Can I have two languages available in dictionary app on my macbook?

I think it probably is. In an application (Mail, TextEdit ...) control-click a word and choose Spelling and Grammar. At the bottom of the dialog box is a pop-up menu for selecting between the available languages.

sgquest wrote:

I would like to have a spanish dictionary available as well as the preinstalled english dictionary.

It's possible to add other modules to Dictionary.app

http://m10lmac.blogspot.com/2008/03/more-dictionaries-for-leopards.html

But I don't know of a Spanish one.

Austin Kinsella1 wrote:

choose Spelling and Grammar. At the bottom of the dialog box is a pop-up menu for selecting between the available languages.

There's no connection between the spell checking system and Dictionary.app.

Ah. Thanks Tom. That's the 2nd thing I got wrong here today! 😟

sgquest wrote:

does the Spanish OSX not have a dictionary app?

Dictionary.app is the same in all copies of OS X, regardless of what language you have chosen to run it in, and only includes English and Japanese.

I can't reach stardict either. You might try a google search and see if there is another route.

StarDict was always just a poor repackaging of other dictionaries. There are many source dictionaries on the XDXF site. They are almost all translation dictionaries. I've never bothered to convert those because Google would do a better job.

There is a CD version of the Real Academia Diccionario de la Lengua Española, but it is both PowerPC and Java. I don't know how they managed that. It will not integrate with Dictionary.app and is likely to be a real dog.

It is very hard to find plug-ins for Dictionary.app. You need to have someone commited to publishing it and most people who do that don't want to publish it in Dictionary.app format because 1) they've never heard of MACS or 2) they are (somewhat justifiably) worried about digital rights. So, all the best content is locked up in horrible stand-alone programs. I wish all such groups were as freedom-loving and technologically incompentent as l'Académie Française - then I could fix you up.

etresoft wrote:

There is a CD version of the Real Academia Diccionario de la Lengua Española,

There is also an iPad (web) app, iRae. I suppose there's no way to integrate something like that either?

iRae is only 2 MB. It must be using a web interface so that is totally different.

It would be nice if Apple could open up the iPad for things like this. Getting dictionaries on the iPad would enable them to keep their digital rights but get them one step closer to Dictionary.app on the Mac. All 3rd party dictionaries on iOS must be stand-alone apps. Dictionary.app is a great idea, but it just isn't catching on. It's too bad because it is really cool technology.

etresoft wrote:

iRae is only 2 MB. It must be using a web interface so that is totally different.

Yes, that's why I called it a (web) app.

I'm puzzled why Apple hasn't added Spanish at least, since it's so important in the US and neighboring markets.

That's an important point. It is a web app. But then, so is Wikipedia. I am going to look into that.

I don't know why there isn't a built-in Spanish dictionary. It could be due to licensing costs. But then, Apple includes an English dictionary. Perhaps if the demand were large enough, there would be a Spanish one too. Let Apple know there is a demand: http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html

etresoft wrote:

But then, so is Wikipedia. I am going to look into that.

Interesting idea. I remember a couple posts related to that:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2001395?answerId=9447352022#9447352022

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3015101

Thanks! I bookmarked those with the new bookmark feature in Apple Support Communities.