Chinese-English Dictionaries

English-Chinese dictionaries are difficult to use, especially for those of us not yet schooled in the Chinese character script. They are more complex than traditional translation dictionaries because they traverse three different written languages, in a sense: English, pinyin, and the Chinese character script. The large number of homonyms in the Chinese language makes it difficult to find the pinyin spelling for words you hear, especially if the tones are in question. And, searching for specific written characters requires a solid understanding of how the character script is structured.

Nonetheless, dictionaries are a necessary tool when studying the language. Three different formats are readily available, and each has their own pluses and minuses:

Printed Books

I have the Oxford Beginner's Dictionary. Even a light dictionary like this spans 500 pages. I often use it to look up the English-to-pinyin translation for new words I want to use in conversation. It works reasonably well for this. I also sometimes use it to look up the pinyin spelling for Chinese words that I hear in Pimsleur lessons. I rarely have luck with this.

Internet websites

A large number of Chinese-English dictionary sites exist. I use http://www.mdbg.net/ and find that it works pretty well, especially for confirming the pinyin spelling of words I hear in Pimsleur.

Electronic Handhelds

Pleco Software offers a powerful dictionary/flashcard package named Plecodict that runs on Palm and Windows handhelds. I’ve found it especially useful for working with characters, because it provides the opportunity to look up characters by drawing them on the screen. In addition to functioning well as a dictionary, it also is an effective tool for practicing and testing your ability to draw characters.

It also is much smaller and lighter than a full-sized dictionary in printed book form.

If you have a handheld or can justify the investment in one, I highly recommend Plecodict.