The Spanish English dictionary has been around for years, used by people who speak both languages.

Look in many HS book bags to find this dictionary. Now they're online. They're translation tools. They're better than ever before.

Babelfish was the first Spanish English dictionary online to gain fame. It was like something out of a science fiction movie. One button press could translate almost any text.

It was an imperfect Spanish English dictionary. The translations often left a great deal to be desired. Translated text was easily spotted.

For some people this issue with the Spanish English dictionary was actually a feature. It was handy for a quick rewrite. This is how people did it. Start with some Spanish text then turn it into English. Then reenter the English text and translated back into Spanish. Very often the result would be different than what was originally entered. It often needed just a small amount of editing.

Some websites now offer an improved Spanish English dictionary. Google is one example. Text can be translated to multiple languages and then back without any changes. Unfortunately that means it can't be used to write alternate versions of something. Now the translation is better.

There is a more detailed Spanish English dictionary. Not only will it translate words, it will look them up and provide definitions for both Spanish and English version. Try the word freeway. The result shows that the Spanish equivalent is autopista. This dictionary shows the English definition – a road where high speed traffic runs. There is a lot more for the word autopista. It means many things including expressway and motorway. Now click an English word to see its definition. The English versions of autopista all mean something similar.

The printed version is falling out of style. Online versions are easier to search, and the results can be quickly incorporated into documents written on the computer. Even so, the Spanish English dictionary is popular.