Week 2 Script – Terminology

Debbie:

Managing terminology is a critically important aspect of a translator’s work – carried out in different
ways and for different reasons. Translators must find and use appropriate vocabulary and domain-
specific terminology in order to avoid misinterpretation by readers and users of a translation. It can
constitute 50% of a translator’s job.

Why do translators manage terminology?

1. It may be compliance with an official language policy. For example, an officially bilingual (English
and French) country like Canada ensures that terminology is correctly and uniformly used in
government information for anglophone and francophone speakers. An officially multilingual
European Union ensures the same in 24 languages within the 27 countries that comprise the EU.
2. It may be in compliance with a company’s or organization’s internal style guide implemented to
harmonize and standardize its brand, identity, or mission. For example, a company like Qatar
Airways would manage its brand and identity by ensuring that terms are the same for its internal
management system, website, and publicity in Arabic and when translated and localized in other
languages used internationally.
3. It may be for a single client of an individual translator. For example, a local artist or musician who
creates a website hoping to connect with an international audience might do weekly or monthly
updates, and want their translator to retain certain terms and phrases consistently with every
subsequent update.

Who manages terminology for translation?

1. Internal division of a government, institution, organization, or company: When the volume of

translation is regular and substantial, it may be decided to create and manage translation and
terminology work internally, without having recourse to an external translation agency.
2. Translation agency: When an organization or company needing translation does not have the
expertise or resources to manage translation work, it may decide to outsource this work to an
external translation agency, i.e., a company that specializes in providing professional services
associated with translation (management of terminology and translation memories as well as
translation and localization). A typical translation agency has some translators working ‘in-house’
but also many translators who work for it as independent contractors.
3. Individual translators: For translators working with either direct clients or a translation agency,
terminology management will likely be part of a translation project. They may have to create a
termbase independently or use a termbase created by a translation agency’s project manager.
CAT (computer-assisted translation) software is most often used for this. Note: translation
agencies and translators are also referred to as Language Service Providers, or LSPs.

What technologies and tools do translators use to manage terminology?

1. Terminology management-specific tools: This software has been designed and engineered
specifically for creating and managing termbases associated with a translation project. For
example, in Canada, the ‘standalone’ tool LogiTerm is popular.
 2. Terminology-specific components of CAT tools or Translation Management Systems (TMS): In this
case, the CAT or TMS software is designed and engineered to include a terminology component
that can communicate with the other tasks of managing a translation project. For example,
Trados MultiTerm and Studio are complementary components integrated within the RWS
comprehensive translation environment.
3. Terminology lists may also be created in general mainstream software such as Excel: For
example, matecat online has a functionality to upload term lists in this format. Tip to remember:
There are many, many different tools, apps, and software that have been created for use by
translators, translation agencies, and internal translation services within government
institutions, companies, and organizations. It is important to be sure that the terminology data
can be imported and exported in formats supported by everyone involved in the translation
project. One standardized format is TBX, for TermBase eXchange. (See also Rothwell et al. 2023:
71-72)

How is terminology managed for translation purposes?

