Resumen de Bottom-up editing and more: the e-forum of "The English-Chinese Dictionary"
"Computer assistance may enable the lexicographer to prepare and revise dictionaries more quickly"-Barbara Kipfer.s prediction made 20 years ago has already become a reality in our age of advanced information technology. Yet how much more quickly can the revision of dictionaries be carried out today? The envelope is now being pushed by the editors of The English-Chinese Dictionary (Unabridged) (ECD) through bottom-up editing, a new form of online lexicography. Following the launch of the second revised edition of ECD (April 2007), an electronic forum was introduced, linked to the website of Shanghai Yiwen Press, the publisher of the dictionary. For the time being, this e-ECD-forum is attracting more and more of its users to take part in bottom-up editing, i.e., pointing out errors and other problems detected in the dictionary directly to its editors through the Net. Three editors including the editor-in-chief participate in the e-forum discussion on a daily basis. Once the problems identified by the users are checked and properly edited by the editors, they will be listed in the e-newsletter linked to the e-forum. This paper will first explain the functioning of the e-ECD-forum and how such direct interaction between users and editors of ECD proves rewarding to both parties, and secondly, illustrate the mistakes and deficiencies published on the e-forum. Lastly it will explore the potential benefits and problems of online collaborative lexicography in the near future.
