Dictionary recomendations ?

[Pom_Jao_Choo]

I have done several searches now, not finding what I need.

Can anyone here recomend to me 2 Thai/English dictionaries for me ?

I would prefer if neither was printed in small unreadable microspic like print.

I need a great large and extensive book for at home. A great massive tome would be nice if there is such a thing in print (thai/english).

And I need a second, still quite extensive but in paperback that I could take with me to work.

 

Any sugestions ?

[Pescator]

You should definitely tell whether you are capable of reading thai or not?

 

Cheers

Hua Nguu

[Guest]

Re 'nice and expensive,' I hope $60 is expensive enuf for ya. Mary Haas dictionary is considered the best; there is another in the same price range by George Bradley McFarland but that's considered a bit outdated.

 

There are a few extensive Thai-English dics published in Thailand but they are more suitable for a Thai speaking person than an English speaking person.

[dddave]

There are many to chose from, however, quite a few of them do not provide phonetic english pronounciation, just definitions. If you cannot read Thai, it will be useless to you.. If you are in Thailand, go to one of the University bookstores for a large selection.

[Flashermac]

Unless Mary Haas has been updated, it surely must be showing its age. It was developed for the OSS in WWII! Very good dictionary though, the one the Peace Corps gave us. (But by the time I was in PC, we had to pay to keep it ... cheap bastards!)

 

I use the New Model Thai-English Dictionary. It has been updated regularly. If you don't read Thai very well, the old standby was Roberts -- very basic, but written in phonetics. Also, pocket-size for easy carrying. We all bought one in PC training before we could read Thai.

 

The ThaiSoft Dictionary is a good one to have on your PC. I liked the old version, which was bilingual. The newer ones are only one way -- English to Thai or vice versa. Also, version 4 (I think it is) has some backpacker wanker or fly-by-night ESL teacher pronouncing the words in English ... and the semi-educated cretin MISPRONOUNCES all sorts of words. I had to turn the sound off, he annoyed me so much with his ignorance. North American accent, and unfortunately I didn't catch any Canuck in his voice. That leaves ...

[Pom_Jao_Choo]

Thanks Mad Max for your sugestions. I will likely go with your sugestion of the Mary Hass book or possibly I might pick up on Flashermac's sugestion though there is only a used copy available at this time. New Model Thai-English Dictionary

 

The computer versions I am sure are very useful tools. They would however be distractions for myself and I feel it's more important that I develop my skills in the old fashioned hard copy way.

 

Thanks guys and any further sugestions appreciated.

[Pom_Jao_Choo]

Flashermac said:

 

I use the New Model Thai-English Dictionary. It has been updated regularly. (

 

Flashermac could you possibly expound more on why you consider this book the most useful?

[Flashermac]

The New Model Dictionary was written by a Thai who was imprisoned by one of the military governments back around the early 1950s. He did the dictionary to keep himself occupied.

 

I like it because it includes even some slang and not so polite words. (My Mrs was surprised when I read one of them out to her. She said, "THAT is in the dictionary?")

 

There are a lot of dictionaries coming out all of the time, but the New Model Dictionary is one I have used for years. It is reasonably priced and dependable. I have one sitting on the desk next to my computer right now. The text is large enough to read, which is great since my eyesight is not what it once was.

 

It may not be the best, but it is the one I am used to -- especially since my wife ran off with my Mary Haas dictionary when she was going to graduate school.

[Guest]

The "New Model" dictionary... yes, that's the one I was thinking. I have a copy myself, a heavy 2 volume set hardbound in nany blue. Personally, I prefer Mary Haas but I suspect the better one speaks Thai the easier it gets to use the Sethaputra dictionary.

[dinkas]

If you are buying two dictionaries I would recommend Mary Hass' dictionary and the Domnern-Sathienpong Thai-English Dictionary.

 

While the Mary Hass' dictionary is comprehensive it is very out-dated and does not include a number of words which are used by Thais today. The benefit of the DS dictionary is that is up-to-date. The second edition came out in 1999 and it includes a lot of modern slang and new words which have come into the Thai vocabulary.