Asociación profesional española de traductores e intérpretes Website of this prominent professional group from Spain, currently under construction. Basic information about the organization is available online, with other features (including links) yet to come. In Spanish.
Handbook for Literary Translators Online guide written and made available by the Translation Committee of the PEN American Center, copyrighted 1999. Focuses on articulating the responsibilities and "do's and don't's" of translation. In English.
MLA International Bibliography (ISU only) This authoritative finding tool provides access to citations to scholarly articles on literary translation, criticism, modern languages, linguistics, and folklore gathered from 3,500 journals, series, books, and essay collections, from 1963-present. Try using descriptive phrases such as spanish-language-translation to pull up representative articles. For help searching the MLA, see their help pages.
Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies. 1998. GEN P306 .R68 1998 Thorough background on topics such as decision making in translation, discourse analysis, "translatability," the poetics of translation, various approaches in translation (such as linguistic, literal, imitative, machine-aided, etc.), plus the history of translation traditions across the world. In English.
Translation Studies Collection of interesting sites compiled and annotated by the department of Comparative Literature and Indiana University, Bloomington. In English.
researching Cultural Background (basic starting points to provide necessary context for your translation)
Enciclopedia hispánica. REF AE61 E52x 1992 Spanish-language version of the well-known Encylopaedia Britannica, but with more of a focus, information, and illustrations on Spain, Latin America, and topics related to the history and cultures of those areas. In Spanish.
Encyclopedia of Latin American History & Culture. 1996. REF F1406 .E53 1996 Authoritative three-volume set provides signed entries and select bibliographies on numerous individuals, events, institutions, countries, and broad cultural information on Latin America. In English.
The Latino Encyclopedia. Richard Chabrán & Rafael Chabrán, eds. 1996. REF E184.S75 L357 1996 Slim but authoritative six volume set covers topics, individuals, and concepts important to an understanding of Latino peoples in the United States. Longer articles signed, and with brief list of suggested readings. Includes numerous black and white illustrations, photographs, and tables. In English.
Recommended US Latino Web Sites Annotated Web bibliography collects important websites by or about Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans, and other US Latinos. Includes numerous electronic journals, newspapers, and clearinghouses. In English.