August 19-28，2001

 Instructor: Sue Ellen Wright

 Location: 313 Satterfield Hall

            Kent State University

            Kent，Ohio 44242 USA

E-MAIL: sewright@neo.rr.com   

 1 Course description

This course consists of two major components: terminology management and other computer applications designed to support the work of translators, technical writers, and information specialists.

1.1  Terminology

Terminologies (sometimes called special languages or technolects) comprise the vocabulary used by subject experts in every area of specialized endeavor, from law to engineering to cooking to training a dog. The terms used in special languages provide the building blocks from which original technical texts and translations are crafted. Technical terminology is critical, not only for translators and technical writers as document producers, but also for teachers of special languages, who must be able to assist their students in acquiring the special language knowledge they need to function in a wide variety of specialized fields. The current exponential growth in human knowledge, coupled with the demand to codify that knowledge in computer databases, requires the systematized study of terminology in virtually all subject fields. Starting from standardized terminology in such domains as engineering and law, terminological principles are today being applied to the social sciences and explored for use in the normalization of canonical texts for the translation of literature in the belles lettres. The precise definition of terminology and its consistent use is also a primary feature of Controlled Language and a prerequisite to any sort of effective high quality machine translation.

The terminology component of the course will comprise:

1        A theoretical aspect consisting of lectures and readings on terminology management

2        A practice-oriented aspect based on the use of the MultiTerm Terminology  Management System (TMS) to create terminological databases for use in the support of translation and technical writing activities; the practical aspect will include the following projects:

3        Participants will continue to develop an existing multilingual termbase treating the terminology of the Internet. This will be a multilingual class project, with everyone working together in the same file resident on the KSU/IAL local area network (LAN). For this project, it will be essential that students work in the KSU/IAL lab.

4        Participants will also develop a project-related or subject-field-related individual terminology project pertinent either to a significant previous, current, or projected future translation project (for instance, a student thesis, a final project from a translation course, etc.). Special project descriptions will be worked out for non-multilingual students.

Any student wishing to work on the individual project on his or her own computer should consult with the instructor in order to acquire the necessary software. Students wishing to work in a different TMS (e.g., TERMSTAR) should consult with the instructor. Students wishing to work in the MAC environment are responsible for turning in their work in a PC-compatible form that the instructor can read in Windows without further difficulty. Word-processing or spreadsheet files are unacceptable formats for terminology management projects. Any student wishing to program a relational database model for recording terminological data must confer with the instructor in advance. Simple, single-table relational database formats are unacceptable.

1.2  Computer Aids for Translation (CAT) and Natural Language Processing (NLP)

 The following types of applications will be discussed with emphasis on the role of terminology in these contexts:

-          Machine translation

-          Translation memory

-          Other terminology database management programs

-          Localization software

-          Terminology mining (extraction)

-          Electronic resources such as dictionaries

-          Ontological systems

A number of industry representatives may make presentations during the course of the semester. This schedule will be updated in the syllabus on a regular basis.

2        Textbooks and Supplemental Materials

Copies of the following books can be found at the Library Reserve Desk.

Wright, Sue Ellen, and Gerhard Budin. 1997. Handbook  of Terminology Management. Vol I. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Wright, Sue Ellen, and Gerhard Budin. 2000. Handbook  of Terminology Management. Vol II. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Sager, Juan. 1990. A Practical Course in Terminology Processing. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Note that most of the articles cited in the Suggested Readings are available on the IAL-LAN at F:/grads/60011/Readings as .pdf files, along with all the actual PowerPoint files for the course. Additional handouts and other web-based materials will be made available during the course of the semester. If you would like to have PowerPoint handouts for notetaking during class, you may printed them out as desired. They will not be handed out during class. You can also view the slides on the Web at your own workstation if you prefer during class lectures and discussions.

Anyone not taking the class who consults this syllabus on the Web who is interested in the readings is encouraged to acquire the resources from the publisher.

3        Student Performance and Evaluation

3.1 Activities and Examinations

Classroom participation: Classroom participation is based on actual class attendance and contributions during class, as well as on the student's mastery of electronic communications skills (E-mail, etc.). It is understood that students will use the WWW and work on their own terminology projects and Web pages during class. Other computer-related activities, such as working on translations for other classes or doing E-mail can have a negative effect on the participation component of this grade. There will also be small group projects that will be done on computers in class.

1        Short group terminology project: Students will work together in teams to evaluate the existing database, which is devoted to multilingual terminology pertaining to the Internet, and to add new terms to the database. The objective of this exercise is to refine and build the existing database as well as to familiarize students with the functions of the MultiTerm TMS. This work must be completed in the KSU/IAL computer lab.

2        Other computer applications: Students will be introduced to a range of computer applications for translators. The primary deliverable in this category is the preparation of a personal WWW homepage, which will be posted to the IAL Web server upon completion. Delivery of Web pages shall be by saving the entire page in its own sub-directory on the IAL/LAN. Notify the instructor whenever you want your pages checked and when you are ready to post them to the Web server.

4  Detailed Syllabus

 Links point to PowerPoint presentations and other resources.