Multilingual Dictionary of Library Terminology

Project starting points as of January 1998
Contents:

Project goals
Reasons and justification
Interest of the professional community
Additional justification
Organizational issues
Financial issues
Envisaged business plan
Two samples
Languages, institutions and individual authors
I - Project goals:

To compile a modern multilingual dictionary of library terminology comprising some 5.000 headings in 16 languages or more, as a result of international co-operation; the following languages have been identified as potential collaborators: English - Albanian - Bosnian - Bulgarian - Croatian - Czech - Estonian - French - German - Hungarian - Icelandic - Latvian - Lithuanian - Macedonian - Polish - Romanian - Serbian - Slovak - Slovenian; it is not sure for Catalan and Welsh.

To publish the dictionary in printed and in electronic form (CD-ROM and WWW versions).

II - Reasons and justification

Professional terminology is a proof of the strength, variety, development and autonomy of a language, and of the particular profession. Librarianship as a profession has got a rather long and colourful tradition in the history of the nations in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe. Despite a very strong and steady influence of the German language in the 19^th and early 20^th century, the Russian language in the 20^th, and of the English technical literature and technology today, technical terms of library and information science have developed, survived and proved their worthiness in these languages, many of them being treated as lesser European languages. An important number of foreign words from the German, the Russian, as well as the English language in the last decades caused additional trouble, being often misused, misinterpreted or misunderstood.

There are only few modern multilingual dictionaries in the field covering languages other than the “universal languages” as English, German, French, Russian, and some others. Some smaller or recently independent languages have no dictionary in library terminology at all (e.g. Icelandic, Macedonian, Slovenian), some others have captured only small sections of the vocabulary into restricted individual volumes (e.g. cataloguing, circulation, acquisition). One of the major issues of the project proposed therefore is to foster the production of a dictionary on the basis of a “concerted core vocabulary” of some 5.000 chosen terms, based on the English language selection. The basic selection has already been completed in Slovenia by the project manager.

III - Interest of the professional community

The interest, and obviously the need for such a dictionary, as well, has been shown in the previous years, when 8 national libraries had sent their language equivalents to the British Council Koeln to be published in separate volumes on the basis of the 1000 terms published in the Praktisches Woerterbuch fuer Bibliothekare = Librarian’s Practical Dictionary (by Susane Knechtges et al., Koeln, 1992). Unfortunately the venture had stopped after the publication of the Russian volume (Bibliothekarisches Handwoerterbuch = Librarian’s Dictionary, Koeln, 1995). Consequently as the result of this co-operation, we already have these 1000 terms in Russian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Czech, Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian, and Slovenian in written form.

On the other hand, we wanted to check the present situation and gather more up to date information, so a short questionnaire was sent in October 1997 to a number of countries judged as potentially of interest. We addressed national libraries as a rule, but not exclusively. The answers to some of the questions show the following results:

Does a bi- or multilingual translating dictionary exist in your language?):

Albania

yes

Bosnia and Herzegovina

no

Croatia

yes

Estonia

yes

Hungary

yes

Iceland

no

Latvia

yes

Lithuania

yes

Macedonia

no

Romania

no

Slovakia

yes

Slovenia

no

If "yes" produce a short bibliographic citation of the publication(s) including an estimation of the number of headings and the publication year:

Albania	only Albanian-French-Russian, 1982, 800 items
Bosnia and Herzegovina	none
Croatia	only Croatian-English, 1965, 2500 items
Estonia	Estonian-English-German-Finnish-Russian, 4 thematic volumes, 1994-7, cca 250 items each
Hungary	(no citations have been given)
Iceland	none
Latvia	Latvian-English-German-Russian, 1993, 820 items
Lithuania	9 thematic volumes, 1990-7, containing 516, 561, 340 items, others about 100 items
Macedonia	none
Romania	none
Slovakia	12 dictionaries; some Slovak monolingual dictionaries and bilingual translating dictionaries in combination with either English, Polish, Hungarian, Russian or German, published between 1958 and 1985, only one in 1993, very different in size, some rather extensive
Slovenia	none

Is there a professional need/interst in your language for a multilingual dictionary including your language as presented in the project description?

all answers “yes”

If "yes" are you ready to support the project - editorial work for your language?

all answers “yes”

If "yes" can you indicate the name of the person(s) who is/are able to carry out the editorial and translating work in your language:

With the exception of Croatia and Hungary all answers include name(s) of person(s) who will be able to co-operate in this respect (from 1 to 6 experts per language); besides we have experts for English, German and Rusian through the British Council Koeln

Additionaly, we have the written confirmation and names for Czech, as well, and some initial relations have been established with Bulgarian, Catalan, Serbian, and Welsh colleagues.