1. First ~ distinguish between ‘words’ and ‘terms’. Words more generally fall within the category of
“language for general purposes [LGP]” – and refer to “everyday language we use to describe
ordinary things or to discuss everyday situations [and] to cover ideas that are familiar to most
people”. Terms generally fall within the category of “language for special purposes [LSP]” – and
designate concepts in a specialized field of knowledge familiar to a certain portion of the
population” (Bowker 2023: 61-63). For example, the word ‘airline’ vs. the airline industry term
‘vertical speed indicator’ (VSI) [a device that provides the feet per minute (fpm) rate at which an
aircraft is climbing or descending]. Note: some “LGP” words also acquire meanings that are
“LSP”; for example, the LGP meaning of ‘handshake’ to refer to an act of shaking a person's hand
with one's own in a greeting or to finalize an agreement, in contrast to its LSP meaning of the
word as a term to refer to an exchange of standardized signals between devices (e.g., aircraft
and satellites) in a computer network regulating the transfer of data.
2. Second ~ consider the relation of terms to concepts. When we think of the familiar format for
dictionaries, we know that a word entry may include multiple definitions. Termbase records,
however, have one term per concept and its definition, with a same term possibly having more
than one record. For example, a dictionary entry for the word ‘buffer’ would give its general
definition (‘something that lessens the impact of something else’), followed by other ways the
word is used as a term in specialized contexts like computing, transportation, engineering, or
chemistry. If the term used in a translation project includes both contexts of computing and
transportation, then two termbase records are created for the same term – with its different
contextual meanings. (See Rothwell et al. 2023: 57-58)
3. Third ~ decide on what types of information to include in the termbase records. For example, the
‘fields’ of the termbase records could include data categories such as: (a) the subject field or
domain [which specialized field of knowledge]; (b) the term [including spelling variants or
abbreviations]; (c) the term’s bilingual or multilingual equivalents; (d) the term’s grammatical
and linguistic [part of speech, gender, status, register] information; (e) information on the term’s
usage; (f) definition of the concept linked to the term; (g) a contextual example; (h) sources from
which the terms, definitions, and concepts were drawn; and (i) notes or observations [e.g.,
whether or not to use with a particular client], in addition to administrative data [e.g., who
 created the termbase record and the date it was created]. (See Bowker 2023: 68-69 and
Rothwell et al. 2023: 60-64)
4. Fourth ~ create the records for your termbase.

Let’s see how this would work. We can take an example from an existing termbase in UNTERM
([Link] [see images
UNTERM EX-1 and UNTERM EX-2]. We’ll compare later, but for now we’ll use these data to do a
termbase record in MultiTerm, the terminology component of the RWS Trados CAT-tool. We’ll
assume that the source language is English and the target language is Arabic.

Hypothetical scenario: Our translator’s name is Fatima and she works as an independent translator
from English (Source Language) to Arabic (Target Language). From time to time, the UN contracts
independent translators to work on their translation projects. This time, the UN’s internal translation
division has sent her a source text document on sustainable development to translate. The UN has
previously translated documents about sustainable development and has an online terminology
search tool called UNTERM.

Fatima has two options. 1—She can ask for access to consult previously translated documents and
consult the UNTERM online when she needs to find the acceptable translation in Arabic for the
terms. 2—She can create a translation memory (we’ll discuss this next week) and a terminology
database in the CAT tool she usually uses for her translation work. In the UNTERM images below, we
see screenshots of how UNTERM displays the multilingual termbase record in the online tool. (The
UN’s official languages are English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Arabic.)
Fatima decides for option 2, i.e., to create the UNTERM termbase records in her CAT-tool. By doing
this, she can use the terminology search functionalities with the translation memory she creates in
her CAT tool, and make better use of her resources when needing to translate updated documents on
sustainable development that the UN sends her in the future. (We’ll see how this works later on in
the course.)

She also knows that even though she uses MultiTerm, there are many other similar CAT tools with
similar ways to create termbases too.

What would the termbase record look like if we use the UNTERM data to create the record in
MultiTerm? The following images give an idea of the basic steps to keep in mind when creating a
termbase record in any CAT tool (note: the image files are also provided separately for clear
resolution and viewing):
a) [Image TB Wiz-1]: define your termbase and select the fields (including your source language
[SL] and target language(s) [TL], ex. EN and AR).

b) [Image TB Wiz-2]: select the descriptive field categories you want to use.
c) [Image TB Wiz-3]: “Add” a term and fill in the relevant fields with information you have.

d) [Image TB Wiz-4]: If you want to provide additional information for your record, “Add field”
from the list of possible descriptive field categories. This allows you to provide information,
for example, about the term’s grammar and status.
 5. Fifth ~ conduct terminology searches within your CAT tool. For the time being, we’ve only
introduced the concept and benefit of creating a termbase in a CAT tool. In our next module,
we’ll be doing the same for translation memory. When a termbase and translation memory are
used together in a CAT tool, translators can benefit from a wider range of functionalities.
a. Active (or automatic) terminology lookup: automatically retrieves terms in the SL and TL
and displays them side-by-side bilingually in a window within the translator’s main
studio pane. (See Rothwell et al. 2023: 69-71)
b. Concordance feature: automatically retrieves specific words and phrases from the
translation memory and displays them bilingually so that the information can be used by
translators to decide whether or not the words and phrases are appropriate for the new
document being translated. (More on this next week!) (See Mitchell-Schuitevoerder
2020: 84-87)
6. Sixth ~ create your own termbase records from digital content that is available online. (See
Rothwell et al. (2023: 67-68) for “Term Extraction”, and Mitchell-Schuitevoerder (2020: 72-73;
79-83) for “Term Extraction” and “Corpora”.

