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TERMINOLOGY
MANAGEMENT AT THE
TRANSLATION CENTRE
Maria José Palos CaravinaSenior Terminology Coordinador
Terminology Team, Language and Technology Support Section
Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union
OUTLINE Brief overview: some basic concepts 1st terminology projects and the current situation EFQM &Terminology (T21) Terminology checkers for QA - Controlled
language in action How we work: translation workflow & terminology Terminology-oriented tools Consultation (Quest II, Doc Search) Management (IATE)
ROI Conclusions
“investing without understanding the terminology is like wandering through the woods without a trail map :
you get lost”
What is a terminology policy ?• “strategy aiming at developing or regulating emerging and
existing terminologies for an array of purposes”. • It can take a variety of forms and styles : be a law, decree,
official statement or recommendation, speech, guidelines or briefing papers.
• It concerns not only linguistic representations of concepts, but includes in its scope all types of knowledge representations, including formulae, graphs, graphical symbols, motions, etc.
• Although terminology is authoritative, it is constantly influenced by an array of factors: demographic, cultural, ethno- and geo-linguistic, socio-psychological, economic or legal factors.
• We have to understand that terminology does not only affect selected professional groups, such as translators, even though they are the most concerned with it in terms of research. Translation comes into play only at a quite advanced stage in the life-cycle of terminology.
• The UNESCO Guidelines for terminology policies describe the omnipresence of terminology in saying, that: “Terminology plays a crucial role whenever domain-specific knowledge is :– Generated (research, development)
– Used (specialized texts)
– Recorded (databases, dictionaries)
– Passed on (training, teaching)
– Implemented (technology and knowledge transfer)
– Translated and interpreted.”
• Or as one expert jokingly put it :“Terminology is like snoring – everybody does it, only some are aware of the fact, and of those, even fewer would admit it.”
Terminology resources in EU agencies and Bodies
Internal resources
CdT Y
CCE-Emploi Y
Cedefop Y
COA Y
Council Y
EACEA Y
EASA Y
EC Y
ECA Y
ECB Y
ECDC Y
ECHA Y
ECJ Y
EDA Y
EDPS Y
EEA Y
EFSA Y
EMA Y
EMCDDA Y
EMSA N - in the process of creation
ERA Y
ETF Y
EU-OSHA Y
Eurofound Y
Europol Y
EUSC Y
FRA Y
FRONTEX Y
OHIM Y
Ombudsman Y
Terminology projects 2011- 2012
– FRONTEX – multilingual part completed– ECHA (3 batches) & revision of REACH terms– ECDC–web terms completed & new Source terms
approved – ready for multilingual part– EFSA terminology watch – Source terms validation– EMCDDA phase II – postponed for 2012 at client’s
request– EMSA – Feedback expected on definitions– CdT - postponed for beginning 2012
• Although each project is unique, covers specific fields, languages and objectives, we felt the need to define a common approach towards terminology management.
• Based on the EFQM standards, used both as an assessment tool and a management model, already applied to other core activities of the centre (translating a document, managing translation resources), the T21 quality process “Creating a new specialised terminology resource” was defined in cooperation with the Translation department and used since 2002
EFQM & T21 process
Quality Assurance/Term Checkers
Purpose: ensure terminology consistency & compliance of terminology used by translators with that approved by EU Agencies • Pre-translation stage: automatic recognition & mark-up of
terms from a glossary in the source text.
• Translation stage: automatic detection (active segment) of terms from a glossary + concordance tools during translation.
• Reviewing stage: automatic verification of the terminology used in a bilingual document (translated with a CAT tool) against a particular glossary.
DMS
Translation/Revision
Post-Treatment
Pre-Treatment
Technical
Linguistic
Administrative Technical
In-house
External
4. How we work-Translation Workflow
Terminology Tools used at CdT (consultation)
• QUEST II: metasearch tool ( web & MSWord access)• Resources: IATE & external terminology
databases, Euramis (Concordance), EurLex, etc.• DocSearch: CdT’s internal search tool. Similar to a
concordance tool that searches in CdT internal documents. Bilingual display.
• Apart from translation memories (TWB, NEMO & Nautil)
QUEST II
CdT’s CAT tool: NEMO
Terminology Management & Term Extraction Tools
IATE: centralised terminology repository for all EU institutions (data management: input, editing, validation, import, export, user management)
Xerox XTS: TermFinder/TermOrganizer used for term extractionAllows loading aligned bilingual corpora and extracting terms with their contexts, definitions and sources
Other tools tested/being tested (Multiterm Extract, Fodina, Multitrans, WordBee, Accrolinkx, Terminotix, etc.)
ConclusionsWhat is the Return on Investment (ROI)?• Negative feedback expected to decrease • Translators can trust the system so loose less time
looking for terminology (cost savings)• If translators and clients use the approved
terminology we all gain consistency & revision time• Clients are satisfied with the translation quality • TM & terminology databases up to date both
internally and externally (same resources shared internally and externally – harmonisation) …
• Documents are easy to understand for specialists and/or general public – message is clear!
Some food for thought
•Unclear/wrong terminology in 1 original can lead to 23 wrong documents - save money and time•Feedback on terminology (CSFs) → overall quality of translations → EU terminology through IATE – feedback from the other Institutions • Using terminology resources for refining internet searches, document retrieval and other applications through ontologies, semantic web, etc.
There is no Knowledge without Terminology!
Thank you very much for your attention!
