terminologiarbeid

Terminologiarbeid, or terminology work, is a field within linguistics and knowledge management focused on the creation, maintenance and use of terms and controlled vocabularies within a domain. Its aim is to achieve consistency and precision in terminology across texts, translations, software and databases, thereby reducing ambiguity and improving information retrieval.

Core activities include term collection and extraction from domain sources, definition drafting, and the modeling of concepts and their relations. Terminologists organize terms into networks of concepts, with lexical relations such as broader term, narrower term, related term and synonyms. They also perform normalization and standardization of spellings and forms, manage metadata (language, domain, status, usage notes), and ensure quality through review and governance processes. Terms are stored in term banks or glossaries and linked to downstream processes like translation, content management and search systems.

Workflows typically involve proposals from authors or subject matter experts, review and approval by specialists, and ongoing maintenance. Terminology is often integrated with translation memories, content management systems and other information resources to support consistent multilingual communication and information retrieval across platforms.

Standards and tools: International standards such as ISO 704 (terminology work — principles and methods) and ISO 12620 (vocabulary management) guide practice. Data models like SKOS are used to express thesauri and term relationships, and terminology management systems or computer-assisted translation tools support storage, workflows and dissemination.

Applications and benefits: Terminologiarbeid is essential in technical documentation, software localization, healthcare, law, science and public administration. Proper terminology improves clarity, reduces risk of misinterpretation, enhances search and interoperability, and lowers translation and maintenance costs.

Challenges and trends: Keeping terminology up to date in fast-moving domains, aligning across languages and cultures, coordinating among multiple stakeholders, and governing change across large organizations.