Italian Language Learning Reviews

Score: 7/10

Pros:
tens of thousands of Italian & English translations of words and phrases packed into a somewhat small volume; parts of speech, key words to determine right translation and sample phrases/sentences are all here; dark orange color entry headwords stick out, making searches easier; regular and irregular Italian verb tables; useful center section with themed vocabulary lists, practice exercises and notes about Italy & Italian culture

Cons:
missing detailed Italian pronunciation info, such as how to pronounce long/short “e”/”o”, voicing of “s”, etc. (why IPA for English, but not Italian words?); Italian verb list is rather spartan & pronunciation guide is nothing special; some entries seem meager & some variant translations less well differentiated

The Oxford Color Italian Dictionary Plus is one of those concise (4 1/2″ x 7″, and 1″ thick) compact but not-quite-pocket dictionaries. The well-advertised “color” refers to the orange text that sets apart every main entry, making words you’re looking up easier to spot. Otherwise, this resource presents everything you’d expect from a student’s backpack Italian dictionary, and it does it rather well.

The dictionary size and scope works out a reasonable compromise for on-the-go Italian translation. While the number of words and example phrases is certainly meager compared to the unabridged Oxford-Paravia Italian Dictionary, you still have a rich array of Italian vocabulary at your fingertips.

Every “headword” entry, as mentioned, is given in orange text (blue in older editions) – both the Italian terms in the Italian-English section, and the English in the English-Italian. Stressed, or accented, syllables have an apostrophe before them, and removable suffixes are separated from the stem by a vertical bar. Notice that there’s IPA in the English section, but no such pronunciation help for Italian words. The part of speech is abbreviated and italicized, then translations are given.

Key words in parentheses help you narrow down which translation you’re after. This feature has become commonplace in dictionaries, and is used routinely here. Expressions and nuances can be tricky business. In those cases, the dictionary lists the word in the context of larger phrases. None of this is innovative, and the dictionary could have used these features better or more completely in some entries, but they work. Here’s a sample entry:

par‘la|re vt/i speak, talk; (confessare) talk; parlare bene/male di qcno speak well/ill of somebody; non parliamone più let’s forget about it; non se ne parla nemmeno! don’t even mention it!. ~to a {lingua} spoken.

The preface and introduction offer very quick tips on how to use the dictionary in both English and Italian. There’s also a one-page guide to Italian pronunciation, along with a list of abbreviations used in the dictionary (like “qcno” for qualcuno in the entry above).

Four pages of stripped-down verb tables end the book. In those charts, regular verb endings are given in a list, with verbs separated by commas. Irregular verbs only have their irregular forms listed.

The Oxford Color Italian Dictionary stands as a good, recommended, but imperfect Italian dictionary for study, classroom use or even a trip to Italy. It doesn’t have all the answers, but it will travel with you as a valuable Italian reference.

Score: 10/10

pros:
huge number of entries & translations; key words make choosing the right translation easy; example phrases & sentences clarify potentially troublesome translations; lots of depth on each word; IPA pronunciation for every Italian word; great formatting & organization; verb charts (irregular and regular); useful middle section gives tons of help on tough-to-translate Italianisms, sample letters & important expressions for written and spoken activities

cons:
this is BIG (a factor of how much material squeezed into it); perhaps better for later students, but anyone learning Italian can get a lot out of it

The Italian College Dictionary is a thick, hefty dictionary with hundreds of thousands of words and translations. You’re bound to find most any word you’re looking for translated from Italian to English or English to Italian.

The Eng-It section comes first, followed by It-Eng. In both, main entries are listed in bold text, followed by IPA pronunciation (Italian spelling is fairly transparent, but it’s nice to see how to pronounce your e’s and o’s, when to double the length of your consonants and where to stress each word). The part of speech is abbreviated, then translations are given.

Key words help you find the right translation when there’s more than one to chose. If you look up speak, perhaps you’re thinking of words or lines, in which case you’d say dire in Italian, or speaking a language, which is parlare. The dictionary presents such choices like this: (words, lines) dire; (language) parlare.

