Exercises (work in pairs)

Finding definitions & translations on the internet in mono-/multilingual glossaries & parallel texts

 

Exercise 1 - Finding glossaries

Using the Google glossary search interfaces at www.multilingual.ch, find a definition of the English term "jumbo certificate of deposit". (Field: finance)

TIPS: 1) If necessary, break down the phrase or add defining keywords to broaden or narrow your search, depending on the amount of results found.
2) If you get no results, try the plural.

Exercise 2 - Finding glossaries

Using the Google glossary search interfaces, find a definition of the German medical term "Gonarthrose".

Now run the same search using the Altavista glossary search interfaces and compare the number of results obtained.

Exercise 3 - Finding glossaries

Find a definition of the English term "outperformer" commonly used in Switzerland in banking.

TIPS: 1) Consider the spelling variant out-performer, but make sure that these two words are considered in this exact sequence and not just "these two words anywhere on the page".
2) Try the German glossary search interface (which uses German search criteria) if the English yields few results.

Exercise 4 - Finding abbreviations

What does the English abbreviation UNHCR stand for? (TIP: use either the abbreviation or glossary search interfaces)

Exercise 5 - Finding the missing word

Having trouble with prepositions? Use Google to find the missing word in the following phrase:

in accordance ... the new regulations

Exercise 6 - Finding parallel texts on different pages

Using the Altavista parallel text search interfaces, find the German for "euro-area Member State".

TIP: To increase your chances of finding a translation, consider singular and plural in your search by using a letter wildcard and beware of case sensitivity.

Exercise 7 - Finding bilingual glossaries/parallel texts on the same page

Searching directly in Google (without the WWW Search Interfaces for Translators), use my list of Search Engine Tricks for finding bilingual glossaries/parallel texts on the same page to find a French translation of the English term "jumbo certificate of deposit".

Alternatively, follow the same procedure to find a  translation in Italian.

Exercise 8 - Finding parallel texts

Search for the German translation of the English "fixed-rate loan" (UBS terminology).

TIPS: 1) Best strategy: go directly to UBS' website and use the website's own search engine as it covers more UBS pages than Altavista (possibly including more document formats, too) and because we know that most pages on UBS' website are available in both languages. This way you will find company-specific terminology and are more likely to locate texts in the correct context.
2) Alternatively: search directly in Altavista's advanced search in the Boolean search box, specifying: … AND host:ubs
(less effective but may work all the same)

NOTE: It is a good idea to familiarise yourself with UBS' search syntax first.

Exercise 9 - Finding parallel texts on different pages

Using the Altavista Italian-French parallel text search interfaces, find the French translation of the Italian "casellario giudiziale".

Exercise 10 - Finding bilingual glossaries/parallel texts on the same page

Searching directly in Google (without the WWW Search Interfaces for Translators), use my list of Search Engine Tricks for finding bilingual glossaries/parallel texts on the same page to locate an Italian translation of the English term "punitive damages".

Exercise 11 - Finding parallel texts on the same page

Searching directly in Google (without the WWW Search Interfaces for Translators), use my list of Search Engine Tricks for finding bilingual glossaries/parallel texts on the same page to locate a French translation of the German phrase "untersteht schweizerischem Recht".

TIP: To broaden your search, instead of searching for the exact phrase, remove the term "schweizerischem" and replace it with any term by inserting the word wildcard "*" instead.

 

 

end