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Executive director of the ACRPS Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language project in Doha

Dr Azzeddine Bouchikhi, executive director of the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic project, on Wednesday January 15, 2014, gave a lecture entitled "Towards a Systematic Methodology for the Translation of Academic Terminology", as part of the weekly seminar series held by the ACRPS.

The seminar tackled the issue of creating a systematic methodology in the translation of academic terminology, which must take into equal consideration the specificity of the term and of the science behind it. The terminology must be standardized to reduce confusion in translation in a way that conveys meaning but avoids complication, as terminology is at the heart of specialized language. The accuracy of translation should be prioritized in order to ensure accuracy and success in communicating the concept. In this sense, the translation of academic terminology is an important task requiring precise consideration to overcome the problems of non-standardization across disciplines, and confusion in the formulation of terminology that leads to arbitrary and haphazard application.

The lecture was presented in an interesting style that raised a rich and useful discussion between the guest lecturer and the audience regarding the subject of translating the academic terminology. The dimensions of cultural and academic translation and the structural weaknesses manifest in the process of translating academic terminology in Arab countries became evident as major barriers to building a methodology.