Begrepsforståelse - et bærende element i terminologi- og ordboksarbeidet

Abstract

One of the statements in this article is that the translators’ profession is perhaps one of the most demanding professions you can think of. Professional translators are supposed to be both linguistically and factually correct in their work, and in addition to their linguistic competence, this requires a thorough understanding of the conceptual aspects of the text concerned. “You can only translate well what you know well” is indeed a basic truth in this connection. The title of the article “The understanding of concepts – a principal element in terminology and dictionary work” refers to the importance of providing special language students and translation candidates with the necessary terminological and conceptual aids to help them achieve the levels of competence required for professional translation work. Traditional word-for-word dictionaries are of little help unless the user has already a pretty good idea of what the answer is expected to be. In many cases there is a need for more thorough information on the precise meaning of terms and their correct domaine. The author elaborates on the intentions behind, and the process of making, two of the special language dictionaries that he has published. The first of the two, Engelsk-norsk samfunnsøkonomisk ordbok (English- Norwegian economics dictionary), is based on extensive excerption of relevant terms from American and British textbooks in economics at university level and a corresponding excerption of terminology from Norwegian textbooks within the same area. The finished dictionary is a result of contrastive analysis within the framework of a systematic term classification and provided with definitions and additional semantic information. The second dictionary, Bedre engelsk forretningsspråk (Better English Businesss Language), is based on the experience gained from many years of teaching business English to special language students and translation candidates, and provides users with economic-administrative terminology set in a context to help them avoid the pitfalls that are so numerous in this field. To a certain extent the dictionary may be described as a ”manual” in that many relevant terms are presented under their separate headings with reference to related terms and their meaning in English and Norwegian. In addition Bedre engelsk forretninsspråk may be used as a dictionary in its own right by means of the registers listing all terms alphabetically in the two languages.