Maltese Terminology Database set up for the Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies at the Faculty of Arts The European Commission under the Transition Facility Schemes has provided funding to the Faculty of Arts, University of Malta for the compilation of a glossary of terms and the establishment of a Terminology Centre for Post Graduate Students following Diploma and Masters Courses in Translation Studies.

Following a tendering procedure, Europa Research and Consultancy Services Ltd from Malta, and Verbivis Ltd from Luxembourg, have been entrusted with the task of creating a glossary of Maltese terminology, which will then be utilized to teach and train students at the Terminology Centre that the University of Malta intends to set-up. The glossary will also be used by the translation units in Luxembourg and Brussels and by the Council of Maltese language.

The Head of Department, Prof. Joseph Eynaud, envisages that this project will contribute significantly towards facilitating the work of Maltese translators working in the various EU institutions, thereby boosting their efficiency and effectiveness. It will also be critical to standardize the use of certain “new” terminology, which is finding its way in the Maltese language.

The final product as presented by ERCS and Verbavis is of excellent quality and comprises a glossary of 24000 terms, based on the structure of the EU’s IATE (InterActive Terminology for Europe) database. Each term in the database is accompanied by a number of fields.

The following Domains were used:
Politics; International Relations; European Communities; Law; Economics; Trade; Finance; Social questions; Education and Communications; Science; Business and Competition; Employment and Working Conditions; Transport; Environment; Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; Agri-foodstuffs; Production, Technology and Research; Energy; Industry; Geography; International Organisations.

Terms in the database are sorted in alphabetical order. However Trados Multiterm (Computer Aided Translation Software) also provides a very effective search mechanism.

One simply has to input the initials of the term and Trados will automatically provide a list of all the related terms. Alternatively one may search terms using the relevant Domain Codes. For example under the Domain INDUSTRY one can look the sub domain codes: industrial structures and policy; chemistry; iron, steel and other metal industries; mechanical engineering; electronics and electrical engineering; building and public works; wood industry; leather and textile industries and miscellaneous industries.

The Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies has also secured funds from the European Commission and the European Parliament for the installation of an interpreters’ laboratory and for the postgraduate diploma course in conference interpreting starting as a fulltime day course as from next academic year.