Introduction to terminology 7/7

Documents on the special subject field

•Terminology teams need three types of knowledge:

1. Expertise in terminology: theory, methodology, and
practical experience.

2. Expertise in the subject field (typically possessed by

specialists in the field).

3. Expertise in the language or languages in question

(typically possessed by linguists).

Pamphlets: a small booklets or leaflet containing

information or arguments about a single subject (mini
dictionaries).

1. Terminography is usually undertaken jointly by teams of

experts in a subject field and linguists specialized in
language structure, and terminological methodology.

2. Practical work in terminology requires that a

terminologist knows enough about the field in question.

3. Subject specialists progressively acquire knowledge

about their field throughout their training, and
consequently, do not begin from zero when they start at
terminographic task. They probably have to acquire,
however, knowledge about language structure and
specific training in the principles of and methods used in
terminology.

“Terminography can only be carried out by someone with

a background in linguistics if he or she has a solid
familiarity with the subject, in addition to experience in the
principles and method of terminology.”

•One of the most useful types of document prepared at

terminology centres is the
special topic file.

•The special topic file brings together different materials on

a single topic. It usually
includes articles from newspapers and specialized
journals, references to a more
complete bibliography, expert opinions, photographs, and
other illustrative material.

•Topic files are not limited to information on contents but

may also include background
information about centres specializing in the topic, the
names and references of experts, etc. .

Documents on Terms
•Dictionaries, lexical lists, and terminological databases
are the most common sources for those working in
terminography.

•The reasons for which we should consult dictionaries and

lexical and terminological databases are the following:

1. To resolve doubts about the existence of a term in a

language.

2. To know how to us a term grammatically: to know its

meaning and spelling.

3. To know its equivalents (translations) in other functional

or historical languages.

4. To find out the name of an object.

5. To find alternatives to a designation.

6. To find out how many terms have been collected in a

specific domain.