Les marques dans les dictionnaires bilingues généraux : l’exemple des marques de domaine dans les dictionnaires français-italien

I have already analyzed the evolution of field labels and their different uses in general French monolingual dictionaries, stressing that the technical labels of the Petit Robert can be considered as indicators of connotation. My analysis of the Petit Robert’s labeling system led me to conclude that it might serve as a model for other dictionaries where such labels are not treated in as consistent or functional a manner. This conclusion is especially appropriate if we look at the labeling system of French-Italian bilingual dictionaries—or rather, the lack of systematically functional labeling. Starting with an observation of the differences among French-Italian bilingual dictionaries in applying technical labels to describe the same word-entries but also different interpretations that can be attributed to such labeling within the same bilingual dictionary, I will demonstrate their inadequacy. On the basis of an analysis of the translation problems regarding words belonging to different scientific and technical fields in different contexts, I will show how the treatment of these words in French-Italian bilingual dictionaries is inadequate and will propose ways to improve their description.