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Japanese Translation Help

CD List

This list represents the texts that I use when I translate Japanese to English (and visa versa). I've inlcuded comments on all the texts along with the ISBNs so interested parties may seek out their own copies of the books.If you have any suggestions for good dictionaries, please let me know.

The Modern Reader's Japanese-English Character Dictionary by Andrew N . Nelson.
Published by The Charles E. Tuttle Company, Inc.
ISBN: 0-8048-0408-7

The Granddaddy of them all. Get this and you really don't need anything else for your kanji translations. (Add Kanji & and Kana and you really *don't* need anything else). This is the one that the professionals use and I understand why. It is arranged by radicals (which if you don't know, you are in trouble) The kanji are arranged so that you look up the first kanji in a word, then you find the following kanji in that word under the section of the first character. A very effective system. My problem is usually looking up the first character, which is where Kanji & and Kana comes in. If I can't find it in Nelson's, I dig through the stroke numbers or reading (if I know it) index and see if in there. I've gotten to a point where I can find pretty much everything.

NOTE: be prepared to pay for this book. It runs $50 or more, but I SERIOUSLY RECOMMEND IT!

Inoue's Smaller Japanese-English Dictionary by Jukichi Inoue.
Published by The Charles E. Tuttle Company, Inc.
ISBN: 0-8048-1440-6

I spent a few years looking for this one. Although it does everything in romaji, which I dislike, it is none the less a very powerful dictionary and covers a lot.

Kanji & Kana by Wolfgang Hadamitzky and Mark Spahn.
Published by The Charles E. Tuttle Company, Inc.
ISBN: 0-8048-1373-6

This was one of the first books I picked up for Kanji and I have never regretted it. This volume is a cornerstone to the translations I do. It has has three indexes for the book listing Kanji by reading, radicals, and number of strokes. Also contains good information about how to correctly determine radicals and stroke order.

What's extremely handy is that it references Nelson's. I look stuff up here then find it in in Nelsons' if I'm stumped.

Sanseido's Daily Concise Japanese-English Dictionary.
Published by Sanseido's Co. Ltd.
ISBN: 4-385-10375-5.

I like this because it's entirely in kana. I hate reading romaji for two reasons, 1) it slows me down, and 2) not everybody writes the same romaji. This is the actual kana, so it's hard to not look up a word. I do recommed this book only after you have at least a good idea what you are doing with the kanas.

NOTE: I found this one in a Japanese bookstore in New Jersey. You wont find it at your local Border's or Walden's. I have one reservation about this book, however. I do wish I had looked to see if there was a J-E/E-J dictionary by Sanseido's. That would be handy.

Martin's Concise Japanese Dictionary by Samuel E. Martin.
Published by The Charles E. Tuttle Company, Inc.
ISBN: 0-8048-1912-2

My first dictionary. This is my only J-E/E-J dictionary right now, and it's not the best in the world. This is ok for a beginner but not for the more advanced student. I don't recommend it if you want to get serious.

For the hell of it, here's a few tidbits of wisdom I've learned along the way:

• learn your radicals - if you don't you'll never be able to find anything in a kanji dictionary.
• Learn to avoid reading romaji if you can. It actually slows me down. I prefer to read kana - I feel I undertand it just a bit more. Also, kana words are always written the same, not so with romaji.
• Don't get frustrated. If you can't find something in your dictionaries, mark it down so you can ask somebody later and go on. Learning a new language is not easy and really can't be done effectively just by your self (IMHO). Remember, language was created to communicate with others. Use it that way.
• About those ISBN numbers, well, if it starts with a '4', that means it's probably a Japanese book and you are going to have to do some fancy ordering to get it.