Elektronische Nachschlagewerke, Schreib- und Übersetzungshilfen für die japanbezogenen Wissenschaften

Scholars interested in Japanese studies have at their disposal a steadily increasing number of electronic reference works on CD-ROM and similar media. Most of these electronic aids are dictionaries, both monolingual and bilingual, as well as specialized reference works in the technical, medical, economic or legal areas, to name just a few. However, ever more multiple-volume general encyclopedias are making their debut on the market as well. This report centers on a description of the present state of the art in order to give readers a clearer picture of which electronic dictionaries might be of use to them in their studies of things Japanese. It also considers how to better use this new media and explains which technical conditions must be met, in terms of hardware and software. Finally, it tries to give a brief preview of developments expected in the near future and how such developments will force us to gather information in new ways.