Review of Content Standard

ISO 704:2000
Terminology work -- Princile! and met"od!
#an$ary 200%
This review is intended to assess the potential utility of content standards for use and
potentially for inclusion in an ISO 11179-based metadata registry. The review is directed
primarily toward the utility of the standard itself rather than to matching the standard
with specific agency programs. The review covers issues such as the sub!ect area
currency "uality authority and acceptance of the standards. These are factors that need
to be ta#en into account no matter what the programmatic application of the standard may
be.
&' S$mmary
This International Standard establishes and harmoni$es the basic principles and methods
for preparing and compiling terminologies both inside and outside the framewor# of
standardi$ation.
This International Standard describes the lin#s between ob!ects concepts and their
representations through the use of terminologies. It also establishes general principles
governing the formation of designations and the formulation of definitions. %ull and
complete understanding of these principles re"uires some bac#ground #nowledge of
terminology. The principles are general in nature and this International Standard is
applicable to terminology wor# in scientific technological industrial administrative and
other fields of #nowledge.
2' Identification of Standard
2'&' Title
Terminology work -- Princile! and met"od!
2'2' (cronym
&one.
2')' *e+ age,!-. Identifier. or Contact Information:
2')'& *e+ age,!-
http'((www.iso.org
2')'2 Identifier
ISO 7)*'+)))
2')') Contact Information
Infoterm Office ($!tria

International Information ,entre for Terminology
-ichhol$gasse .(1+
--11+) /ienna -ustria
Tel.' 0*1-1-217 **22
%a3' 0*1-1-217 **22-**
4-5ail' infopoint6infoterm.org
789' http'((linu3.infoterm.org
:irector' ,hristian ;alins#i 4-5ail' cgalins#i6infoterm.org
2'4 ($t"ority
2'4'& Creator
T, 17(S, 1 <rinciples and methods
2'4'2' (ccetance a! a$t"oritative
T, 17 is the ISO committee on terminology. Other subcommittees'
,ommittee Title
T, 17(S, 1(=; + >armoni$ation of terminology
The convener can be reached through' :;&
T, 17(S, 1(=; 1 <rinciples methods and vocabulary
The convener can be reached through' S,,
T, 17(S, 1(=; * Socioterminology
The convener can be reached through' S,,
T, 17(S, 1(=; ? ,oncept modeling in terminology wor#
The convener can be reached through' I@&
2'/ P$+li!"er
International Organi$ation for Standardi$ation AISOB
2'% 0ang$age,!-
4nglish and %rench.
)' Content de!crition
)'& S$+1ect area of content and area of alication
The terminological principles and methods laid down in this standard are based on
current thin#ing and practices in terminology.
Terminology is multidisciplinary and draws support from a number of disciplines Ae.g.
logic epistemology philosophy of science linguistics information science and cognitive
sciencesB in its study of concepts and their representations in special language. It
combines elements from many theoretical approaches that deal with the description
ordering and transfer of #nowledge.
In line with current standardi$ation trends to include guiding principles ISO 7)*
Terminology wor# C <rinciples and 5ethods is intended to standardi$e the essential
elements for "uality wor# in terminology. The general purpose of the standard is to
provide a common framewor# of thin#ing and e3plain how this thin#ing should be
implemented by an organi$ation or individuals involved in terminology.
This standard is to provide assistance to those involved in terminology management. The
principles and methods should be observed not only for the manipulation of
terminological information but also in the planning and decision-ma#ing involved in
managing a stoc# of terminology. The main activities include but are not limited to the
following'
C identifying concepts and concept relationsD
C analy$ing and modeling concept systems on the basis of identified concepts and
concept relationsD
C establishing representations of concept systems through concept diagramsD
C defining conceptsD
C attributing designations Apredominantly termsB to each concept in one or more
languagesD and
C recording and presenting terminological data principally in print and electronic
media AterminographyB.
Ob!ects concepts designations and definitions are fundamental to terminology and
therefore form the basis of this standard. Ob!ects are perceived or conceived and
abstracted into concepts which in special language are represented by designations and
described in definitions. - set of designations belonging to one special language
constitutes the terminology of a specific sub!ect field.
