Create your own Kindle dictionary for every language for free: Advantages: 1. you don’t have to install any software, no Python stuff, no big generator installations. 2. you can chose every language you like as long as there are database sources in text format available. 3. it only takes about 30 minutes to generate a dictionary with 800.000 entries
Tab-delimited File Tips: 1. A tab-delimited file is a text file that's set up with a tab separating each column of text. 2. Before you export your file from a database application, take a look at their FAQs or support page for instructions on how to save as a tab-delimited file. It's a standard export format, but since every application is different, the steps will vary. 3. You can also export data as a tab-delimited file from most spreadsheet applications. Make sure your file ends with a ".txt" extension. 4. After you have a tab-delimited version of your list, open it in a spreadsheet program to arrange and format your columns for import to MailChimp. 5. When you export the final, edited list from Excel, make sure to save it as a tab-delimited file again. 6. If you run into other problems with your list import, check out these list import troubleshooting tips.
Step by Step instruction: 1.
Getting Dictionary Database File: 1. StarDict Dictionaries: (http://stardict.sourceforge.net/Dictionaries.php) 2. Dictionary database: (http://dict.cc)
2.
Converting to tab delimited format: 1. Stardict dictionary can be converted into a tab delimited format file by the stardict editor program (http://stardict.sourceforge.net/other.php) 2. Edit the file in text editor (Notepad++). Delete the comment header and the empty line at the beginning of the file. 3. Name the tab delimited format file: (dictionary.txt)
3.
Converting to html and opf formats: 1. Use tab2opf.exe to generate a .opf file. Put all package files (dictionary.txt) with tab2opf.exe and other extacted files. Open a command line window and execute the following command: tab2opf.exe dictionary.txt. This generates dict.opf and a bunch of html files. If
you are trying to compile a dictionary for a language with non-English characters, use -utf option. eg: tab2opf.exe -utf. 2. Use tab2opf.py (http://www.klokan.cz/projects/stardict-lingea). This is a free python script by Petr Klokan, so you’ll need python isntalled. Type in the command line in cmd: tab2opf.py dictioary.txt This will give you a dictionary.opf file and a number of dictionary0.html files. If you are trying to compile a dictionary for a language with non-English characters, use -utf option. eg: tab2opf.py -utf.
4.
Editing opf file and generating cover: 1. Generate a cover image in 3x4 aspect ratio: (cover.jpg). 2. Edit the dictionary.opf file to specify the dictionary name, cover image file and input/output languages of the dictionary. 3. Format of .opf file:
<metadata> CBC22904A6 Dictionary en Author Publications dd/mm/yyyy Dictionaries Dictionary.jpg ln1 ln2
5.
Converting to mobi or prc format: 1. Amazon’s mobigen to generate the dictionary itself in the final step. you will get dictionary.prc. 2. Get mobigen.exe form (http://www.mobipocket.com/soft/prcgen/mobigen.zip) Put all package files (dictionary.opf, .html files, cover.jpg) with mobigen.exe. Run the command on cmd: (mobigen.exe dictionary.opf ). You’ll get dictionary.mobi.
Errors and Solutions: Err 1.
After I select *.dict.dz file, It verifies. BUT If I select decompile, it says Building... Error, file version is not 2.4.2 Done! What does it mean?
Sol 1.1. What i did, was I extracted the .dict file from the .dz (i don't know what kind of encryption this is, but ctrl-pgdown in total commander dealt with it.) In stardict editor under decompile. you need to select the ifo file. Sometimes it refused to decompile giving me the error message. same type sequence not m, but after changing the same type sequence=x line in the ifo file to same type sequence=m it decompilled. Sol.1.2. The .dz file is actually a .gz format archive. You should rename the .dz to .gz, then unpack it. There should be a .dict file in it. The .dict file is the uncompressed dictionary file for decompiling. Err 2.
Traceback : (most recent call last): File “tab2opf.py“, line 240, in (module) ValueError: need more than 1 value to unpack
Sol 2.1. tab2opf did stop somewhere at first letter N. This happens if there is no translation available, just one word in the line. The error message need more than 1 value to unpack tries to point it out. tab2opf shows the last successful
word before the error occurs. Search this word in the dict.txt file and the next line should be causing the problem. Delete this line. Sol 2.2. Open dict.txt and search for the last printed word before the error. Next to it there will be some text that is not following the pattern – remove it. Example: aaa noun bbb noun ccc verb ddd I removed separate 'noun' from a single line and saved the file: Err 3.
what about inflection? For instance make, makes, made.
Sol 3.
Sorry, but that won’t do as long as they are not separately mentioned.
Err 4.
I can’t go through the 4 step! Cmd is talking something like: 'name ‚tab2opf.exe‘ isn’t recognisable as….
Sol 4.
This might solve the problem: Open the CMD line. Drag tab2opf.exe onto command line window; hit the space bar. Drag dict.txt onto command line window; hit enter and it will work through the file.
Important Links: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
http://stardict.sourceforge.net/Dictionaries.php http://stardict.sourceforge.net/other.php http://www.klokan.cz/projects/stardict-lingea http://dict.cc http://www.mobipocket.com/dev/ – Developers of file format http://s3.amazonaws.com/kindlegen/ – Amazon Kindle Publishing Guidelines http://blog.mikeasoft.com/ – an alternative instruction http://www.a-z-dictionaries.com/ – starting point to find alternative database sources http://www.pogona.net/wp/ – another good tutorial http://www.lingoes.net/en/ – search for alternative databases http://idpf.org/epub/ – more information on how the add meta data to your book
