FIT Subject Matter Expertise & Terminology Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A translator working on a pharmaceutical leaflet encounters the term 'bioavailability.' Which terminology resource would most reliably provide a definition validated for regulatory translation?
- A general English dictionary
- The FDA's drug labeling glossary or ICH guidelines (Correct answer)
- A bilingual medical phrasebook
- The translator's personal glossary from previous projects
Correct answer: The FDA's drug labeling glossary or ICH guidelines
FDA and ICH regulatory documents provide authoritative, validated definitions for pharmaceutical terms used in official labeling.
Question 2: When building a subject-specific termbase for a long-term legal translation client, which metadata field is MOST critical to include for each term entry?
- The translator's initials
- The domain and subdomain of the term (Correct answer)
- The font style used in source documents
- The client's preferred invoice format
Correct answer: The domain and subdomain of the term
Domain and subdomain metadata allow translators to retrieve contextually appropriate terms and avoid cross-domain confusion.
Question 3: A certified translator discovers that a technical term has two accepted equivalents in the target language, one preferred in academic contexts and one in industry. What is the best practice?
- Always use the academic term regardless of audience
- Record both variants in the termbase with usage context labels (Correct answer)
- Delete the less common variant to avoid confusion
- Ask the end reader which term they prefer
Correct answer: Record both variants in the termbase with usage context labels
Recording both variants with context labels preserves accuracy and allows audience-appropriate term selection.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes 'term autonomy' in professional translation terminology management?
- The right of a translator to coin new terms without client approval
- A term's ability to carry its meaning independently of surrounding context (Correct answer)
- Software that automatically selects terms from a termbase
- The use of acronyms instead of full terminology
Correct answer: A term's ability to carry its meaning independently of surrounding context
Term autonomy refers to a term's capacity to convey a precise concept without relying on contextual clarification.
Question 5: For FIT-certified translators, subject matter expertise is best demonstrated through which combination of activities?
- Attending general language conferences and reading fiction in the source language
- Ongoing CPD in a specialty field, using authoritative domain resources, and maintaining domain-specific termbases (Correct answer)
- Translating only texts in one's native language
- Relying solely on machine translation post-editing for domain content
Correct answer: Ongoing CPD in a specialty field, using authoritative domain resources, and maintaining domain-specific termbases
FIT emphasizes continuous professional development combined with active use of domain resources and terminology management as markers of subject matter expertise.
Question 6: A legal translator encounters the Latin phrase 'in pari delicto' in a US contract. What is the most appropriate first step?
- Translate it literally word-for-word into the target language
- Research its legal meaning and established equivalent in the target legal system (Correct answer)
- Omit it as Latin terms are untranslatable
- Replace it with the nearest common law principle without verification
Correct answer: Research its legal meaning and established equivalent in the target legal system
Legal Latin phrases carry specific doctrinal meanings that must be verified against target-jurisdiction equivalents before translation.
Question 7: In terminology management, what is a 'forbidden term' (also called a 'rejected term')?
- A term banned by government censors
- A term documented as incorrect or deprecated in the client's preferred terminology (Correct answer)
- A term that cannot be translated into the target language
- A term used only in classified documents
Correct answer: A term documented as incorrect or deprecated in the client's preferred terminology
A forbidden or rejected term is marked in a termbase to alert translators not to use it, typically because a preferred equivalent has been established.
FIT Subject Matter Expertise & Terminology Management 2
A translator working on a pharmaceutical leaflet encounters the term 'bioavailability.' Which terminology resource would most reliably provide a definition validated for regulatory translation?