What’s more, any potentially confusing entry offers you the chance to read the word in context, with useful translations of functional language, not just individual words: she speaks Italian lei parla italiano; dire quello che si pensa to speak one’s mind.

Even though this dictionary confronts you with a monstrous number of words, these nice features make it hard to get lost or confused. Meaning helpers like (fam!) for slang/inappropriate, (fam) for familiar and (fig) for figurative cue you into how to use words.

Although the sheer number of words and translations here, combined with ease of search, are the star, this dictionary brings along some extras. The introduction has an irregular English verb chart, along with regular and irregular Italian verb tables. The gray-edged pages, smack dab in the center, demonstrate “language in use” with examples. Those examples include loads of tricky-to-translate phrases between English and Italian. These phrases cover topics like requests, suggestions, apologies, thanks, invitations, and more.

The editors also took the time to include samples of written Italian – typical letters, a resume and cover letter, commercial and personal correspondence, tips on essay writing. There’s even a page full of standard expressions for talking on the telephone in Italy. Rest assured, you won’t be at a loss for words in Italian.

The introduction does an excellent job of explaining how to use the dictionary – every last piece of it – including visual examples of dictionary sections.

You may not be ready for it yet, or you may be looking for something smaller and pocket-sized for now, but the Italian College Dictionary will kick your dictionary experience up a notch. Not only does it include words your current dictionary lacks, but it gives more and better translations of even the most basic words. Among the most highly recommended Italian dictionaries I’ve come across.

If you’re skeptical about this resource, or want to do some comparison shopping, check out Oxford-Paravia Italian Dictionary for a similarly weighty and lexically abundant tome. On the other hand, you might be considering a purchase in the exact opposite direction: check out my review of the Beginner’s Italian Dictionary.

Score: 9/10

pros:
makes each translation of a word clear by listing it in context and on a new line; terms and definitions are obvious and easy to spot; pages well formatted and organized for search; important, basic words have fuller sections devoted to their use; covers a good number of terms, even if fewer than other dictionaries of the same size or smaller; offers a variety of extras

cons:
biggest trade off is that you’ll have access to fewer words than most Italian dictionaries; not every learner will appreciate or even use many of the extras; only for beginners (who will outgrow this resource)

The Oxford Beginner’s Italian Dictionary covers fewer words, and fewer translations of each word, than even smaller Italian-English-Italian dictionaries. It does this in an attempt to make the dictionary appeal to newer students. And, for the most part, it does this in a way that works.

The dictionary is divided into two halves: Italian to English translations, and English to Italian translations. In both sections, alphabetical terms are given in large, blue font. In Italian, the stressed syllable of a blue entry term is underlined, and parts of speech are listed to the right (but not abbreviated, as is standard). Definitions have an equals sign before them, and sometimes specify the main entry term. Here’s a sample entry:

schifo * noun, masculine
che schifo! = yuck!
fare schifo = to be disgusting
= to be awful

Translations are kept minimal and simple, with fewer options to choose from and only the most basic. Beginners might find this less clumsy and easier to work with than a denser dictionary bombarding you with more options. On the other hand, you risk missing words and translations that come standard in other Italian dictionaries.

Fundamental words (like “you” in English or “essere” in Italian) have entire sections devoted to them. In those sections, short explanations and example phrases distinguish their uses and meanings in context.

The top of each page lists the first and last term found on that page, and a blue tab on the right hand side of the right page indicates the letter of the alphabet in which you’re searching.

This dictionary comes with a few extras. In the center, easy games and activities help you understand the rudiments of Italian words, grammar and translation. Simplified verb charts, numbers and a list of must-know Italian words, basic phrases and a reference guide explaining Italian cultural and social topics all end the dictionary.

As far as learner dictionaries go, the Oxford Beginner’s Italian Dictionary is nicely formatted and organized. The smaller number of words covered, coupled with more spartan translations, makes it a hit-or-miss affair when you need to look up tougher words. Still, the foundational material is here, and beginner students should get plenty of miles out of this Italian dictionary from the get-go.