A glossary of terms (English-Maltese) related to printing

Abstract

As Malta reaches its tenth year anniversary of entry into the European Union we can reflect on the role of the translator and indeed the progress made. The translator’s work has introduced new terminology that not only helps in communication between experts, but also facilitates his own role. The interest of new students applying for the Translation, Terminology and Interpreting course at the University of Malta strongly increases the chance of more theses such as this one helping in the compilation of new glossaries within the local market. The subject matter on which this thesis is based is that of printing. Its history can be traced back to the duplication of images by means of stamps. The printing press, an invaluable piece of equipment which long existed and still does in modern day society, is a truly indispensable invention as it is through its use that we find printing on almost every medium in today’s world. This dissertation forms a collection of one hundred and fifty printing related terms, translated from English into Maltese. The printing industry is, without doubt, an extremely important sector both locally and internationally. Printing has brought about the introduction of a great variety of popular materials, such as many different versions of The Bible, various dictionaries, popular fashion magazines such as Vogue and daily newspapers, read by millions of people worldwide. In Teresa Cabré’s opinion terminology is the most important characteristic of specialist communication as it differentiates between special language and the language in general. It is not only used to order thought, but also to transfer specialised knowledge in one or more languages. The ordering of thought and the conceptualisation represent the cognitive side of terminology, whilst the communicative side is represented by the transfer of knowledge. Multiple sources, including bilingual dictionaries, were utilised in the collection and analysis of terminology presented in this dissertation. These resources were used in the best way possible to achieve concision, precision and clarity. The thesis is divided into four chapters. The first of which covering the process in translation in relation with equivalence, technical translation and terminology. The second chapter presents an explanation of the methodology adopted in this research. It gives a description of the process followed in compiling the terminology of one hundred and fifty terms, their translation and their analysis. This is followed by Chapter 3, which is itself the glossary of terms. In this chapter, besides the translation of terms and their analysis, one can also find a definition in both English and Maltese together with a picture relating to each term. The final chapter concludes with a summary of observations made throughout the research, and provides details of what more could be done in the future, such as further research and workings on printing related material in bilingual cultures, particularly Maltese.