Attaching and converting user dictionaries created in previous versions of ABBYY Lingvo

To attach a user dictionary:

1. Choose Languages & Dictionaries... on the Tools menu.
   The Languages & Dictionaries... dialog will open. 
2. Click in this dialog or press CTRL+O to bring up the Dictionary Installation dialog box. 
3. In the Files of type drop-down list select the required file type.
4. Select the dictionary or dictionaries you wish to install and click Open. 

Note: You can also drag and drop your dictionary file from Windows Explorer onto the Bookshelf.

Lingvo 8.0 uses Unicode fonts to display text on its cards. Before you can attach user dictionaries created in ABBYY Lingvo 5.0/6.0/6.5 and in ABBYY Lingvo 7.0 English Russian Edition, you have to convert them into the new multilingual format. If you try to attach an unconverted dictionary, Lingvo will prompt you to convert them. If you agree and click Yes, Lingvo will launch the DSL Compiler. The DSL Compiler will convert your old file into the new format without altering its contents.

Note: There are certain restrictions on .lsd files that can be converted into the new format (e.g. in their names, only the English and Russian languages can be used). Therefore, we recommend that you re-compile your old .lsd dictionaries if you still have their source files written in DSL.

Attention! 

Dictionaries created in ABBYY Lingvo 8.0 cannot be attached to the previous versions of Lingvo.

More:

How to compile a dictionary

Structure of a DSL dictionary entry (card)