4 Terminology and Technical Translation

• Technical translation is a specific form of cross-cultural and inter-lingual knowledge transfer .
• Technical texts contain subject-field-specific terminology (often from different domains).

• the analysis of the terminology contained in the source text
• the comparison of that source language terminology to the corresponding target language terminology
• the target text production including the selection of appropriate terms according to the prospective communicative purpose(s) of the target text

Translation-oriented terminology management
• is usually of a descriptive and comparative nature, analyzing existing terminology usage in technical discourse in several languages
• involves the creation and maintenance of glossaries, dictionaries, term bases and other forms of terminology collections for referential purposes

Since translators are often confronted with innovative texts containing descriptions of novel technologies, new scientific findings, new intellectual insights, etc. that unavoidably contain new terms (or changed meanings of existing terms), they are expected to coin and propose corresponding new terms in the target language. This process of language innovation is governed by a multitude of socio-cultural factors that determine the role of language in a particular society or language community, the cognitive factors of accepting new terms, etc.

Terminology Management and Quality Assurance

Aims and Purposes of Technical Communication