)'2 2ind of content
In this standard and for the 4nglish language E terminologyF used in the singular and
without an article designates the discipline while E terminologyE used in the plural or
preceded by an article refers to the set of designations of a particular sub!ect field such as
the terminology of chemistry.
%or the sa#e of consistency in reference to ob!ects concepts definitions and designations
the following wording conventions are used in this standard'
Ob!ects'
are erceived or conceived
are a+!tracted or concet$ali3ed into concepts
,oncepts'
deict or corre!ond to a set of ob!ects
are rere!ented or e4re!!ed in lang$age by designations or by definitions
are organi3ed into concet !y!tem!
:esignations Aterms names or symbolsB'
de!ignate or rere!ent a concept
are attri+$ted to a concept
:efinitions'
define or de!cri+e the concept
The more comple3 a concept system the more useful it is to clarify relations among
concepts by representing them formally or graphically. ,oncept relations can be
represented formally in a list. The formal representation used in this standard is a
numbered and indented list as e3emplified by the following'
1.
1.1
1.+
+.
1.1
1.+
The graphic representations used in this standard are the most typical ones.
tree diagram to represent generic concept relations
ra#e or brac#et diagram to represent partitive concept relations
line with arrowheads at each end to represent associative concept relations
)') ($dience,!-
Terminologists although the business world is becoming increasingly aware of the need
to manage terms for interchange in commerce.
The systematic organi$ation and definition of concepts as well as the administration of
the concept representations is called terminology management. Increasingly private
industry as well as public administration C not to mention big organi$ations in the third
sector C are applying terminology management methods and systems.
Terminology standardi$ation can be subdivided into two distinct C however
complementary - types of standardi$ing activities'
Standardi$ation of terminologies
Standardi$ation of terminological principles and methods
&early every technical body in standardi$ation must standardi$e its terminology regularly
or once in a while. Thousands of organi$ations beyond standardi$ation are unifying their
terminology on a larger or smaller scale. 5any international regional or national
authorities harmoni$e terminologies if e3isting unified or standardi$ed terminologies
conflict with each other.
ISO(T, 17 ETerminology and other language resourcesF is standardi$ing basic principles
re"uirements and methods concerning terminology and language and content resources.
)'4 Related Standard!5)'/ Standard! 6eendencie!
See the ,map ETerminology Standards 8elationshipsF
)'% Content 7$ality
>igh.
4' C$rrency of Content
4'& 6ate
+)))11)2
4'2 8er!ion!. 9date!54') C$rrency
This version is current. - previous version was published in 1927. - new version is
under development and due out late in +))..
/' (ccetance
-t the beginning of the +)th century the scope of terminology standardi$ation activities
necessitated the formulation of principles and methods for terminology wor#.
In recent years the focus of ISO(T, 17Gs activities has shifted towards applied methods
especially computer-assisted ones and to their application within standardi$ation and
similar activities. -ctive lin#s e3ist to a large number of international and transnational
organi$ations and institutions as well as to other ISO(T,s and to Technical ,ommittees
belonging to the International 4lectrotechnical ,ommission AI4,B and the 4uropean
,ommittee for Standardi$ation A,4&B.
On 12 -ugust +))) at the <lenary meeting of ISO(T, 17 in 9ondon it was decided to
open up the scope of T, 17 to respond to the necessities of the language industry. This
decision was confirmed by a large ma!ority of T, 17 members in Hanuary +))1. The new
title is ITerminology and other language resourcesI. The new scope' Standardi$ation of
principles methods and applications relating to terminology and other language
resources. In -ugust +))1 it was decided to establish a further S, * 9anguage resource
management.
%' Content detail!
%'& Si3e !tati!tic! ,e!timated-
ISO 7)*'+))) <:% version AenB 77+ J@ ,>% 11+))
ISO 7)*'+))) <:% version AfrB 9.7 J@ ,>% 11+))
ISO 7)*'+))) paper version AenB ,>% 11+))
ISO 7)*'+))) paper version AfrB ,>% 11+))
The paper version is 12 pages.
%'2 :ormat 5 Sc"ema!,!-
See above.
%') ;edia 5 6ownload
See above.
%'4 0icen!ing I!!$e!
This is an ISO standard and sub!ect to copyright.
%'/ 6oc$mentation
See the Infoterm website.
(l!o:
International &etwor# for Terminology' http'((linu3.termnet.org(