Khetam:

I will explain briefly how UNTERM works:

UNTERM stands for United Nations Terminology Database. It is a multilingual database containing official
terminology relevant to the work of the United Nations. As the UN describes it: “UNTERM is a multilingual
database for official terminology relevant to the work of the United Nations. It is a public website used by
UN delegates and staff, as well as by anyone interested in the work and activities of the United Nations
around the world.”

UNTERM helps ensure consistency and accuracy. The database is maintained by UN language
professionals who specialise in various subject areas. It includes terminology in the six official UN
languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish, with additional entries available in
German and Portuguese. It is publicly accessible online. If you search for “UNTERM” on Google, the official
page usually appears first in the results. You can either search for it in Arabic:
[Link] or English: [Link] (links provided). These
links take you directly to the UNTERM database in the language of your choice.

When you open the website, you will find a search box on the main page. To refine your search, click on
“Advanced Search.” Then select the languages you want to translate from and into. You can also choose
among several search options, including datasets such as Accounting, Country Names, and Aviation;
subjects related to specific UN fields; and bodies such as the Council of Europe or the Human Rights
Council, among others.

Example:
When you look up a term such as “resolution”, you may be given different translations depending on the
subject area or domain as displayed once you click search. This is because UN terminology is context-
sensitive where the same word can have different meanings in different fields. In UN legal or political
contexts, it is usually “‫”قرار‬. In science and technology (general), it can mean “‫ “الدقة‬,”‫”درجة الوضوح‬, or “ ‫درجة‬
‫”النقاء‬.

UNTERM database is kept up-to-date. UNTERM preserves the historical record of terminology changes.
Older terms/their translations are kept in the database, even when they are no longer in use. They are
crossed out rather than deleted completely. This helps translators trace how specific terms have evolved
over time and ensures that they use the most current, officially approved terminology in their work. This
also means that the meaning or preferred usage of certain terms can change over time. As language
evolves and UN policies or contexts shift, a term that was once accurate or appropriate may later be
replaced with one that better reflects current understanding or official usage. For your as a translator, this
highlights the importance of always consulting UNTERM to ensure accuracy and alignment with current
UN terminology standards.

Termbases created using Excel

We have also included two sample termbases created using Excel. As mentioned earlier, a termbase can
include details that help you translate consistently and accurately. You might receive a termbase from the
translation company assigning the project to you, or you may create one yourself to support your own
translation work.

A termbase can include terms in the source and target languages, along with useful information such as
different spellings, abbreviations, preferred translations when more than one is acceptable, definitions,
and domain-specific notes. This is important because some terms can have different meanings depending
on the subject area.
For example, in the first sample, a Bilingual English–Arabic Medical Termbase, the term “Emergency
Department” is translated into Arabic as “‫ ”قسم الطوارئ‬and has an alternative name “Accident & Emergency
(A&E).”

In the second sample, a Bilingual English–Arabic Legal Termbase, the English term “Breach of Contract”
can be translated as either “‫ ”خرق العقد‬or “‫إخالل بالعقد‬.”

Examples online:

United Nations terminology database: UNTERM

European Union terminology database: IATE

References:

Bowker, L. De-mystifying Translation. Introducing Translation to Non-translators. Routledge: 2023.

Mitchell-Schuitevoerder, R. A Project-Based Approach to Translation Technology. Routledge: 2020.

Rothwell, A., and J. Moorkens, M. Fernández-Parra, J. Drugan, F. Austermuehl (eds). Translation Tools
and Technologies. Routledge: 2023.