Terminology. International Journal of Theoretical and Applied Issues in Specialized Communication - Volume 32, Issue 1, 2026

Abstract

This study examines the role of term consistency and text continuity in specialized translation, as well as the challenges translators face in maintaining them. It defines and illustrates terminological chains, highlighting the difficulty of balancing term consistency and text continuity across languages. Using examples from the German-Italian language pair, the paper argues that maintaining referential continuity in the target text requires recognizing terminological chains, comparing conceptual structures across languages, and applying appropriate translation strategies. Since standard terminology alone may not always suffice, various strategies can help preserve terminological chains, particularly when languages differ in how they form clusters. However, some of these strategies may conflict with existing translation quality evaluation standards, raising the question of whether transferring terminological chains should be a quality criterion. The need to preserve these chains in the target text and their impact on translation evaluation will also be assessed.

Abstract

This paper stands at the intersection between specialised translation and terminology. Terms and their relations are rather central in specialised texts and become even more important when texts are transferred into another language, i.e. within specialised translation. The analysis discusses the needs of specialised translation and how they could be covered through a terminological representation method in order for it to be a useful tool for translators of specialised texts. The needs of specialised translation are presented thoroughly following an analysis divided into levels of equivalence. A graphic representation of two axes of a Cartesian coordinates system is used to depict the progressive saturation of the needs at several levels of equivalence in specialised translation using an adequate terminology representation.

It is argued that in order to provide a good translation of a specialised text, translators do not just need equivalents for the terms involved. They also need a good domain representation that will help them increase their domain knowledge, translate the text sufficiently up to the highest levels of equivalence and suggest new translations for terms in case of non-equivalence. Moving from terminological resources that mainly focus on terms as linguistic units to resources that consider terms not just as linguistic but also as domain-specific units can be the key to the saturation of the needs of specialised translation at all levels of equivalence.

Abstract

Frame-Based Terminology (FBT) proposes the use of frames as a model for the representation of terminological relations. Frames provide an alternative to the hierarchical concept systems of Wüster’s Allgemeine Terminologielehre (ATL; ‘General Theory of Terminology’). For some domains, frames are more useful than for others. In order to find out which properties of a domain determine this, three domains are compared. In the domain of rodents, a hierarchical concept system is an insightful representation of the core relations. FBT was developed for the domain of coastal management and the frame for this domain deserves special attention for this reason. For the domain of football matches, it is shown that hyponymy and meronymy only cover a small part of the domain, but a frame of the type used in coastal management does not improve this significantly. Instead, a frame based on an analysis of the football match into episodes is developed. In the conclusion, the factors that are responsible for the degree of usefulness of frames and the type of frame that is necessary are summarized.

Abstract

In this paper, we study how meaning of a polysemous lexical item is distinguished in a terminological research study to account for terms from the field of the environment in Brazilian Portuguese. This research is related to two multilingual terminological resources, the DiCoEnviro — Dictionnaire fondamental de l’environnement — and A framed version of DiCoEnviro, both under the coordination of the Observatoire de Linguistique Sens-Texte (OLST), Université de Montréal, Canada. The focus is on the verb poluir (to pollute), a polysemous lexical item, extracted from a corpus, especially compiled for the research, made up of scientific articles on the topic of pollution. The research draws on the lexicon-driven approach (LDA) encompassing two frameworks, Explanatory Combinatorial Lexicology (ECL) and Frame Semantics (FS). Based on eight methodological steps, the terminological research adopts a specific perspective on the linguistic properties of terms and on the expression of specialized knowledge in semantic frames. The results show two meanings for poluir, poluir1a and poluir1b, each meaning presenting a different argument structure, with a different number of arguments and semantic roles, and attributed to different frames, Contamination and Cause_Contamination respectively.

Abstract

Term variation relates to the representation and communication of specialized knowledge in different contexts. Terminological choices reflect how a speaker understands a concept or wishes to present it in a given context; they can shape understanding within specialized fields and influence public opinion on scientific issues. However, capturing systematic patterns in these choices is challenging due the highly contextual nature of categorization. This study applies frame analysis to study the behavior and motivations behind the use of term variants related to surrogacy, a controversial topic with legal, social and economic dimensions. First, it performs a cognitive-semantic analysis of 30 term variants identified in scientific and activist discourse, revealing different perspectives that range from critical to favorable towards the practice. Second, it examines how these terms are used and framed in a corpus of Spanish press from different ideological orientations. Results show a correlation between the evaluative valences of terms and frames in the case of less frequent variants, whereas the most frequent variants are used across different frames. Furthermore, critical framings and terms are more common in progressive media outlets, emphasizing the illegality and commodification of the practice. In contrast, liberal newspapers adopt more neutral and/or favorable framings, focusing on the need for regulation or the personal experiences of intending parents. The findings provide insights into how cognitive frames and terminological choices reflect broader ideological struggles in scientific and public discourse.

Abstract

This paper examines the use of gender-sensitive language in terminology databases, focusing on terminological definitions. It is based on a case study on definitions of legal agentives in Italian, a grammatical gender language. The key question shaping many crucial choices is whether gender should be regarded as a characteristic of concepts or a property of objects. We discuss the challenges of (re)writing terminological definitions of legal concepts stored in a terminology database. These concern the conceptual, linguistic and comparative levels. With our study, we aim to contribute to the broader debate on language and gender. At the same time, we illustrate gender as a dimension of terminology that goes beyond terms and concerns the description and representation of concepts (e.g. in ontologies).

This article reviews Terminology throughout History: A discipline in the making978 90 272 2029978 90 272 4486