Introduction: A historical overview of terminology management and scholarship

Abstract

This landscaping study of terminology management and scholarship suggests that effective terminology management can increase productivity in translation processes and improve the quality of target translations. For enterprises such as language service providers, this can also mean reduced costs in the long term. This introduction traces terminological work in China back to 200 BCE and argues that historical terminology work has not only been a practical element of lexicography but also a political process of translating and then integrating minority languages when a new dynasty was established. However, contemporary Chinese terminology management and scholarship reflects the demands by industry and global organizations to have unified terminologies to facilitate commerce, the transfer of technology, and internationalization. The development of modern terminology management and scholarship in China can be summarized in five stages since the founding of the P. R. China in 1949. These phases range from stagnation during the Cultural Revolution to exploration, development, and eventually a boom period from 2005 onwards, characterized by accelerated progress in terminology management, scholarship, and international collaboration. It is stated that the main challenge now is that of maintaining this momentum and ensuring that its socioeconomic and cultural benefits are shared equitably from China’s metropolises to its peripheries, and between all sections of society.