When looking for dictionaries and encyclopedias relating to foreign languages you are going to want to use the library catalog. From the library homepage, click on the "URI Libraries Search" in the left-hand menu or click on either of the "Books & More" links under the "Find" menu.
Finding Dictionaries
To find a language dictionary you'll want to search for the name of the language and the word dictionary. A few examples are:
Japanese and dictionary
Arabic and dictionary
Finding Encyclopedias
To find an encyclopedia relating to a language, you'll want to search for the name of the language and the word encyclopedia. An example is:
Chinese and encyclopedia
It may also be helpful to add the word culture to your search in order to find a encyclopedias about the culture. So try searching for something like this:
Spanish and encyclopedia and culture
Encyclopedias are a great resource for learning about cultural information in addition to information relating to the language and countries.