Information technology and telecommunications terminology:
Latvia
Excerpted from issue #7 of Kääntäjä- Översättaren
(magazine of the Finnish Association of Translators and
Interpreters - www.sktl.net)
September 2003
Valters Feists is a
translator and software localiser who is involved with the
Latvian Academy of Sciences Information Technology and
Telecommunications Terminology Subcommittee. When asked about
the impact the forthcoming accession would have on his field, he
says:
"We have a panel comprising about twenty technical
experts, and our methodology for creating new IT terminology in
Latvian is systematic and creative.
"In 2002, two new and
fully-functional "prototypes" of terminology databases
were brought online by Subcommittee affiliates at their own
cost, and in 2003 a domestic IT association eventually raised
and proffered funds intended to further the development of
either of the sites. The data storage format will be Trados -
the one stipulated also within the EU. More importantly, over
the last 12 months the Latvian IT term subcommittee has ventured
into publicising computer and telecoms terminology (much in
demand by general public, linguists and IT businesses).
"It is becoming popular to emulate
the new tendency of EU legislation by bringing
telecommunications, software, computers and media under one
umbrella term "electronic communication". The rapidly
developing Latvian market often requires separate scrutiny of
the sectors. It takes an experienced terminologist to determine
the scope of such seemingly easy words as (tele)communication
(EN), (tāl)sakari (LV) and svyaz' (RU).
"In contrast to many dreaded
neologisms, the EU-related e-pārvalde ('e-government') and
e-paraksts ('electronic signature') were the ones that caught on
rather quickly. When analysing terms, the Subcommittee members
tend to avail of multiple sources - American, European, Russian,
etc. - especially when in need to clarify the meaning(s) of
untoppably popular terms like website, traffic, telemarketing,
media or default. The newer a national terminology is, the fewer
contradictions it should contain."
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