Best French-English/English-French science dictionary?

April 12, 2008 8:53 AM

Francofilter (part 2) (part 1): What's my best option for a science/technical French-English/English-French dictionary?

It's official. In a few months, I will be teaching science in a secondary school in Burkina Faso. My French is coming along, thanks to your kind suggestions and Rosetta Stone. The problem is, I'm going to need to know more than just how to ask for directions or tell people about my family. I'm going to be teaching middle school or high school level science classes. (My expertise is in chemistry, but there's a good chance I'll be teaching other courses as well). Amazon has several French/English science dictionaries, varying in price from $2 to several hundred. How is my money best spent? There aren't any reviews on the cheaper stuff, and I can't afford the higher end stuff. If it is absolutely worth it, I could spend up to $100 on a really good dictionary. What's worked for you, hive mind?

posted by solotoro to education (5 comments total)

This website has an extensive list specialized French dictionaries in an incredibly wide range of disciplines (chemistry, economics, ethnology, shoes, couture, atomic energy, philosophy, dermatology, education...), mostly free and online.

Good luck in Burkina Faso. Sounds like you're doing something really neat. :)

If you still need music recommendations, a friend recently turned me on to Malian duo Amadou & Mariam.
posted by pearl228 at 9:30 AM on April 12

Oups! ...I should probably mention that many of the dictionaries on that site are French only, although there are a decent number of French/English, English/French as well.
posted by pearl228 at 9:32 AM on April 12

Sorry, I should have been more specific...

I need something dead-tree that I can take with me. My online time will be sporadic at best, and since I don't know what my electricity situation will be I'm not planning on bringing a computer.

And thanks!

And the IATE looks awesome!
posted by solotoro at 10:37 AM on April 12

IATE is a good one. The best place to get an answer to this question is Proz, a large translators' community on the internet. Non-translators can submit questions for the experts there: http://www.proz.com/?sp=k2
posted by lunchbox at 11:09 AM on April 12

I've no idea how good an internet connection you'll have in Burkina Faso, but while you're brushing up, Quebec's Grand dictionnaire terminologique might be very handy. I've mostly used it for computer-related terms, but it's got lots of science and technical terminology in it too.
posted by zadcat at 1:10 PM on April 12