Why is terminology so important?
People have been miscommunicating with one another ever since they began communicating with one another. Such misunderstandings can lead to dangerous situations in some parts of life. In the past, entire terminologies have been developed to overcome the imperfections of everyday language. You will find a few examples below.
Exact terminology is also a critically important aspect of everyday business operations. The reason is quite simple: The lack of an exact and generally accepted name for a certain product or service complicates communications with suppliers, internal stakeholders and customers. Vague or different names for the same product or service frequently result in misunderstandings and uncertainty. Uniform corporate language is – much like corporate identity – a vital feature of a company’s identity.
Meticulous terminology management can help as early as the product development stage to write a clear definition of a product or a section of a product and ensure that this term is used in all marketing material and internal documents. This is why companies must implement a professional terminology management system. Such an approach is the only way to ensure that all employees speak the same language. By taking this approach, companies can improve their customer service and increase customer satisfaction – which, in turn, will fuel company growth.
For this reason, every company should add professional terminology to its team – to guarantee the success of projects and avoid misunderstandings caused by language inconsistencies or incorrect wording. Companies that use and maintain a professional terminology system will enable their teams to effectively work with one another.
The job of terminologist
Terminologists are individuals who ensure that the meaning of words and expressions is clear and precise. Ideally, they use modern tools that are available to everyone. This is particularly important in a globalized world where people from all parts of the world work together. If terminology is not clearly defined in a source language, the number of unclear terms will multiply in all foreign languages. Imprecise terminology will have a negative impact on all target markets, cause unnecessary confusion and misunderstandings and can ultimately endanger a company’s success.
A terminologist’s training
A direct training program is not the classic way that people become terminologists. Many terminologists sort of slip into the role unwittingly. This usually occurs while they are pursing their degrees in translation or interpreting. But a few universities now offer a master’s degree program in terminology. At the Cologne University of Applied Sciences, the program is called the master’s degree program in “terminology and language technology.”
The program is designed for students who hold bachelor’s degrees in “multilingual communications” from the university’s Institute of Translation and Multilingual Communication as well as for graduates of non-translation degree programs at other institutes of higher learning who have the necessary base of knowledge and ability.
Terminology management is knowledge management
Anyone who has done any sort of terminology work in the past knows just how frustrating it can be if the fruits of his or her months-long work simply disappear into someone’s desk drawer or file and become inaccessible to everyone. Anyone who wants to rectify the situation will need the right tools. Ideally, these tools should be available centrally (e.g., online).
This is the only way to ensure that all stakeholders speak the same language everywhere, from technical documentation and product management and marketing to language service providers – worldwide. Terminology work pays off in such cases and can be used in its entirety. Terminology work frequently does not come cheap. But when technical terms, expertise and years of experience and speciality knowledge are made accessible to every member of a company, the expense will more than pay for itself over the long term.
Clear terminology when it counts
Precise terminology can ensure clarity in many areas. For instance: – In science to make complicated topics understandable – In politics to detail controversial issues – In business to market products and services – In medicine to precisely describe illnesses and treatments – In technology to explain devices and processes – In IT to describe new software and hardware
A company’s very own terminology may even be developed when it is necessary to communicate unambiguously, even under difficult conditions. One well-known example of this is the terms used to identify the sides of a ship. The words “right” or “left” will do little good because the person with whom you are speaking (or to whom you are trying to communicate in a storm) may have a different position from your own. But the terms “starboard” and “port” are totally clear, no matter which direction you are looking.
Aviation radio communications have gone a step farther. The official language used in international air traffic is English. In the early years of flying, the sound quality of transmit and reception equipment was much poorer than it is today. It needed a system of terms that were as short as possible to prevent the active frequency from being overloaded and had the least amount of potential to be misunderstood.
This is one reason why the “NATO alphabet” was created. To transmit a plane identification name like “D-ECPT” in such a way that it is clearly understood, it helps very little to spell out the letters “De Eh Ce Pe Te.” Each letter has a similar sound to it. And if you throw in a little ambient noise and static, misunderstandings will be pre-programmed. But when you say “Delta Echo Charlie Papa Tango,” you will certainly get your message across.
Aviation radio communications have changed over the years. One of the reasons for the tragic accident on Teneriffa in which two jumbo jets collided on the ground in 1977 was the possible mixup of the sentences “We are now at take-off” and “We are ready for take-off.” This resulted in a disastrous misunderstanding between the pilot and air traffic controller that led to the catastrophic accident. The accident resulted in a revision of official “radio terminology.” A pilot now says “ready for departure” and NOT “ready for takeoff” when his or her aircraft is positioned for takeoff on the runway. Both are synonymous terms. But additional clarity was created by defining a uniform use of the terms and the rules governing their use. The risk of another fatal misunderstanding was eliminated in the process.
Final thoughts
These examples from seafaring and aviation may be very dramatic, but they also demonstrate the value of unambiguous communication and terminology.
Regardless of the area involved, be it in technical documentation and marketing or some other completely different company area, experts must be able to reliably communicate with one another about a topic and they have to do so in a manner that extends across various languages. Business and technical terms must be clearly defined for such work.
Terminologies help us make the world a little more understandable and prevent misunderstandings.
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