'Terminology Projects Module': A project of collaborative terminology between DGT and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

The students of the Joint Postgraduate Studies programme (J.P.P.S.) “Conference Interpreting and Translation” at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki are required, according to the curriculum, to complete a Master's Thesis in order to receive their degree. 

One of the options offered is the preparation of a terminology project, which is often carried out in cooperation with European Union institutions. In our case, the terminology project was prepared in cooperation with the Directorate-General for Translation of the European Commission.

Some of the available domains to which the students would have to search for terms and create the respective entries on the IATE terminology database were COVID-19, disabilities and textiles. The role of the Directorate-General for Translation was very important, as its terminologists provided constant feedback, in order for the students to conduct their research taking into consideration the criteria used by IATE as far as term validity is concerned. 

Through the research carried out for this project we were introduced to yet another branch of the language professions, that of terminology, and were given the opportunity to become directly involved in the process of terminology research and documentation on behalf of one of the largest terminology bodies in the world, the representatives of which, through the guidance and feedback they provided to us, and by giving us access to the database, offered us the opportunity to approach the way professional terminologists work, to familiarise ourselves with the work that goes into the terminology profession, to understand the importance of terminology research and to address the various difficulties and challenges it is characterised by. 

Furthermore, the terminology project contributed to the acquisition of valuable knowledge not only on the research domains, but also —in the case of the terms relating to COVID-19 and disabilities— on the medical sector, pharmaceutical legislation and social affairs in general, since a significant part of the assigned terms belonged to fields broader than COVID-19 and disabilities. Another positive aspect of the project was the familiarisation with the terminology research process, a skill that can certainly be of great use to a translator, especially if he or she intends to work on translating specialised texts. 

Another valuable experience was the fact that we familiarised ourselves with the tasks of a language service provider working for the European institutions, more specifically, one who deals with terminology issues. Also, the fact that we had access to internal IATE and were processing the entries directly resulted in us deepening our technical knowledge, specifically about the way the largest multilingual terminology database in the world works.

In conclusion, the whole process brought many benefits to the students who chose the terminology project. It was a very interesting experience which contributed to skill development and highlighted the importance of terminology in the whole translation process. In addition, through our regular communication with experienced terminologists, we familiriased ourselves with the fundamentals of validation and its importance in translation. 

Project ID

Master Students: Georgette Fragkaki, Eleni Paximadaki

Coordinator: Elpida Loupaki, Associate Professor

Terminologists from the DGT: Klio Benekou, Christina Nikitopoulou