Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mokpochica]

I have been contemplating buying a Korean/English electronic dictionary for a long time, but 1) don't know which ones are good and 2) have had not so great luck with Korean/English dictionaries in general because it seems like they often have inaccurate translations.

So..does anyone have any recommendations for electronic dictionaries? And can you please give a ballpark price and where you bought it?

Also, if you've found a good paper dictionary for learners of Korean, please share that as well.

[Sliver]

Do you want it portable (like truely portable) which s useful or do you want it for home study? Perhaps you always carry a bag so then it is portable for you.


The bigger ones are better for study becasue they have English-English translations that allow you to determine which of the Korean words is what your after.

For example (of the top of my head)

Allow: heo rak to give permission for an act to occur. Eg. to permit you to leave work early

Allow: in jeong to accept circumstances. Eg. For a Korean Parent to accept her foreigner partner.

Whatever...... just I think the larger perhaps more expensive ones are more useful if they have an English-English function with the Korean as well in that section.

Good dictionary hunting.

[Son Deureo!]

I'm using the Sharp RD-400 Sisa Elite Dictionary. I picked it up in my local discount mart for 140,000 won. They're not hard to find, any department store should have them. I don't have all that much to compare it with, but I'm very happy with it.

There are cheaper models available, the cheapest I saw was 80,000. However, the cheaper model did not list multiple translations or idiomatic expressions in the Korean to English side. Obviously, a major drawback. Be sure to look up words on both sides while you're shopping. The only extra features I can recommend looking for are a hanja feature and listings of idiomatic expressions. Most of the other extra bells and whistles are geared towards Koreans studying the finer points of English, and won't be so useful for you.

If you are serious about studying Korean, I can't recommend an electronic dictionary highly enough. It's worth it's weight in gold. You can look up words much faster with an electronic dictionary, and you can carry it with you everywhere. Mine has been a life-saver on more occasions than I can count. It's the best purchase I've made here yet.

[kylehawkins2000]

I've been using the Sharp RD-300 "Real Dic Say". I spent 125 000 on it three years ago and haven't regretted it for a moment. I use it multiple times every day. It has many other functions such as grammer practice, vocab, etc. It is more geared towards Koreans learning English but you can also use it to help you learn Korean. It has a setting to change all of the displays into english and it has a voice function (it will pronounce the english words but not the Korean).

I've seen this same model on sale in Yongsan for around 100 000won.

[schwa]

On the non-portable front, I've been reading about a newly published dictionary that sounds great for anyone trying to seriously learn Korean. Heres one blurb I saw:

http://www.koreainfogate.com/travelguide/travelnews/news.asp?column=76

Expensive (180000) but maybe a worthwhile investment. Anyone seen it?

[The Marchioness]

Hi Mokpochica

I know zero about electronic dictionaries, but the paper dictionary I use is the kind found in Canadian libraries. It's great because you will not have to learn Hangul to read this dictionary as the words are transcribed in the standard alphabet. Examples for English to Korean: foundation = ki-ch'o. Kitchen = pu-ok. Examples for Korean to English: kurida = picture; maeil = every day.

NTC'S COMPACT KOREAN AND ENGLISH DICTIONARY BY B.J. JONES AND GENE S. RHIE

ISBN: 0-8442-8361-4

Hope this helps

The Marchioness

[Zyzyfer]

Is Yongsan the best place to get a deal on an electronic dictionary, then? I went to E-Mart and looked at some today, and the prices were outrageous...however, they also came with Japanese and Chinese languages, which is exactly what I'm looking for.

[Sliver]

OK Marchioness but if you want to study a language you should learn the phonets of the characters.

Anyway I am glad you found some use of that dictionary but I must say I have a difficult time reading english version of Korean and prefer to just read hangul.

Secondly if you truly want to be able to read Korean writing, newspapers etc you need to be able to comprehend hangul.

I guess it all depends on where your at with your Korean language study.

[Bulsajo]

My wife and I use the A-One AP series. It's got a ton of features, but of course you have to be able to read the Korean instructions to use it. Its best feature is handwriting recognition with a stylus- you can write in the word you're looking for [Korean to English and vice-versa] instead of hunting through a list or typing on the keypad. Don't bother with the model that has the speech function, its not very good [hard to hear what the damn thing is saying].

However, if I were to be in the market for something right now, I'd first check out what dictionary/translation software is available for a lower-end PDA...

[mokpochica]

[The Marchioness]

Hiya Sliver

Yes, thanks for pointing out that I need to learn Hangul. I'm really just a newbie and my dictionary does offer all the Hangul characters and all the other stuff. I certainly make an effort to try and learn, but in the meantime my dictionary has come in mighty handy, especially with my adult and advanced students; I can just look up the word without wasting too much time - theirs and mine - and have found it to be a speedy and efficacious resource.

In my spare time (yeah, like how much???) I try to learn the characters, but I'm making pretty slow advances into the mysteries.

The Marchioness

[mokpochica]

[kylehawkins2000]

Am I reading this correctly? It's 180 000 won for a paper dictionary? Holy Smokes! That is nuts. I would never pay that kind of money.....that's just nuts.

I'd say a portable dictionary would be much more useful and a better investment....you can get a really nice one for less than 180 000.

[TJ]

I have a Sharp PA-5200H electronic dictionary. It cost 130,000 won about 2 years ago. It translates English to Korean as well as Korean to English. When I bought it the deciding factor was that it fitted in my shirt pocket.

Now, I regret not spending more and getting one with a bigger dictionary. My current one has a 40,000 word dictionary which, regretably, is not big enough.

My recommendation is ..... don't be a cheapskate like me - be prepared to spend at least 200,000 won. Incidentally I saw a Korean teacher using one that had an earphone attached - what a great idea !!!!

[mokpochica]