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Handbook of Terminology: Volume 3. Legal Terminology
Edited by Łucja Biel and Hendrik J. Kockaert
[Handbook of Terminology 3] 2023
► pp. 458–484

Multilingual legal terminology databases

Workflows and roles

| Eurac Research, Institute for Applied Linguistics
| University of Vienna, Centre for Translation Studies
| Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage

This chapter focuses on multilingual legal terminology databases (MLTDBs) and their specific features. We address the aspects influencing the structure of MLTDBs, i.e., the number of legal systems, the different usage scenarios, and target users. We describe the steps within a typical workflow for creating MLTDBs, i.e., needs analysis, design, documentation, term extraction, compilation of terminological entries, revision and quality assurance, maintenance, and dissemination, highlighting differences with other domains. We list the roles involved in legal terminology work, considering not only human users but also the increasing role played by machines as a new type of user of terminological data for various applications. Finally, we discuss aspects of quality management, planning, assurance, and control in MLTDBs, including relevant standards.

Keywords: terminology workflow, terminology databases, legal terminology, quality assurance, termbase users
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Terminology databases
  • 3.Multilingual Legal Terminology Databases
    • 3.1MLTDBs dealing with one legal system
    • 3.2MLTDBs dealing with two or more legal systems
    • 3.3Usage scenarios
    • 3.4Target users
    • 3.5Interaction with users
  • 4.Workflows
    • 4.1Needs analysis
    • 4.2Design and implementation of MLTDBs
    • 4.3Documentation
    • 4.4Term extraction
    • 4.5Compilation of terminological entries
    • 4.6Revision and QA
    • 4.7Maintenance
    • 4.8Dissemination
  • 5.Roles
    • 5.1Terminologists
    • 5.2Revisers
    • 5.3Terminology coordinators
    • 5.4Legal experts as domain experts
    • 5.5IT experts
    • 5.6Users of legal terminology
    • 5.7Machines
  • 6.Quality and MLTDBs
    • 6.1Quality management
    • 6.2MLTDB and international standards
    • 6.3Quality planning
    • 6.4Quality assurance and quality control
  • 7.Conclusions and outlook
  • Notes
  • References
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives (CC BY-ND) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at [email protected].

Published online: 1 December 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/hot.3.mul1
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