Dealing with terminology in different kinds of specialized texts

Smetko, Katarina. (2011). Dealing with terminology in different kinds of specialized texts . Diploma Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of English Language and Literature. [mentor Beli, Vesna].

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Abstract

Statistics have shown that literary translation no longer comprises the majority of translations made today – technical translation, i.e. the translation of specialised, professional texts, has become the prevalent type. Globalization has made it possible for people from all parts of the world to learn about distant countries and cultures, but also, and this is of particular importance for this discussion, to keep up to date with all the recent scientific achievements and publications. However, the issue of the language barrier still remains an obstacle for many individuals interested in acquiring knowledge presented in a language other than their own. This is where translation comes into the picture. It is through translation that an interested reader may finally access the work he or she is interested in. The importance of a translator’s work is immense, although at times it may not seem so. One of the main characteristics of specialized texts is their usage of specialized terminology, which the scientists or scholars in a certain field are (presumably) familiar with. Such communication significantly facilitates professional communication because, in a way, it eliminates the possibility of confusion. This is due to the fact that it is (or should be) very clear to everyone what a certain term means. The responsibility of the translator is, then, to transmit those exact meanings to the target text – it is hardly necessary to stress the importance of preserving accurate terminology. As easy as that may seem (“It’s simple, you just need to replace English terms with Croatian ones”, or vice versa), in practice it is very rarely so. Due to various factors, which I will discuss in the central part of this paper, the process of finding appropriate terms in the target language can get very long, difficult, and cumbersome. However, part of being a translator is finding your way around such obstacles and producing the best possible translation. For all the reasons mentioned above, I have chosen to elaborate on the terminological difficulties that tend to arise during the translation of specialised texts. I will explain the strategies I have used in my translations and the terminology I finally opted for, but I will also mention some other solutions that were suggested, but I thought were not adequate, and have thus decided not to include them in my translation.

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