Terminological Equivalence and Variation in the EU Multi-level Jurisdiction: A Case Study on Victims of Crime

2011/2012Il progetto di ricerca ha lo scopo di analizzare la terminologia giuridica in lingua inglese e italiana relativa alla figura della vittima di reato e radicata nello spazio giuridico europeo, caratterizzato dalla coesistenza dell’ordinamento giuridico sovranazionale dell’Unione europea (UE) e degli ordinamenti giuridici nazionali del Regno Unito e dell’Italia. Secondo l’ipotesi principale alla base del progetto, il linguaggio giuridico è intrinsecamente caratterizzato da un certo grado di dinamismo terminologico, che si esprime sia a livello linguistico, con una serie di termini utilizzati per riferirsi a uno stesso concetto, sia a livello concettuale, dove si riflettono le diverse concettualizzazioni della stessa area del diritto. Poiché la terminologia giuridica analizzata nella presente tesi si colloca in uno spazio giuridico che vede il sovrapporsi di vari ordinamenti, si presume che detto dinamismo si manifesti in due diversi contesti linguistici. Nel primo contesto, che è di tipo intralinguistico, viene presa in considerazione la terminologia utilizzata nelle varianti nazionale e sovranazionale della stessa lingua, mentre nel secondo contesto, di tipo interlinguistico, la terminologia è esaminata da una prospettiva multilingue. Al fine di verificare la veridicità di tale ipotesi, è stata sviluppata una metodologia per l’analisi della terminologia giuridica in cui la distinzione tra genotipi e fenotipi introdotta da Sacco (1991) si unisce ai principi metodologici proposti da Cabré (1999a) per il lavoro terminografico. Per poter applicare detta metodologia è stato necessario costruire un corpus bilingue di testi dell’Unione europea e una collezione di testi di origine nazionale, entrambi incentrati sulla figura della vittima di reato. L’analisi della terminologia estratta ha rivelato che, nel primo contesto linguistico, il dinamismo intralinguistico si riflette nella variazione terminologica, che può interessare sia la sfera linguistica della terminologia (variazione denominativa) sia la sfera concettuale (variazione concettuale). La variazione denominativa consiste nell’esistenza di più unità terminologiche per designare uno stesso concetto, che però non comporta modifiche sostanziali nei relativi fenotipi. Nel caso della variazione concettuale, invece, è possibile riscontrare un certo anisomorfismo nei fenotipi. In entrambi i casi, tuttavia, tutti i termini interessati dal fenomeno della variazione terminologica mantengono la relazione con uno stesso genotipo. Si è proposta una classificazione della variazione denominativa prendendo in considerazione quattro variabili, ossia il livello di specializzazione, il periodo temporale, l’ordinamento giuridico e la valenza giuridica. Visto l’approccio metodologico adottato nel presente progetto di ricerca, in cui la terminologia giuridica dell’Unione europea è presa come punto di partenza ai fini dell’analisi terminologica e della strutturazione preliminare del sistema concettuale relativo al dominio, la variazione concettuale è stata riscontrata con minor frequenza rispetto alla variazione denominativa. Nell’analisi del secondo tipo di variazione terminologica, ossia della variazione concettuale, è stata presa in considerazione un’unica variabile, ovvero l’ordinamento giuridico. In base a tale variabile, la variazione concettuale è stata classificata come intra-sistemica, qualora sia riscontrata nell’ambito dello stesso ordinamento giuridico, ed inter-sistemica, qualora l’ordinamento sovranazionale e quello nazionale elaborino due fenotipi concettualmente diversi che, a prescindere dalle divergenze concettuali, possono essere ricondotti allo stesso genotipo. Nel secondo contesto linguistico, ovvero quello multilingue, la terminologia giuridica si è dimostrata caratterizzata da diversi gradi di equivalenza interlinguistica. Essendo la terminologia esaminata radicata in tre sistemi giuridici diversi, sono stati individuati due diversi tipi di equivalenza terminologica, ossia l’equivalenza intra- e inter-sistemica, e tre diversi gradi di equivalenza terminologica, ovvero l’equivalenza assoluta, l’equivalenza relativa e la non equivalenza. Altro scopo della presente tesi era quello di registrare le informazioni terminologiche raccolte in una base di conoscenza terminologica orientata alla traduzione giuridica. Giacché la terminologia esaminata è caratterizzata da un alto tasso di dipendenza dall’ordinamento giuridico a cui fa riferimento, la base di conoscenza terminologica MuLex è stata concepita specificamente come ausilio alla traduzione giuridica. MuLex ha quindi lo scopo di esplicitare le differenze riscontrate tra i sistemi giuridici esaminati e spiegare le peculiarità dell’uso di tale terminologia giuridica agli utenti finali. Al fine di ottimizzare la rappresentazione della conoscenza soggiacente la terminologia giuridica, le schede terminografiche in MuLex sono dotate di uno strumento di visualizzazione che consente la rappresentazione grafica delle strutture relazionali concettuali che raffigurano i concetti analizzati registrati nella base di conoscenza stessa.The research project aims at studying the English and Italian legal terminology related to the area of law of victims of crime and embedded in the multi-level jurisdiction provided by the supranational legal system of the European Union (EU), on the one hand, and the British and Italian national legal systems, on the other. The main hypothesis is that legal language is inherently characterised by terminological dynamism, which emerges both at the linguistic level – with different terms used to refer to individual legal concepts – and at the conceptual level, where different conceptualisations of the same legal domain are reflected. Since the bilingual legal terminology that has been examined occurs within a judicial space in which several legal systems are interconnected, such dynamism is expected to manifest itself in two different linguistic settings. In the first, the terminology in a national and an EU variety of the same language is taken into consideration, while in the second setting, terminology is studied from a multilingual perspective. In order to verify the main hypothesis, a methodological framework has been set out, on the basis of both the methodological premises for terminological analysis proposed by Cabré (1999a) and the distinction between genotypes and phenotypes introduced by Sacco (1991). Such a methodology required the compilation of a bilingual corpus of EU legal texts and a collection of national legal texts focusing on the figure of the victim of crime. The examination of the terminology extracted has shown that in the first linguistic setting envisaged, intralingual dynamism is reflected in terminological variation, which can affect either the linguistic layer (denominative variation) or the conceptual layer (conceptual variation) of terminology, with denominative variation consisting in the co-existence of several terminological units in which no substantial difference in the phenotypes involved is produced, while in conceptual variation anisomorphism among the phenotypes can be observed. In both cases, all the terms affected by the phenomenon of terminological variation are related to the same genotype. A classification of denominative variation has been proposed based on four variables, i.e. degree of specialisation, time span, legal system, and legal force. Due to the methodology adopted in this research project, in which the EU legal terminology has been taken as the starting point for both the terminological analysis and the preliminary conceptual structuring of the legal area of the study, conceptual variation has emerged to be less frequent than denominative variation. By taking the legal system as a variable in the analysis of conceptual variation, such variation has been subdivided into intra-systemic variation, occurring within a single legal system, and inter-systemic variation, when the supranational and the national legal systems elaborate two conceptually different phenotypes which, in spite of their conceptual anisomorphism, can be linked to the same genotype. In the second linguistic setting, where terminology is studied from a multilingual perspective, legal terminology has turned out to be characterised by different degrees of interlingual equivalence. On account of the embeddedness of the legal terminology examined in three different legal systems, different types and degrees of terminological equivalence have been identified and discussed: the types of terminological equivalence are intra-systemic and inter-systemic equivalence, while the degrees of equivalence are absolute equivalence, relative equivalence and non-equivalence. Another aim of this thesis was to record the collected terminological data in a legal translation-oriented terminological knowledge base (TKB). The terminology under discussion is characterised by a high degree of dependency on the legal system it refers to and the MuLex terminological knowledge base was specifically designed for helping the work of legal translators. This TKB aims at capturing the differences among the legal systems involved in the study and showing the peculiarities in the usage of legal terminology in such legal systems to its end users. For optimising the representation of the domain-specific knowledge implied by legal terminology, in MuLex terminographic entries integrate a tool enabling the graphic representation of the conceptual relational structures among the concepts analysed and recorded in the TKB.XXV Ciclo198

