Dictionaries
German-English and many other language combinations
- dict.cc [www.dict.cc/] Easy to use, tolerant of incorrect spelling, leading quickly to the desired basic word. Often has complex words not found elsewhere. Meanings listed in order of importance. Also shows synonyms. Community contributed, includes Chemnitz resource. Results occasionally combined in an unexpected way.
- LEO [http://dict.leo.org/?lang=en] Also community contributed and another excellent site, the main disadvantage is relative intolerance of incorrect spelling. iPhone/Android App strongly recommended.
- travlangs [http://dictionaries.travlang.com/GermanEnglish/] LEO mirror
- Chemnitz or Beolingus [http://dict.tu-chemnitz.de/de-en/] simpler than LEO and more tolerant of spelling
- dictionary.paralink [http://dictionary.paralink.com/] with other services
- wordreference [www.wordreference.com/de/] - limited content. Can set up a translation shortcut in Firefox and Chrome. App available for iPhone and Android.
- common computer terms [www.css.qmul.ac.uk/foreign/eng-german.htm]
German only
- woerterbuchnetz [www.woerterbuchnetz.de/] integrated search across a number of dictionaries
- dwds [www.dwds.de/]
- DWDS [http://beta.dwds.de/] beta version of new service - nicer interface to same information
- Canoo [www.canoo.net/services/] DE content with EN interface, also has full word forms
- Duden search [www.duden-suche.de/] basic information only unless you pay
Search
The problem is often having too much information rather than too little. The 'best' way to search will depend on the specific topic.
One way to find useful sources in German is to try each of the following search portals with a search term eg 'weimarer republik' and see what you get. For that particular search term, web.de seems to give the most concentrated and relevant results. Each source will lead on to others if needed.
- google [www.google.de/webhp?hl=de]
- web.de [http://web.de/]
- yahoo [http://de.yahoo.com/]
- wikipedia search
