A Descriptive Analytical Study of the Use of Dictionaries by Fourth-year Students of English at El-Mergib University.

Abstract

The dictionary use is a helpful means for students of a second/foreign language and students of translation alike but they have to be used properly. This paper sheds light on the use of dictionaries by the fourth-year students at the Department of English in El-Mergib University when translating from English into Arabic. It starts with introducing the different types of dictionaries and showing their functions. Then, it presents a translation test to see how students use dictionaries while translating and to identify the problems they face in this respect. Finally, it summarizes the findings of the test which show that the fourth-year students at the Department of English encounter some difficulties in using dictionaries when translating from English into Arabic. These difficulties include opting for the first meaning in a dictionary, difficulties in checking up the meanings of the non-literal semantic features, and the over-dependence on bilingual dictionaries