Why is the same English meaning of ため tied to different Japanese meanings in different dictionaries?


[Jisho](http://jisho.org/word/%E7%82%BA) gives "consequence; result; effect"
with an example sentence

> それは、おまえの声をよく聞くためだよ。(It is in order to hear your voice well.)

[Tangorin](http://tangorin.com/general/%E3%81%9F%E3%82%81) gives "consequence;
result; effect" with an example sentence.

> 霧のため全列車は運転休止となった。(Railroad service was suspended because of the fog.)

In the former, "consequence; result; effect" seems to mean "in order to" or
"aim". In the latter, "consequence; result; effect" seems to mean "cause" or
"because of".

It seems some translations from Japanese to English are confusing.

How should I interpret Japanese-English dictionaries in this case?

**Edit 1.** The second entry
[here](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/je/46719/meaning/m0u/%E3%81%9F%E3%82%81/)
seems more accurate: "〔理由，原因〕 because"

> 昨日風邪のため学校を休んだ (I was absent from school yesterday because of a cold.)




ため can have a handful of meanings. When used with a controllable situation, it
means "for the good of" or "for the purpose of":

体を強くするために毎日プールで泳いでいる

"In order to strengthen my body, I swim in the pool every day"

会社のため朝から晩まで働いている

"He works from morning to night for the sake of his company"

In non-controllable situations, it specifies a cause or effect:

残業のため、仕事以外は何も他のことが出来ない

"Because of the overtime work, I can't do anything else besides my job"

If the part before ため is in the past tense, or an adjective, it also means
cause or reason:

私は父が死んだため大学に行けなかった

"I couldn't go to college because my father died"

親が甘かったため子供がダメになった

"Because the parents were soft, the children got spoiled"

字が下手なため人に笑われた

"I was laughed at because my handwriting is poor"

All of these sentences are from A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar

In short, the meanings vary greatly depending on what qualifies ため。

