Putting the terminology of informatics in order

Abstract

Sentences published in the literature or worded in daily usage prove that lacks of terminology on informatics hinder the understanding among people active in this field. One source of these difficulties is that the conventional, static terminology fits hardly into the system of newly developing terms. It is much more significant, however, that new processes, tools, methods, etc. “give birth” very quickly to new terms and not within the frames of scientific activity but in practical even in commercial work. Finally other difficulties are created by the “environmental-pollution” of the terminology, i.e. incomplete, false or inconsistent adjusment of professional terminologies of bordering subject fields into informatics. The most frequent errors could be grouped as follows: unjustified usage of synonymous terms; creation and usage of terms false in content or inaccurate in formulation; big number of insufficiently used foreign words; abbreviations and trade marks used as technical terms; and finally increase of grammatical errors and mis-spellings.

Putting terminology in order makes necessary – besides the tools oriented primarily or secondarily to this scope (standards, glossaries, compilations of terms, textbooks and handbooks, etc.) – appropriate measures in the field of education, translation as well as in the work of authors and editors. Moreover it needs such a forum where problems of the terminology adopted could be discussed and solved together with the needs for new professional terms. The new terminological heading of our Journal “Tudományos és Műszaki Tájékoztatás” is destined also for this purpose.