a translator's best friend

Okay, this translator's best friend, at least - I've been revising some poetry translations this morning and I need to stop long enough to sing the praises of J. I. Rodale's The Synonym Finder. (Totally unsolicited. I was compelled by its synonyms for the word "permanence," including "perpetuity, everlastingness, immortality, deathlessness, athanasia; imperishability, indestructibility," and a whole host of other words that certain uptight word processors and blogging softwares don't even think exist, phtbtbtbbbt. I love diction that eludes Microsoft Word.)

While I use it most often during translation, it lives on my desk and often comes in handy when I'm revising my own poetry, as well. If you've figured out the music you're going for in a poem or translation, this is the world's greatest resource.

After years of feverishly hunting through online dictionaries and thesauri, I recently dug out my reference books and I could not be happier. It's hard to articulate why I like them so much more as actual books - I'm not anti-e-reader. But for some reason, I'm finding physical reference books noticeably more enjoyable to work with.

So. Rodale's Synonym Finder. If you need more awesome words in your life, get it. In the meantime, I'm getting back to my translation. Peace.

(Hey, if you have a favorite dictionary or thesaurus, please tell me - I'm always on the lookout for kickass writing resources. Cheers.)