CT Domain-Specific Terminology Banks 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In legal transliteration, the term 'habeas corpus' originates from Latin. Which transliteration principle applies when rendering it into a non-Latin script?
- Translate the meaning, not the sound
- Preserve the phonetic value of each syllable (Correct answer)
- Replace it with the target language's equivalent legal term
- Omit it as untranslatable
Correct answer: Preserve the phonetic value of each syllable
Transliteration preserves the phonetic value of the source term, not its meaning, so each syllable of 'habeas corpus' is rendered by its sound in the target script.
Question 2: A medical transliterator encounters the term 'tachycardia.' In a terminology bank, this word would most likely be categorized under which domain?
- Pharmacology
- Cardiology (Correct answer)
- Neurology
- Hematology
Correct answer: Cardiology
'Tachycardia' refers to an abnormally rapid heart rate and belongs to the cardiology domain in a medical terminology bank.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes a 'terminology bank' in the context of transliteration work?
- A financial institution that funds translation projects
- A curated repository of domain-specific terms with approved transliteration equivalents (Correct answer)
- A software tool that auto-corrects spelling errors
- A glossary limited to common everyday words
Correct answer: A curated repository of domain-specific terms with approved transliteration equivalents
A terminology bank is a structured database of specialized terms paired with their approved transliteration forms for consistent rendering across documents.
Question 4: When transliterating pharmaceutical drug names such as 'ibuprofen' into Arabic script, the standard approach is to:
- Use the Arabic generic name instead
- Render each phoneme according to the target script's sound system (Correct answer)
- Leave the name in Latin script unchanged
- Substitute the chemical formula
Correct answer: Render each phoneme according to the target script's sound system
Pharmaceutical transliteration maps each phoneme of the source name to the closest equivalent in the target script's sound inventory.
Question 5: A CT candidate working with a legal terminology bank encounters 'amicus curiae.' The bank notes it is a Latin phrase used in US courts. The correct transliteration approach is to:
- Translate the phrase to English first, then transliterate the English
- Transliterate the Latin phrase directly using target-script phonetics (Correct answer)
- Replace it with a domestic legal equivalent
- Flag it as untransliterable
Correct answer: Transliterate the Latin phrase directly using target-script phonetics
Legal terms used as proper phrases are transliterated directly from their source language phonetics, not translated first.
Question 6: In scientific transliteration, the element name 'phosphorus' (from Greek φωσφόρος) is being rendered into Cyrillic. Which consideration is most important?
- Matching the Greek etymology letter-by-letter
- Reflecting the established Cyrillic scientific convention for this term (Correct answer)
- Using the English pronunciation as the phonetic base
- Applying the ISO 9 standard for Greek-to-Cyrillic conversion
Correct answer: Reflecting the established Cyrillic scientific convention for this term
Scientific terminology often has established conventional transliterations in the target script that take precedence over strict phonetic rules.
Question 7: A domain-specific terminology bank for IT would most likely contain transliteration entries for which type of terms?
- Cooking ingredients and culinary techniques
- Software protocols, hardware names, and programming language keywords (Correct answer)
- Musical notation and composer names
- Religious liturgical texts
Correct answer: Software protocols, hardware names, and programming language keywords
An IT terminology bank focuses on technical vocabulary such as software protocols, hardware identifiers, and programming terms that require consistent transliteration.
CT Domain-Specific Terminology Banks 2
In legal transliteration, the term 'habeas corpus' originates from Latin.
Which transliteration principle applies when rendering it into a non-Latin script?