This book deals with the oft-neglected tensions between perspicuity and fuzziness in specialised communication. It describes the manifestations, functions and implications of indeterminacy phenomena in a range of LSP specialisations where it has been customary to expect precision and consistency. The volume presents case studies and methodological frameworks that draw on theoretical, anthropological and cognitive linguistics, safety-critical translating, history and theory of terminology studies, development of ontologies, software localisation, jurisprudence, macroeconomics and interoperability of digital knowledge representation resources. With chapters by leading scholars drawn from eleven countries, this book contributes to the benchmarking of indeterminacy scholarship in LSP studies and is a fitting tribute to its dedicatee, Professor Heribert Picht who, even in retirement, remains a constant presence in LSP and terminology studies. The book should be of interest to scholars of the aforementioned areas.

This book deals with the oft-neglected tensions between perspicuity and fuzziness in specialised communication. It describes the manifestations, functions and implications of indeterminacy phenomena in a range of LSP specialisations where it has been customary to expect precision and consistency. The volume presents case studies and methodological frameworks that draw on theoretical, anthropological and cognitive linguistics, safety-critical translating, history and theory of terminology studies, development of ontologies, software localisation, jurisprudence, macroeconomics and interoperability of digital knowledge representation resources. With chapters by leading scholars drawn from eleven countries, this book contributes to the benchmarking of indeterminacy scholarship in LSP studies and is a fitting tribute to its dedicatee, Professor Heribert Picht who, even in retirement, remains a constant presence in LSP and terminology studies. The book should be of interest to scholars of the aforementioned areas.

The aim of this volume is to provide an overview of different theoretical perspectives on Terminology, from Wüster to other initiatives that have emerged since the beginning of the 1990s. The volume also covers important topics which have significantly influenced Terminology and its evolution. These include variation, multidimensionality, conceptual relations, and equivalence, among others. The twenty-two chapters of the volume, all written by acknowledged experts in the field, explore the questions that different approaches seek to answer. They also describe the theoretical and methodological principles that were devised over the years to characterize, analyze, and represent terminological data. The semi-chronological, semi-thematic organization of chapters not only provides readers with a clear vision of the evolution of ideas in Terminology, but also gives them an understanding as to why some of these ideas were initially challenged. In addition to being accessible to readers unfamiliar with the basic theoretical principles in the field, the chapters provide a showcase of current research in the field, the challenges looming on the horizon, and finally future directions in terminological research. By bringing together work that is often disseminated in different forums and written in different languages, this volume provides a unique opportunity to look at how different theoretical approaches to Terminology offer complementary perspectives on terms, concepts and specialized knowledge, and help to further a better understanding of the complex phenomena that terminologists must successfully deal with in their work.

The aim of the present volume is to provide a present-day take on variation in terminology by looking forward and examining what leading scholars in the field are working on and where they are taking research in the field today. This reader is built around three themes arranged according to complementary points of view to stimulate thought on the subject of variation as it is approached today. The first theme, “The social dimension of variation”, includes three contributions dealing with variation across different categories of speakers. This reflects not only the expert/layperson dichotomy but also other more original polarities as the emotional dimension and the issue of diastratic variation across LSPs. The second part of this reader puts forward different tools and methods to identify, describe and manage term variation. The third theme of this reader questions semantics of term variation through the topics of concept saturation, multidimensionality and metaphor. Variation, through this picture of current studies, proves to be the touchstone for the understanding of the major issues of terminology research today. The included papers draw on research in terminology carried out in different language communities - Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian and Dutch in particular - thereby opening up a window on much of the research carried out in these cultural areas.

The Corporate Terminologist is the first monograph that addresses the principles and methods for managing terminology in content production environments that are both demanding and multilingual, such as those found in global companies and institutions. It describes the needs of large corporations and how those needs demand a new, pragmatic approach to terminology management. The repurposability of terminology resources is a fundamental criterion that motivates the design, selection, and use of terminology management tools, and has a bearing on the definition of termhood itself. The Corporate Terminologist describes and critiques the theories and methods informing terminology management today, and practical considerations such as preparing an executive proposal, designing a termbase, and extracting terms from corpora are also covered. This book is intended for readers tasked with managing terminology in today’s challenging production environments, for those studying translation and business communication, and indeed for anyone interested in terminology as a discipline and practice.

This volume comprises contributions originally presented at the 15th European Symposium on Languages for Special Purposes held at the University of Bergamo on 29 August - 2 September 2005. The volume is divided into four parts: Approaches to Terminological Theories; Terms in Discourse; Knowledge Elicitation, Ordering and Management; Term extraction and terminographical work. The research presented in the various contributions to this volume clearly indicates that terminology as an inter- and transdisciplinary field of knowledge is firmly developing its theoretical foundations and practical applications in accordance with and within the framework of its overall goal: to ensure and to augment the quality of communication with professional content.

This handbook gives an overview of language for special purposes (LSP) in scientific, professional and other contexts, with particular focus on teaching and training. It provides insights into research paradigms, theories and methods while also highlighting the practical use of LSPs in concrete discourse situations. The volume is transdisciplinary oriented with a firm basis in the language sciences, including terminology, knowledge transfer, multilingual and cross-cultural exchange.