  We use a sample of 7 starburst galaxies at intermediate redshifts (z ~ 0.4
and z ~ 0.8) with observations ranging from the observed ultraviolet to 1.4
GHz, to compare the star formation rate (SFR) estimators which are used in the
different wavelength regimes. We find that extinction corrected Halpha
underestimates the SFR, and the degree of this underestimation increases with
the infrared luminosity of the galaxies. Galaxies with very different levels of
dust extinction as measured with SFR(IR)/SFR(Halpha, uncorrected for
extinction) present a similar attenuation A[Halpha], as if the Balmer lines
probed a different region of the galaxy than the one responsible for the bulk
of the IR luminosity for large SFRs. In addition, SFR estimates derived from
[OII]3727 match very well those inferred from Halpha after applying the
metallicity correction derived from local galaxies. SFRs estimated from the UV
luminosities show a dichotomic behavior, similar to that previously reported by
other authors in galaxies at z <~ 0.4. Here we extend this result up to z ~
0.8. Finally, one of the studied objects is a luminous compact galaxy (LCG)
that may be suffering similar dust-enshrouded star formation episodes. These
results highlight the relevance of quantifying the actual L(IR) of LCGs, as
well as that of a much larger and generic sample of luminous infrared galaxies,
which will be possible after the launch of SIRTF.