From the answers above it can be concluded that at least 13 countries/languages feel the necessity of a comprehensive, up to date dictionary of terminology in the field of librarianship owing to the fact that their respective dictionaries often cover only a certain segment of the field, are often old or obsolete, do not cover certain foreign languages, or do not exist at all. On the other hand, they have all shown a certain interest in the proposed “core vocabulary” of some 5.000 chosen terms, and they were all ready to co-operate.

IV - Additional justification

Libraries play an important role in the information world which is so to say “shrinking” in front of our eyes with more and more linking and co-operation possible between librarians, which necessitates understanding and unambiguous communication on the professional level, as well. Bilingual translating dictionaries, and a multilingual dictionary is a mere multiplication, are the inevitably necessary tool needed for direct and in some way standardized communication among librarians belonging to different language groups. English is a “lingua franca”, of course, but the majority of the languages involved do not have a proper bridge to it, either.

One must not forget that for some of the “smaller” languages (Albanian, Slovenian and Macedonian spoken by some 2 million people, Estonian 1 million, Icelandic 270.000) or recently “independent” languages (Croatian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Slovak, Slovenian) the presence of their language in such an internationally conceived and produced publication will be a formal “admission” to the company of the European languages, thus a real promotion in the sphere of professional terminology. The inclusion of their languages and professional terminology in an international multilingual dictionary does not mean a mere side by side ralation with the universal languages spoken or understood by billions of people, but also a demonstration of their sovereignty, giving them the opportunity to convey their professional know-how to the outer world and to import essential knowledge from abroad to their respective professional communities with a reference to an authority in the field of terminology.

There is no possible duplication with other multilingual glossaries in the field as it is obvious that there are no such existing glossaries or dictionaries in the field of library terminology in the above mentioned languages, and there are no similar projects in progress. There are, however, some dictionaries and some activities which can support and help rationalize and speedup the completion of the proposed work.

V. Organizational issues

The project will involve national libraries, corresponding departments at universities, and already existing working groups in the field of library terminology in the countries where the above mentioned languages are spoken. Professional work, organization, and international cooperation will be managed by Ivan Kanic (National and University Library, Ljubljana) assisted by Katarina Steinwachs (British Council, Koeln). Central services, data processing, and lexicographical work will be carried out in Ljubljana, financed by the two institutions and backed up financially by funds and/or sponsors. The editorial work for individual languages will be carried out and financed on the local level in particular respective countries. Individual contracts will be signed with authors for particular languages.

VI. Financial issues

It is clear that such a project cannot be carried out and completed without adequate financial support in the course of the preparation of the dictionary material, nor without proper publishing and distribution activities afterwards. There have been some funds allocated by the British Council Koeln, the National and University Library in Ljubljana, the Open Society Institute – Regional Library Program have granted an important part of financial means, and there might be some starting money in some of the countries (e.g. Iceland, Macedonia, Romania), but it is unsure, unsufficient and cannot be predicted. The question of publishing and distribution is still wide open.

VII. The envisaged business plan

1. Preparation of the "manuscript" will be financed through the international project by

National and University Library
British Council Koeln
Open Society Institute - RLP
local sources in individual countries

It has to be stressed that the Open Society Institute – Regional Library Program had recognized the international importance of the project and have granted US$ 12.900 for the project.

2. Production of the dictionary

printed edition

cca 1.100 pages, 17x24 cm, hard cover, dictionary paper
separate financial sources will have to be sought for in 1999

2. CD-ROM edition

software for the processing and production of the dictionary has already been developed and paid for
end-user application has been designed and a test version is available
1.000 copies (1^st edition, production on demand or a "reprint" edition when the stock is out of print and the investment reimbursed )

3. WWW edition

will be developed and installed by a sponsor institution in Slovenia, financed partly and hosted by the National and University Library in Ljubljana.

3. Distribution

1 - In participating countries

The experience of the Slovenian trial volume dictionary in 1996 has shown that the publisher (National and University Library in Ljubljana) had no problems selling 500 copies in the span of less than one year (still, it was a trial volume and there was no special market promotion!) so the participating institutions will be asked to promote the sale and perform as distributors in their particular countries.

2 - In other countries

The German literature provider Lange & Springer Scientific Booksellers (Berlin) will be asked to promote and sell the dictionary (printed and CD-ROM edition) through their regular marketing channels all over the world, including some of the participating countries.

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Created July 13, 1998