Lexicography is the skill, the practice, and the profession of writing dictionaries. It is how entries get made: what to include, how to gloss a word in easy language, which example to print, when to say “informal,” when to admit that people stretch a meaning.

Lexicography Lexicography是 the skill, the practice, and the profession寫字典的技藝、實務，跟職業 of writing dictionaries也就是編寫字典的。 It is它是 how entries get made字典條目是怎麼做出來的：what to include要放進什麼、how to gloss a word in easy language怎麼用簡單的語言解釋一個字、which example to print要印哪個例句、when to say “informal,”什麼時候要標「informal」、when to admit that people stretch a meaning什麼時候要承認人們把意思延伸了。

Practical lexicography is the day-to-day drafting. Theoretical lexicography steps back and asks how a dictionary ought to be built.

Practical lexicography實務詞典編纂是 the day-to-day drafting日常的撰寫工作。 Theoretical lexicography理論詞典編纂 steps back後退一步 and asks問 how a dictionary ought to be built字典應該怎麼被建構出來。

It sits beside lexicology (the study of words as a system) and students mix the two: lexicology thinks about the language; lexicography has to put the language on a page a learner can use.

It sits beside它跟...並列 lexicology (the study of words as a system) lexicology（把字當作一個系統來研究）， and students mix the two學生常把兩者搞混：lexicology thinks about the language lexicology在思考語言本身；lexicography has to put the language on a page a learner can use而lexicography得把語言放到學習者能用的一頁上。

It is an academic word. Nobody at dinner says “I work in lexicography” unless they want to be asked what that is — and then they usually say “I make dictionaries.”

It is它是 an academic word一個學術用詞。 Nobody at dinner沒有人在吃飯時 says “I work in lexicography”會說「我從事lexicography」 unless they want to be asked what that is除非他們想被問那是什麼——and then他們接著 they usually say通常會說 “I make dictionaries.”「我在編字典」。