Hi Hilda,

I belive it to be helpful. For about a decade now, my institution has hosted a cohort of Chinese students who necessitated ESL classes. I noticed that they not only used their electronic multi-lingual dictionaires for not only the classes, but also when they ventured off-campus to experience the community and surrounding areas. They were able to quickly generate English words for concepts they already knew. Based on what I've seen, they were able to improve vocabulary skills via practical experience using their hand-held gadget dictionaries.

Hope this helps!

Have a great day!

--Adrian

Thanks Adrian! That was really fast! Would you mind telling me if your institution is located in an English speaking country or in China? Are you a native English speaker? Thanks again for such a thorough and insightful answer. I really appreciate it!

Learner engagement plays a pivotal role in achieving class goals. Using online dictionaries in English and translation classes creates more involvement and provides an additional modality whereby the targeted learners can receive additional help using their own resources.

Thanks a lot Reza. Do you make any distinction between online bilingual dictionaries and electronic translators? Are both of them equally beneficial? Thanks again for your prompt reply!

Hilda

Hi Hilda,

You're welcome! Sure -- we speak English. I'm located in the USA at the University of West Alabama. I'm a native English speaker.

Have a great day!

--Adrian

Hi Hilda,

My cut and paste didn't work too well when I sent my last message... here's the whole thing ...

You're welcome! Sure -- we speak English. I'm located in the USA at the University of West Alabama. I'm a native English speaker.

I noticed that our Chinese students would often use their mobile dictionaries when conversing with folks in the community and around campus when they didn't know an English word, but could find it quickly to use in their discussion. I think it lowered their frustration level when dealing with the 'natives,' so to speak ... and I noticed that once they learned the appropriate word or phrase, they used it fairly well in future discourses.

Personally, I think the electronic tools are merely the modern equivalent versions of the old-fashioned, pocket-size bilingual dictionaries from decades ago ... I still remember flipping through the pages of an English/Spanish dictionary when I visited Mexico many years ago ... and hoping I could find just the right word or phrase to do even the simplest of activities ... I took the book with me everywhere until I departed the country.

Have a great day!

--Adrian

Online dictionaries are readily available, resolve puzzles easily and ensure that one keeps up with situations and tasks in real time by placing what you need at your disposal in good time. Their use especially wherever the internet service is good would be highly helpful. They would also be more likely used with handheld devices in all manner of situations, settings and locations.

I gladly support this idea, in general all ideas which facilitates communication in a multilingual group / university of teachers and students.

Bilingual dictionaries gives you clear sense of meaning in your language. it helps to use words frequently and helps to understand text holistically. bilingual word meaning develops more understanding

Hello Hilda,

As Daniel mentioned, the electronic devices are just the innovative and often well-improved versions of what we normally would use. While living in Eastern Ukraine as a Fulbrighter, I kept a tiny paper dictionary in my backpack all the time. While experiencing the silent period (my fear of speaking) - I found that I came out of that because of the resources I had on hand. Our students need the confidence and by observation (no real measured study) - the items on phones and all make it possible to not feel so ignorant. Though I had my Russian dictionary on me all the time, I frequently tried on my own after having to look up words over and over. As Daniel mentioned of his observations, I too found the right words and would then start using them properly.

My experience as a visiting professor in Ukraine is what got me interested in ESL - ultimately going back for a major in TESOL after finishing my PhD. Self-Efficacy was part of my studies and is a component of EFL and ESL that I believe impacts students success to a large degree.

Thanks a lot to all the people who have generously shared their insights on the topic of online bilingual dictionaries usage. It is clear that technology is perceived as a great helping hand in real life, meaningful communicative situations in a second language. What do people who teach English as a second language from a curriculum based on the European Common Frameworkthink about this? What linguistic skills are enhanced by using bilingual online dictionaries? What skills might be impaired by their use in the EFL or ESL class?

I have always encouraged my students make these online dictionaries their best companion. They are easy to use and some of them like: https://dictionary.reverso.net/french-english/recto give a comprehensive definitions and adequate examples.

I have always encouraged my students make these online dictionaries their best companion. They are easy to use and some of them like: https://dictionary.reverso.net/french-english/recto give a comprehensive definitions and adequate examples.

Thanks again to all the people who have generously shared their valuable insights on this matter. I can see that, in general, there positive perceptions regarding the use of online bilingual dictionaries in the EFL class.

I, too, think that using online dictionaries in class has more pros than cons. Having said that, l will try to act as devil's advocate here and think of a few negative side effects of this practice. First, using an online dictionary too often might result in students' not bothering to deduce the meaning of the word from its context. One can easily imagine situations where this skill proves useful or even essential. For example, students are not allowed to use dictionaries in numerous language exams. If they always look unfamiliar words up in the dictionary, how can they do well in an exam where they can't use it? Similarly, if a student looks up every word in their native language that they can't immediately translate into the target language, they may not develop the ability to paraphrase, which is extremely important in natural communication. Another point is related to the effect that using online dictionaries has on students' learning. Some studies have suggested that students tend to forget information that they found in online dictionaries more easily. One could also argue that some dictionaries reinforce the idea of one-to-one equivalence between languages, while interlanguage equivalence quite often is anything but neat and tidy. Finally, if students are allowed to use translators, they may be tempted to translate whole essays into the target language instead of relying and developing their own language skills.

Following.