TOTh Conference 2018: A Must-attend Terminology Event Reaching New Heights

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TOTh Conference
TOTh 2018

TOTh Conference

 

And not only literally even though those in the know are already aware about the gorgeous location that the organisers seem to have favoured over the years. Chambéry in south-eastern France, adorned by the gorgeous Alps, does indeed elevate the knowledge-sharing experience in the areas of terminology and ontology, which have become traditional for TOTh (Terminology & Ontology Theories).

This year’s edition, which took place on the 7th and 8th of June, has witnessed yet another growth boost in terms of quality, engagement and relevance to the real world out there – and we haven’t even got to a major TermCoord-related announcement yet!

But first of all, we just have to mention the incredible concentration of quality topics that have been presented this year. In addition to discussing unconventional approaches to uncovering new terminologies (“Smooth or rough, neutral or biased – can Topics uncover Terminologies?” by Marcus Spies), bringing up the need for more digital collaboration in the field (“User needs: the starting point of an online collaborative glossary” by Ana Eliza Pereira Bocorny), and even proposing to introduce computational models for terminological purposes (“Proposition d’un modèle computationnel du concept pour la Terminologie” by Julien Roche et al), some topics raised questions that nobody seemingly dared to ask before. Of course, we’re talking about the winner of this year’s Young Researcher Prize Amelie Daloz, whose paper, titled “Vers la représentation terminologique d’un patrimoine culturel immatériel menacé de disparition: le cas du patrimoine minier”, brought forward the discussion of professional terminologies that are unfortunately dying out.

It was also fascinating to observe a rise in the coverage of the most pressing issues our society is currently facing. A standout feature in that regard is a paper by Antonella Guarino and Carmen Serena Santonocito titled “Bio gourmand et guilt free treat: analyse semiolinguistique des snacks bios et sains”, which focusses on the semiolinguistical analysis of the terminology used to design the packaging of bio/healthy snacks.

Still, this year’s main event for the Terminology Coordination Unit was the announcement of the first-ever Master programme “DU Fondements et enjeux de la terminologie”, which is specifically dedicated to terminology. The programme, which is to be delivered in the University of Savoy, is going to be curated in collaboration with the New University of Lisbon. What is more, one module within this programme, which is titled “Translation and Terminology in the European Union”, is going to be taught by the Head of TermCoord Rodolfo Maslias.

The closing event of the conference also featured an overview of TermCoord’s activities, where the Unit’s cooperation with prominent international institutions, universities and research centres was highlighted as one of the key priorities for fruitful long-term cooperation.

Thus, the most important conference on terminology and ontology has raised the bar once again. In addition to securing its status of an absolutely essential event for every language professional, TOTh has managed to demonstrate its growth potential by realising its most ambitious project yet.

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Written by Dimitri Efremov, a Communication Study Visitor at the Terminology Coordination Unit of the European Parliament (Luxembourg) and a student of the Master Programme in Learning and Communication in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts at the University of Luxembourg; reported by Rodolfo Maslias, Head of the Terminology Coordination Unit of the European Parliament (Luxembourg).