Téarmaíocht don Aontas Eorpach. Taithí na hÉireann: Tionscadal GA IATE/ Terminology for the European Union. The Irish Experience: The GA IATE Project

Tugann an staidéar seo cur síos cuimsitheach ar théarmeolaíocht na Gaeilge i gcomhthéacs fheidhmeanna aistriúcháin an Aontais Eorpaigh. Tháinig riachtanais phráinneacha téarmaíochta Gaeilge chun cinn in 2007 nuair a tugadh stádas teanga oifigiúil de chuid an AE don Ghaeilge. Tráchtann an staidéar seo ar an bhfreagairt a tugadh ar na riachtanais sin, agus cuireann sé an obair i gcomhthéacs na hoibre téarmeolaíochta a rinneadh i gcás theangacha ‘nua’ eile an AE, teangacha a bhain amach stádas oifigiúil in 2004 agus in 2007. Tugtar mioneolas ar IATE, comhbhunachar sonraí ilteangach fhorais agus chomhlachtaí an AE agus leagtar béim ar leith ar ról thrí mhórinstitiúid an AE, an Coimisiún, an Chomhairle agus an Pharlaimint. Is é Fiontar, Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath, i gcomhairle le rannpháirtithe an tionscadail in institiúidí an AE agus i seirbhís phoiblí na hÉireann, a thiomsaigh an staidéar. ***English*** This study provides a comprehensive description of Irish-language terminology for the purposes of European Union translation work. An urgent need for Irish-language terminology arose in 2007 when Irish became an official EU language. This study documents the response to that need, and places it in the context of terminology work in other ‘new’ EU languages which gained official status in 2004 and 2007. IATE, the shared multilingual terminology database of the EU institutions and bodies, is described in detail, with particular emphasis on the role of the three major EU institutions, Commission, Council and Parliament. The study was compiled by Fiontar, Dublin City University, in consultation with project participants in the EU institutions and the Irish public service

