Summaries 4/1996


Corrosion vocabulary

In order to facilitate technical communication in the field of corrosion, Lari Kauppinen has collected a vocabulary of names of corrosion types in nine languages. The concepts in the vocabulary are arranged in alphabetical order by the Finnish term.

You are welcome to send your comments on the vocabulary to TSK.


Revisions for restoration terms

The terminology work which dealt with restoration and maintenance of buildings, has been completed. The vocabulary, Kiinteistönpidon perussanastoa can be ordered fromSuomen Rakennuttajaliitto.


Opinions on wood as a building material

Interest in building wooden apartment buildings has been revived recently in Finland. Since the vocabulary of the field has not been used much during the past few decades, it must be created a new. Mikko Kylliäinen from Tampere University of Technology and Martti Tiula from Rakennustietosäätiö discuss the Finnish terminology of wood as a building material.

Kylliäinen deals both with the North-American and Finnish systems, whereas Tiula concentrates on the North-American, i.e., the platform system. The Finnish terms tend to be lengthy and therefore more compact terms are proposed. Terminfo would welcome any additional comments on the topic.


TSK on the Web

As promised in Terminfo 3/96, TSK has now opened a home page on the Web in the following address: http://www.tsk.fi. At first, some of you may find the contents of the pages rather meagre or incomplete, but in early 1997 we shall be providing you with versatile information.

In conjunction with the introduction of the Web pages, our office has taken new email addresses into use. All TSK personnel now have email addresses in the form: firstname.lastname@tsk.fi. There is also a collective address tsk@tsk.fi, a term service address termipalvelu@tsk.fi and an address for Terminfo feedback terminfo@tsk.fi.

TSK has also plans to provide access to the TSK's termbank via the Internet. However, a number of practical problems must be solved before services relying on the web browser technology can be offered. Fortunately, there are already many interesting locations on the Web dealing with terminology work (some examples were given in Terminfo 3/96).


In/from/into Finnish in the EU

Vantaa Institute for Continuing Education of the University of Helsinki arranged a conference on the translating and teaching of Finnish in the EU from 23rd to 26th November 1996. Around a hundred experts ranging from translators and interpreters to language teachers and administrative personnel were invited to the conference.

Eduard Brackeniers, Director General in the European Commission, reminded us that Finnish is not a "small" language but, rather, it is spoken by a relatively small amount of people. However, the needs and work concerning Finnish are at least as extensive as those concerning other languages. The Commission is striving for more efficient translation work by developing computer tools, and standardised documents.

As a general rule, translators and interpreters in the EU always translate or interpret from a foreign language into their native language. This has, naturally, caused the need for teaching EU translators and interpreters Finnish. How and by whom the teaching should be arranged caused a lively discussion.

Since the EU emphasises the equality of languages, translating in the EU could actually be regarded as authoring the text. Accordingly, the EU regulations are valid in all languages regardless of the fact in which language they were first written.

Translators and interpreters working in the EU reported various problems and needs regarding their daily work or Finnish studies. It is, for example, difficult for the translators to keep up their Finnish if they do not see or hear how it is used in the Finnish media.

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