The Importance of Using Terminology in Translation
Specialized publications use technical terms from several fields of knowledge, such as medicine, science and law. Although the terms used may seem difficult to understand at first, one can eventually become acquainted with them through practice.
Translation and traductology are very technical sciences that use terminology, due to the importance of understanding concepts signified by technical terms in a specific domain of knowledge.
In this blog we explain about terminology in a translation and the significance of the relationship between both sciences, how they support each other when doing specialized translations.
Terminology
In Spanish, “terminology” refers to the set of terms, words and expressions used in a specific domain or field of knowledge to describe concepts, ideas or phenomena. It is the specialized language used by professionals in a specific field to communicate among themselves.
Terminology focuses on the relationship between the objects of reality and the concepts that represent them, and not so much on the relationship between name and meaning.
Terminology in translation is used in studies on how new words are created to describe concepts related to translation.
For example, words that are formed with prefixes and suffixes, as well as words that take on an additional meaning are a common source of technical terms. But that are not limited to the same language, using also terms in French and English. Some examples of such words are “reformulation”, “transmission” and “identity”.
Translation
Traductology is the study and analysis of the theory, description and application of translation and interpretation processes. In Spanish the term “traductology” or “translation studies” has been adopted as a more precise way of referring to such discipline.
In that language there is a wide terminological diversity regarding sciences and theories related to translation studies, such as:
- Studies on translation
- Translation science
- Linguistics applied to translation
- Translation theory
- Translemic
- Traductology
- Translatology
Each of these areas focuses on different ways and forms of translating a document. All have different idioms, terminology and forms of referring to a specific thing, depending on the science under study.
Terminology in Translation Studies
Translation studies are related to other disciplines such as philosophy, hermeneutics, anthropology, linguistics, psychology, and many more.
Some authors see translation studies as a multidimensional inter-discipline, meaning that it relates to several different areas of knowledge.
Terminology is very important in translation studies because in this discipline new terms are created. This also occurs in other specialized areas of knowledge such as medicine or engineering, in which specific terms are coined to describe specific concepts.
The variety of approaches that exist in translation studies, and how this characteristic has led to the creation of different terms and concepts in this discipline is something that has received wide attention. In 1972 Holmes noted such variety in his work The Name and Nature of Translation Studies.
Translation studies in English are known in Spanish as “traductology” (from the French word traductologie). In Italian and Polish similar terms are used.
In translation studies many new terms are coined that are sometimes based in the addition of prefixes or suffixes, or in the assigning new meanings to already existing words. People studying traductology will find many new concepts and several known words that have been adapted to the discipline.
In the terminology used in translation studies it is common to use words in English such as “mapping”, “shifts” and “unique terms”. Also, sometimes literal translation techniques and phonetic adaptations are used to convert those terms to the language of interest.
Concepts that already exist are also utilized, such as “target language” and “source language”. Authors such as Nida suggest using terms that are useful and have explanatory force with respect to the translation process.
Additionally, translation studies use terms from other languages, such as French and German, not only English.
If you want to learn more about these sciences or techniques to incorporate terminology in your translations and obtain enhanced professional results, visit our web page where you will find courses and resources for your translations. Also, ask for a price quote to get translations from the best professionals in the industry.
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