Abstract
Translation has become integrated into an end-to-end communication process. Information “architects” design a structured framework that writers fill with “content.” Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experts add “keywords” so that the content can be easily found in cyberspace. Forget word processing; today we use XML to adorn content with metadata so that it can be properly managed and “repurposed” later. Translators are at the receiving end. They “transcreate” the content, preserving all the properties added upstream.
It is worth noting here that the smallest repurposable unit of content is terminology. Perhaps that is why companies are increasingly developing their own terminology databases (termbases). But unlike in the past, the underlying motivation for doing so is not some admirable notion of social responsibility. It is purely economic: compete in the global economy. In this context, what does “quality” mean for terminology resources? This article describes how the quality of terminology resources is increasingly being equated with return on investment (ROI) and less with the theoretical postulates of pre-computing times.
It is worth noting here that the smallest repurposable unit of content is terminology. Perhaps that is why companies are increasingly developing their own terminology databases (termbases). But unlike in the past, the underlying motivation for doing so is not some admirable notion of social responsibility. It is purely economic: compete in the global economy. In this context, what does “quality” mean for terminology resources? This article describes how the quality of terminology resources is increasingly being equated with return on investment (ROI) and less with the theoretical postulates of pre-computing times.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Journal | Circuit |
| Issue number | 133 |
| State | Published - 2017 |
| Externally published | Yes |