Towards terminology research as a practical philosophy of information : the terminology of radical constructivism as a case in point

The thesis presents a perspective on the possibility of harnessing sociocognitive terminology and related practices to the aim of describing philosophical terminology. In this case, the terminology of the radical constructivist philosopher Ernst von Glasersfeld is surveyed as a starting point. The experimental terminological records produced are re-incorporated into the theoretical basis constituted by the thesis. Therefore, its aim can be seen as twofold; the description of philosophical terminology also entails theory construction. The practice described can be seen as regenerative theory construction. It incorporates elements of formulation and of codification/ language engineering in terms of contemporary computational possibilities. In terms of its theoretical basis, the project extends not only to the terminology used in the corpus texts but also to concepts and terms needed to understand these in the first place. The outlook can be described as heuristic and experimental. The approach breaks down to the following sub-problems. Each can be seen as characteristic for terminology description in the human sciences:(1) The idea of conceptual entities and concept description needs to be adjusted to the field of experience. This starts from sociocognitive terminology and incorporates the anthropological view of concept analysis.(2) The conceptual entity of stereotype has to be accounted for, as the variance of the descriptions of immaterial objects suggests that they can only be apprehended in a radically simplified manner.(3) The application of prototype theory employed as by sociocognitive theory and the Aristotelian concept theory of (post-)classical terminology research needs to be adapted to the description of ideal types. This is compressed into the concept of scientificity.(4) The principles developed need to be compressed into the conventional categories of principle and approach. These categories need to be set in relation to both philosophical concepts and experience.(5) This design of a possible practice needs to be adapted to existing procedures. The existing procedures may be in need of clarification or redefinition against the background of their usage in non-standard contexts.(6) To facilitate this mutual adaptation, peculiarities of the context of philosophical terminography are explored and compressed under the concept of disciplinarity. To this, there is a declarative aspect and a procedural one.(7) The procedural approach to disciplinarity develops an understanding of the intentional aspect of agenda and interest. These orient the development of potential consensus about disciplinarity within the constraints of context and therefore the apparent identity of (sub- (sub-))cultures inside the context.(8) Following these observations, the overall theoretical and methodological construct is tested against exemplary cases.To conclude, a practice for implementing these considerations is suggested. It includes the use of text fragments as units for textographic philosophical terminography and an understanding of computational information management practices appropriate to its principles

Un environnement générique et ouvert pour le traitement des expressions polylexicales

The treatment of multiword expressions (MWEs), like take off, bus stop and big deal, is a challenge for NLP applications. This kind of linguistic construction is not only arbitrary but also much more frequent than one would initially guess. This thesis investigates the behaviour of MWEs across different languages, domains and construction types, proposing and evaluating an integrated methodological framework for their acquisition. There have been many theoretical proposals to define, characterise and classify MWEs. We adopt generic definition stating that MWEs are word combinations which must be treated as a unit at some level of linguistic processing. They present a variable degree of institutionalisation, arbitrariness, heterogeneity and limited syntactic and semantic variability. There has been much research on automatic MWE acquisition in the recent decades, and the state of the art covers a large number of techniques and languages. Other tasks involving MWEs, namely disambiguation, interpretation, representation and applications, have received less emphasis in the field. The first main contribution of this thesis is the proposal of an original methodological framework for automatic MWE acquisition from monolingual corpora. This framework is generic, language independent, integrated and contains a freely available implementation, the mwetoolkit. It is composed of independent modules which may themselves use multiple techniques to solve a specific sub-task in MWE acquisition. The evaluation of MWE acquisition is modelled using four independent axes. We underline that the evaluation results depend on parameters of the acquisition context, e.g., nature and size of corpora, language and type of MWE, analysis depth, and existing resources. The second main contribution of this thesis is the application-oriented evaluation of our methodology proposal in two applications: computer-assisted lexicography and statistical machine translation. For the former, we evaluate the usefulness of automatic MWE acquisition with the mwetoolkit for creating three lexicons: Greek nominal expressions, Portuguese complex predicates and Portuguese sentiment expressions. For the latter, we test several integration strategies in order to improve the treatment given to English phrasal verbs when translated by a standard statistical MT system into Portuguese. Both applications can benefit from automatic MWE acquisition, as the expressions acquired automatically from corpora can both speed up and improve the quality of the results. The promising results of previous and ongoing experiments encourage further investigation about the optimal way to integrate MWE treatment into other applications. Thus, we conclude the thesis with an overview of the past, ongoing and future work