The special interest in electronics all over the world is due to its decisive role in the scien tific and technical progress now taking place in all fields of modern technology. Electronics also plays a decisive role in the development of science, providing as it does the technical basis for various scientific experiments. The role of electronics in the development of the world's culture also deserves a special mention. That is why it is hoped that the English-German­ French-Dutch-Russian Dictionary of Electronics, which contains some 9.000 entries and is jointly published by Kluwer Technische Boeken, B.V. (Deventer, Holland) and Ruski Yazyk Publishers (Moscow, USSR) will be favourably received. In accordance with existing internation­al tradition, the term «electronics» covers several fields known in Soviet classification as elec tronics proper, radio engineering, and wire communication. The entries included in this dictionary have been selected in accordance with the international understanding of the term «electronics». 
One of the main difficulties encountered by the compilers was that although according to some calculations the number of terms used in special literature on electronics exceeds 50.000, the vocabulary of the dictionary had to be restricted to only 9.000 entries. Therefore this dictionary cannot claim to be comprehensive. Its purpose is to enable a wide range of specialists in various countries to find the English, German, French, Dutch, or Russian equivalents of the principal and most up-to-date terms in the field of electronics. Most attention has been paid to quantum electronics, fibre optics, optoelectronics, integrated circuit technology, radiolocation and radionavigation, pulse technique, holography, etc.