by Gillian Taber

Created on: June 05, 2009

Learning our own language can prove a challenge. Trying to learn a second, third or more can seem insurmountable. Reading online articles and websites in your target language can be an excellent way to help learn a language without the repetitious nature of 'listen and repeat' style courses and programmes.

However, in the course of learning there will inevitably come a point where a word you do not recognize will confront you. This is where online language dictionaries and language translators can prove an invaluable resource.

Worldlingo.com is a good place to start the search for a dictionary in your target language. It provides an alphabetical list of languages. Click on the language you require and you are taken to a new page with a list of available websites for that language. Twenty-two categories are available to choose from including Arabic, Chinese, Latin and Hebrew amongst others. The site also includes links to web translators which are another useful tool in language.

Thefreedictionary.com provides dictionaries in English and at least ten other languages, including Russian, Spanish and Norwegian. The site provides access to dictionary, thesaurus, legal, medical and encyclopedia pages. There is also a community forum where questions can be asked and answered. Talking to a native speaker can help greatly when plowing through slang and uncommon words in another language.

Yourdictionary.com is an excellent resource. Words are defined by 'Part of speech, pronunciation, definition and usage'. There is also an audio option. Hearing a word is by far the best way to understand its pronunciation. The language forum is the place to ask questions, get answers and discuss world languages in general. Clicking the 'language articles' tab will take you to a long list of language based dictionary options which is highly likely to cover the language that you require. Access is available to Webster's New World dictionary definitions, a full Roget's Thesaurus and finance, telecom and law dictionaries.

Dictionary.com is said to be the largest online dictionary, one I personally recommend and use on a regular basis. It is accurate, simple to use and usually returns all the definitions of a word that are pertinent. There is an audio option to hear pronunciation. Their latest addition, a 'Translate' tab is one of the simplest to use. On the translate page you merely type in the word you want translated, click search and in seconds you have a definition of the word. The 'extra' is that it also returns translations of your original word in twenty or more further languages which saves you having to look them up individually.

Wordreference.com is another personal recommendation and a site I use constantly. Type the word you want to define or translate into the homepage and search. There are at least 18 different ways to translate from or to English including French, German and Turkish. The best point about this site is actually the forums. The forums are filled with native speakers who are always ready, willing and able to help with translations and definitions of words. They are especially useful when it comes to every day usage of words, slang terms and correctly wording a sentence.

All of these sites provide excellent resources for defining words and translating into a multitude of languages and that can only help us when we live in a world that is increasingly connected on all levels, language being the most important. If we cannot communicate effectively it is difficult to understand another country and its culture.

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