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From Foreign Sound Effects Dictionary
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Welcome to the Sound Effect Dictionary (in BETA)
Believe it or not, sound effects vary from language to language. A cat will "meow" in English, but "miau" in Spanish comics. Sound effects are generally not included in dictionaries, which makes it hard for cartoonists to find the correct equivalent if they're translating their comic to another language. This dictionary is here to fill that need. Originally conceived for English-Spanish translation, it now contains 6 language combinations and will eventually grow to over 100 with enough contributors. Language pairs currently only originate in English, but opposite pairs will be created as these first pages get complete.
Tips & tricks for better translation
- For grammar-checking, search for your phrase in a search engine, preferably changing the search preferences to search the target language. Search for just a segment rather than the whole sentence unless it's a common sentence. Example: "I'm looking for a" instead of "I'm looking for a glass slipper that will bring me a prince".
- Pop culture(tv, music, cultural references): Search for it on Wikipedia, and view that article(or an article with your desired information) in your target language. Example: Wikipedia article for Mickey Mouse, click "Italiano" in the Languages sidebar, and you now know that Mickey Mouse's name in Italian is "Topolino"! Many possibilities.
- Quotes from tv and movies: Search for the show on Wikipedia and Wikiquote.
- Game names: Once again, Wikipedia.
- Animal name: Also Wikipedia. Multi-language articles are nice.
- Animal sound that's not on here: Go to the Animal Sounds Wikipedia page and select your target language in the side bar. If that doesn't help(it may not always have the actual onomatopoeia), go to the Wikipedia article for that animal, view the article in your target language, and it'll likely be revealed there. After you find the sound, come here and add it to this dictionary!
- Still no idea? Try the WordReference Forums. Get help from real people on that word or phrase you're baffled with. Search first, just in case it's already been asked. Also, answering other people's questions is encouraged.
Additional resources
- Word Reference Forums: Ask about that phrase that's confusing you.
- Wikipedia: Look it up in your language, then view the article in another language. Many possibilities. Also, this site uses the same software.
- Derek Abbott's Animal Sounds page: Animal sounds written in 17 languages. A VERY handy quick-reference. Also has animal commands("fetch!" "hol's!" "cogeb!") and common pet names.
- Wikipedia's Animal Sounds page: As of this writing, there were 12 translations of this list of animal sounds. It might not have the actual onomatopoeia, though.
- Wikipedia's Onomatopoeia page & Wikipedia's Cross-Linguistic Onomatopoeias page: A good starting point for any of these pages. Around 45 languages on the cross-linguistic onomatopoeia page, depending on the word.
Slang dictionaries
- MULTI-LANGUAGE
- The Alternative Dictionaries(mostly for vulgarities)
- English
- The Urban Dictionary (HUGE dictionary!)
- The Online Slang Dictionary (Has a meter that shows how vulgar a word is, a slang thesaurus and a map showing where the word is used. Check here first.)
Rhyming dictionaries
- English
- Rhymezone
- Español
- M&E Diccionario de Rimas
Suggest more on the Discussion Page
Directories of webcomics
- Deutsch
- Webcomic-Verzeichnis, Zentrales Verzeichnis deutscher Webcomics
- English
- OnlineComics.net, Comic Rank, Top Web Comics, Belfry Webcomics Index, Family Webcomics, Comic-Nation, Comic Listing, Comixpedia
- Español
- Webcómics En Español
- Français
- Fenris
- Italiano
- Webcomics.info
Suggest more on the Discussion Page
