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A Best‐Practice Model for Term Planning

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A Best‐Practice Model for Term Planning A BEST‐PRACTICE MODEL FOR TERM PLANNING Úna Bhreathnach, B.A., M.A. Fiontar, Dublin City University This thesis is submitted to Dublin City University for the award of PhD in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Supervisors: Dr Caoilfhionn Nic Pháidín, Fiontar, DCU Dr Rute Costa, Universidade Nova de Lisboa January 2011 Volume 4 of 4 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................4 1.1. Introductory notes on the Irish term planning situation........................................................4 1.2. Language usage.......................................................................................................................5 1.3. Lexicography .........................................................................................................................10 2. Questions ......................................................................................................................................12 2.1. Policy and planning: Irish networks ......................................................................................12 2.2. Policy and planning: International networks ........................................................................33 2.3. Policy and Planning: Resource planning ...............................................................................36 2.4. Research: theoretical approaches ........................................................................................47 2.5. Research: Methods ...............................................................................................................57 2.6. Standardisation.....................................................................................................................64 2.7. Dissemination: Awareness‐raising........................................................................................86 2.8. Dissemination: Publication ...................................................................................................90 2.9. Implantation........................................................................................................................108 2.10. Evaluation: User feedback ..............................................................................................114 2.11. Evaluation: Implantation.................................................................................................118 2.12. Evaluation: Methods and products.................................................................................122 2.13. Evaluation: Organisational and general..........................................................................128 2.14. Modernisation/maintenance..........................................................................................131 2.15. Training ...........................................................................................................................138 3. Evaluation: general reflections ...................................................................................................146 3.1. What are the Irish term planning organisation’s main strengths?.....................................146 3.2. What are the Irish term planning organisation’s weaknesses?..........................................151 Vol. IV, 2 3.3. What are the opportunities? ..............................................................................................172 3.4. What are the threats?.........................................................................................................184 Field Procedures .................................................................................................................................188 Data collection ................................................................................................................................188 Interview methodology...................................................................................................................188 Processing of material – coding and analysis .................................................................................188 Schedule of data collection activities .................................................................................................190 Interviewees........................................................................................................................................192 Organisational chart of term planning structures ..............................................................................195 References and sources ......................................................................................................................196 Vol. IV, 3 1. Introduction This document summarises the findings of research on the Irish term planning situation carried out in January and February 2010. The aim of the interviews was to find out about how Irish term planning worked in general and in particular areas, such as research and training; the aim was also to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the particular approaches taken. Extracts from the interviews (and from other, written, sources) have been used to illustrate the answers to the questions in this document. For a list of the interviewees and their roles, see page 192. 1.1. Introductory notes on the Irish term planning situation The statutory entity primarily responsible for term planning for Irish is Foras na Gaeilge. The British‐Irish Agreement Act (1999) transferred responsibility for developing Irish‐language terminology and dictionaries to this newly‐constituted language body. Foras na Gaeilge appoints the national committee for term planning, An Coiste Téarmaíochta, the Terminology Committee. This is a voluntary committee, meeting once a month, with a permanent secretary who coordinates its work. There have, over the past ten years, been occasional contract or part‐time staff, often in the form of students on work experience. Two assistant terminologists were recruited in 2006 on three‐year contracts. The Terminology Committee functions as a part of Foras na Gaeilge. Foras na Gaeilge was established as a North‐South Implementation Body under the British‐Irish Agreement Act 1999. The following responsibilities were transferred from other Departments and State bodies to Foras na Gaeilge: all the functions of Bord na Gaeilge (the Language Board), the funding of voluntary Irish‐language organisations, the publishing work of An Gúm, and the development of terminology and lexicography. The sponsoring Government department is the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs1. Since 2004, Foras na Gaeilge has supported research contracts with Fiontar, the Irish‐medium unit within Dublin City University, to carry out terminology work on its behalf. This work has included the creation, development and management of the National Terminology Database, www.focal.ie (Focal). Tasks include routine editorial work, technical development and hosting, and the development of new collections. Editorial development, such as doctoral research on domain structure, and the updating of a collection of names of public bodies, is also carried out by Fiontar in collaboration with the Terminology Committee. Fiontar is also researching a 1 The title of this Department was changed to the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs in June 2010 but its functions in relation to the language remain unchanged. Vol. IV, 4 new dictionary of sports terms for publication on Focal. Technical development includes tasks such as publication on CD‐ROM, and translation tools. Fiontar collaborates with the secretary of the Terminology Committee, and a Fiontar terminologist is a member of the Terminology Committee. Other terminology projects in Fiontar, which are funded directly by the sponsoring department and not by Foras na Gaeilge, include the digitisation and extraction of terms from secondary legislation (mainly statutory instruments), and the development of terms for the IATE database (iate.europa.eu), in cooperation with and validated by the EU institutions and the Terminology Committee. Fiontar has a team of thirteen working on digital humanities language projects, including a project manager, terminologist, technical manager, editorial manager, and a team of about nine editorial assistants. As well as terminology, this team is involved in other language‐ and technology‐based projects, such as the development of the national placenames database and of the national database of Irish‐language biographies. There are other organisations which also have a role in terminology. Chief among these is the Translation Section (Rannóg an Aistriúcháin) of the Houses of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament), responsible for translation of primary legislation. There is also an Irish Legal Terms Advisory Committee (established by act of the Oireachtas in 1945), which is currently engaged in the verification of the translation of the Forms contained in Rules of Court (Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform 2009). Both the Rannóg and the Committee are restricted to specific areas. The relationship between these organisations is shown in the table on page 195. 1.2. Language usage The use of the language, specifically as it relates to demand for terminology, is briefly considered here. Irish is unusual among lesser‐used languages in that many of its daily users are not native speakers. Since the foundation of the State in 1922, generations
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