A TermCoord Trainee in TermNet’s Terminology Summer School

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Are you interested in terminology and always wonder what to do in summer? After a busy year, summer can be a good time to participate in professional events. In this article, I write about my experience in one of these events, the 2017 edition of the International Terminology Summer School.

A TermCoord Trainee in TermNet’s Terminology Summer School banner - A view of Cologne, Germany

The Terminology Summer School, organised by TermNet, is a one-week course on terminology management that takes place on an annual basis and which also enables to take the test for an ECQA Terminology Manager certification afterwards. The location of the summer school changes every year and has so far been alternating between Cologne (Germany) and Vienna (Austria). This summer, it was held at the Technische Hochschule Köln (TH Köln) in the lively city of Cologne.

CologneAs a terminology trainee, participating in the summer school was an occasion to expand my knowledge on different aspects of terminology management and get a deeper insight on the industry’s needs. The programme covered topics such as terminology extraction, control and exchange (e.g.: workshops on TBX), legal aspects such as copyright, and how to present the business cases of terminology in professional and industry settings (engineering companies, legal translation…). In very broad terms, proper terminology management can play a crucial role in ensuring coherent and effective communication in a company or institution, both internally among staff and departments, and externally with clients, partners and the public.

However, apart from the training, what I found particularly enriching was the chance to meet people with similar interests―translators, terminologists and other professionals from different companies and institutions in the public and private sectors. It was a great opportunity for networking, for exchanging information and experience. Some of the participants presented their own terminology projects and the work being performed at their companies or institutions, with presentations on terminology management at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon or the European Commission, to name a few. The Terminology Coordination Unit of the European Parliament also had a dedicated space in the event. Clara Gorría Lázaro giving a presentation at the Terminology Summer SchoolDuring my own presentation, I gave the other participants an overview of the work carried out in the unit from my perspective as a terminology trainee, including the management of the IATE terminology database and the preparation and coordination of terminology projects.

In short, this was a very positive experience, and having chances to exchange information with experts and professionals is always highly valuable. I hope, thus, that more courses and events on terminology such as this summer school will be held in the future.


Written by Clara Gorría Lázaro, Translator, Terminology Manager and Terminology Trainee at the Terminology Coordination Unit of the European Parliament.