Book – Review – Collins Shubun – English Japanese
Publisher: Harper Collins, Shubun International Co.Ltd, 1995, Glasgow, United Kingdom
ISBN: 0004708237, Pages, 585
Width:8cm, Height 11.5cm, Depth 3cm, Weight 135 grams
Ideal pocket sized English – Japanese dictionary for travelling in Japan
The Collins Shubun contains over 38,000 translations from English to Japanese and provides the user with access to the full pronunciation of Japanese words in Romanized format using the Hepburn system.
You start by looking up a word you know in English, for example: abdomen. The entry indicates the word in English, its English pronunciation, defines the word as a noun, shows the Japanese kanji used to write the word (腹部) and details the romanized pronunciation of the word, in this case, fukubu
(pronounced fu – ku – bu) .
The great things about this dictionary are:
1. It is very small, light and doesn’t take up much space in a bag, making it ideal for everyday travel.
2. As a native English speaker you want to know quickly the equivalent word meaning in Japanese and the easy reference system lets you find out fast.
The entries in the dictionary cover both British and American English words and a handy table of abbreviations is given at the front that provides a wide range of classifications to give context to words. There is also a romanization chart that explains consonants, vowels and Japanese accents.
The only possible downside of the dictionary would possibly be the size of the type but this has been done to maximize the total number of entries. If your eyesight is fading it would be best to always carry your glasses or a small magnifying glass.
The Collins Shubun dictionary is perfectly suited for travelers, business people & language students who are keen to start speaking Japanese.
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