| Abstract: |
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a dictionary goes out of date once it is published. In a similar vein, we can also say that a dictionary goes out of date if it is published only in the form of print editions. With the change in the reading habits of dictionary users, printed dictionaries are falling into disfavor, and online dictionaries and dictionary apps are taking their place. The
decision of Macmillan Education to stop the publication of its range of monolingual dictionaries for English learners starting from 2013 and make them available only online is clear evidence that going online is an inevitable trend for dictionary publishers. Obviously, this is also true for publishers of English-Chinese dictionaries who, out of various practical concerns, are rather
unwilling to embrace this trend. This, however, does not mean that there are no or few online English-Chinese dictionaries that are made available to Chinese learners of English. Since the early 2000s, IT companies, rather than publishing houses, in China followed in the footsteps of foreign dictionary publishers, and started to establish their respective dictionary sites. Nevertheless, The English-Chinese Dictionary, the largest English-Chinese dictionary now
available, has not been put online yet, and its editorial term plans to make belated efforts to create a website for the dictionary when it starts to revise the dictionary for the second time starting this year. This paper intends to make a detailed discussion on how efforts should be made to webify this dictionary. |