Uptick in Terminology Management Interest

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Global Watchtower

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Posted by Donald A. DePalma on January 26, 2009 in the following blogs: Market Data, Technology, Business Globalization, Best Practices
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As 2007 drew to a close, we issued our predictions for 2008, one of which asserted that "terminology pushes to the forefront." We might have jumped the gun on the importance of terminology management, but several new studies point to 2009 being a banner year for the field.

The UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) agency released its 2009 Terminology Report. Its goal is "to promote common understanding and common usage of disaster risk reduction concepts and to assist the disaster risk reduction efforts of authorities, practitioners and the public." With the science of global warming once again a topic in Washington, you might want to brush up on terms like the "El Niño-Southern Oscillation phenomenon" before your next dinner at the White House.

SDL conducted a survey on terminology management. Its 330 respondents included business and localization professionals predominantly in the IT, software, and manufacturing sectors. SDL found that more than 95 percent of those taking the survey "recognized the necessity to have the appropriate processes in place to manage their terminology and localization terminology," but that they frequently found inconsistencies in the source content. Respondents linked terminology to maintaining brand consistency and increasing productivity, noting that a terminology management process could boost their productivity by 25 to 50 percent.

Our members-only Quick Take on "How to Avoid Terminology Mismanagement" define the terms used in terminology management, flags the most common technology solution, and enumerates practical requirements for choosing a software solution.

How can you argue with benefits such as common understanding, common usage, brand consistency, and increased productivity? Keep an eye out for our February report on terminology, based on interviews with corporate and government terminologists, and we'll lay out the show-stopping obstacles as well as the winning arguments for formalizing terminology management.

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