对外语学习者来说，字典是必不可少的一种工具书。在学习的各个阶段，学习者都经常使用到包括纸质版和电子版在内的各种字典。但实际上，很多学习者在学习过程中都会不知不觉犯一种错误，那就是过度依赖字典，而且他们并不觉得自己的这种行为有问题。下面我们就来谈谈这个行为对英语学习的影响。
　　Fluency1
　　流利度
　　If you stop and look in your dictionary every time you can’t think of a word， you will never get used to speaking fluently without pauses2 and listening to your speaking will be difficult and boring.
　　如果每次你想不起来某个单词的时候就停下来查字典，你永远无法习惯没有停顿地流利表达，听你说英语会比较难受和无聊。
　　Stop translating
　　不要翻译
　　It is difficult to look for words you don’t know in English in a dictionary without using your own language， but it is possible to ask your teacher or another student a word just by explaining what it is， using a gesture or drawing it. If you stop using your own language in the classroom， this will help you learn to communicate and to think in English.
　　不用自己的母语却要在字典里查你不认识的英语单词是比较难的，但你可以通过手势或画图来向老师或其他同学请教。如果在教室里，你不使用自己的母语会有助于你学会用英语来交流和思考。
　　Guessing from context
　　由上下文来猜测
　　If you read a whole text without a dictionary， many of the words you didn’t understand when you first saw them will become clear from the rest of the story. You will be able to see that they are not important to understand and learn. Learning this skill of guessing from context will improve your listening and reading speed， and your ability to cope with people speaking at natural speed.
　　如果你阅读一整篇文章的时候不用字典，很多你第一次碰到的不理解的词的意思会在故事后面渐渐明晰。你会明白它们其实并不重要，不用去理解和学习。学会从上下文猜词这个技巧可以提高你的听力和阅读速度、增强你和正常语速说英语的人交流的能力。
　　Learning to explain words you don’t know
　　学会解释你不认识的单词
　　If you do a speaking exercise with no dictionary， you will have to use language like“It’s a kind of...”， “It looks like...” and“He is a person who...” that you will need in real life communication all the time， too. When the teacher and other students explain vocabulary to you， you will also hear a good model of this kind of necessary language.
　　如果你在做口语练习的时候不用字典，你就不得不用如同“It’s a kind of...”，“It looks like...”和“He is a person who...”这样的在现实生活中交流时也常常需要用到的句子。当老师和其他同学（用英语）向你解释词义时，你也会听到这类必备用语的好范例。
　　Listening to what people are saying
　　聆听他人话语
　　If you are using a dictionary while someone is speaking， or even just thinking about when you can use it， you are probably not listening properly. This will mean that you don’t understand well and that you seem very rude to the person who is speaking.
　　如果有人正在說英语的时候你在使用字典，或者在考虑何时用，那你可能就无法好好听对方说话了。这就意味着你没法完全理解对方所说的内容，而且对说话的人来说，你的行为看起来很无礼。 　　More speaking and listening
　　更多听说练习
　　Asking questions about vocabulary and explaining things to other people increases the amount3 of speaking and listening in class， but looking in a dictionary has no useful practice of the four skills.
　　提出关于词汇的问题并向其他人解释某些事可以增加课堂的听说练习量。但是查字典并没有对（听、说、读、写）四种技巧进行有效的练习。
　　Working together
　　共同学习
　　Students and the teacher helping each other by explaining vocabulary can really help produce a good atmosphere4 in class.
　　学生和老师相互帮忙解释词汇能真正有助于课堂上形成良好的学习氛围。
　　Confidence
　　自信
　　Students who are nervous often reach for their dictionaries without even knowing what they are looking for， just to make them feel “safe”. If you learn to communicate without using your dictionary at all， this will stop you feeling nervous each time you have to communicate without it in real life.
　　容易紧张的学生常常会拿出字典，他们甚至都不知道要查什么，只是为了让自己感到“安全”。如果你学会与人交流时完全不用字典，那当你在现实生活中每次没有字典而又不得不和人交流时，就不会感到紧张了。
　　Using other reference5 resources6
　　采用其他参考来源
　　Rather than reaching for your dictionary automatically7， your teacher might be training you to look at the vocabulary list at the back of the textbook or at your own vocabulary list in your notebook.
　　比起總是不假思索地想查字典，你的老师可能更多地是一直在训练你去查看课本最后几页的词汇表，或者是你的笔记本里面自己写的单词表。
　　Functional8 language
　　功能语言
　　When you ask other people to help you with vocabulary you have to use lots of useful language like“How do you spell it？” and“Can you repeat？” that you will not be able to practice just by looking in your dictionary.
　　当你请求其他人帮助你解答词汇问题时，你不得不运用大量常用的句子，例如“How do you spell it？” “Can you repeat？”。这类句子你是无法仅靠查字典来练习的。
　　总而言之，作为工具书，字典对我们的语言学习有很大的帮助。但是如何正确使用、避免过度依赖它而导致影响到其他的学习步骤，是我们需要好好摸索和正确掌握的学习习惯和方法。