What if I Don't Know the Language?: Two Steps Beyond Physically Browsing With a Dictionary in the Foreign Document Stacks

Abstract

Have you looked for government information from a foreign government or other entity and become frustrated when text is in a language which you don’t know? Has your approach to reference service been curtailed when a website in a language you know – English or Spanish, for example – isn’t the preferred language of your patron? Have you wanted to immerse students in sources produced in another country, and lost their interest when they could not translate the materials into a language they understand? This article begins with a note on the joy of browsing in a foreign documents collection. The “first step beyond” is a tip on where to browse through foreign government websites. The “second step” consists of applying a translation engine to words, phrases, or an entire website, when wanting to translate from one language to another. The ‘state of the art’ does not yet make this a proposition which works every time. It can however, lead to an enjoyable teaching and learning experience.