Terminology

One of the most immediately noticeable features of both technical texts and scien­tific texts is the terminology they contain. Perhaps more noticeable in a technical text because of the relative simplicity of the surrounding language, the strange, complex-looking and often scary words such as hydrogen sulphide, angioplasty or polymerization can often have people scrambling for their dictionaries.

In reality, however, specialized terminology accounts for just a small pro­portion of the total words in a technical text. Peter Newmark (1988:151) once estimated that 5-10% of a text is made up of specialized terminology, although this will naturally vary depending on the specific text we are dealing with; in the case of patent extracts, for example, specialized terminology might account for anything up to half of the total word count. Alongside highly specialized termin­ology, a technical text is likely to present us with abbreviations and acronyms, which are just as specialized, and which may have a number of different mean­ings depending on the subject, the context or even the company or organization which produces the text. In the following example from the instruction manual for a satellite receiver, we can see both specialized terminology and acronyms:

• You will need a multi-feed antenna with a 6°differential, two universalLNBs and a DiSEqC or sound burst switch.

Example 8: Specialized terminology and acronyms

In the following examples, we can see acronyms and abbreviations relating to units of measure.

• Operating Frequencies: 315 MHz or other UHF channels where permit­ted by local regulations.

• The unit is rated for use at the following voltages: 120 VAC, 60 Hz / 9 VAC, 700 mA;

Example 9: Specialized acronyms and units of measure

Once we have overcome the initial shock of specialized terminology, we then need to contend with specialized terms which pose as general terms. These ordinary-looking general terms, which look as if they could appear in an ordin­ary non-specialized text, have quite specific meanings depending again on the context and subject area. For example, the word jumper means a small metal clip, which is used to create an electrical connection between two terminals in an electrical device but in general language it can be used to describe a woollen garment or even a person who is jumping!

• The INS/DEL jumper should be closed if you want the system to react immediately.

Example 10: Sentence containing a term with both general and special­ized meanings

Similarly, the words salt and suspension are frequently used in ordinary every­day language but when they appear in the technical datasheet for an industrial chemical, they adopt much more specific meanings.

• The product contains the sodium salt of a special, low molecule polycar-bon acid which is a highly effective component for stabilizing minerals which are in suspension in water-based solutions.

Example 11: Sentence containing terms with both general and special­ized meanings

Other fairly standard terms such as sandwich, neighbourhood or cycling can be taken to mean quite different things if they are in the technical specifications for building materials, an online help system for a website or an installation guide for an alarm system.