The new multilingual dictionary of cataloging terms is intended to fill a need for a dictionary in the very special field of descriptive cataloging. The need for such a dictionary became particularly apparent during the project REUSE (www.oclc.org/oclc/cataloging /reuse_project/index.htm) between the Goettingen State Library and OCLC, with Barbara Tillett (LC) and me as consultants. That study showed that a comparison of different rules does not only require a fairly good knowledge of the other language: detailed knowledge is mandatory for analysing a set of rules, even more if the analysis is meant to effect international harmonization.
The basis of the dictionary will be English. I will start with the English/German vocabulary I extracted during the AACR2 translation (in an American/German/Swiss cooperation) as a so-called translation help. I propose that the dictionary should comprise words from official documents (as AACR, the equivalent official national rules, ISBD's, Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records, Dublin Core etc.). The IFLA Working Group will discuss if format documents (such as MARC21) should be included. It has to be discussed as well if the dictionary should comprise only words referring to the techniques of cataloging or also the objects to be cataloged (AACR has a large amount of difficult vocabulary, e.g., in terminology for computer or reproduction techniques). The dictionary should be annotated, as in many cases the same word has different meanings in other languages (e.g., series in English and German). One or two persons in each language area should be responsible for the input. These colleagues shoul d preferably be IFLA members but this is not a mandatory condition. The goal is to cover as many of the European languages as possible. Other languages are welcome.
This very specialized dictionary could hopefully be a help when harmonizing existing rules or creating a set of really international rules.
Final abstract, August 25, 2000