3.2.2. Subject-field Classification
In order to organize your terminology research work
and to organize data in your terminology data collection, you will need to
adopt or create a subject-field classification system. Once you have an idea
of how knowledge in your subject field is structured, you and your organization will be better able to determine which sets of terminology need to be worked on to respond to your organization's communication needs. You will have identified and delimited the scope of your terminological activities by establishing the broad areas in which you should work and by structuring those broad areas into a succession of subfields.
Remember, concepts and their terms are studied in relation to their subject field. The essential and delimiting characteristics of concepts are determined by their subject field. So the clearer your understanding of the subject field is, the better you will be able to work with the concepts.
Sometimes, existing classification systems can
be adopted or used as a starting point for structuring your subject field.
The classification system established for managing the TERMIUM® term
bank is described in the module entitled Research Principles. The classification
system reflects the fact that the Translation Bureau works in all fields of endeavour as well as the reality that some areas of specialization are worked in more than are others. While another organization may choose to adopt the TERMIUM® classification system, it is likely that more precise levels of detail would need to be added in some cases because of the greater importance of the areas in which the organization primarily works.
By examining the products, workflow and activities of your organization,
you can learn how it is structured and how activities are linked in the workflow,
and use that information to suggest the enhanced structure for your more detailed
classification system. If you are not yourself the subject-matter expert,
it is advisable to consult subject-field specialists to check the validity of your classification system.
Documentalists and librarians can also help you use existing documentary classification systems to structure the intended field of
research. However, there is a difference between classifying documents and
classifying groups of concepts, and documentary classification systems may prove to be inadequate for you.
Science and technology encyclopedias are another good source when trying to structure scientific and technological subject fields or subfields. By first preparing a diagram (mentally or physically) of the subject field's structure based on the way the subject matter has been organized in encyclopedia articles, you can identify those subfields that include important concepts and focus on the parts that are pertinent to your research.
You will note that in the examples below, a rake diagram has
been used to show the relationships among subfields and the broader fields
to which they belong. Rake diagrams are also used to show relationships among
concepts. (Rake diagrams are usually used to represent part-whole relations,
while tree diagrams are generally used to represent generic-specific relations.).
The same graphical representation technique is used, but the scale is very
different. Each subject field and
subfield is made up of many concepts, so the diagram gives a relatively high-level view of the field's structure. Concept diagrams, on the other hand, cover a limited concept field and are very low-level views of the knowledge structure.
While a subject-field analysis can be pursued to the concept level (as occurs when a thesaurus classification system is
created), it is generally not necessary to be that specific when structuring
a subject field. In fact, at the beginning
of terminology research, you are less likely to have sufficient knowledge
to structure the subject field at the lower levels.
So a "top-down" approach is usually adopted, in which knowledge is divided into broad subject fields, subject fields into special subjects, special subjects into areas of specialization, and so on until you arrive at the smallest number of terms which can be grouped under a common label. (SAGER 1990: 37) As you acquire knowledge about the subject matter, the lower-level relationships among subfields become clearer, but you can certainly begin working on your terminology research project
after structuring your subject field to two or three levels of its hierarchy.
This is a diagram of the subject-field classification system that resulted from an analysis of business activities in the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
This is the organization chart for the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (as of February 2001).
Do you see where the two correspond? Did you notice which elements of the organization chart were set aside, such as human resources, performance evaluation, finance and administration and information management? This is because a decision was made, at the beginning of the project, to focus on the terminology of the business of the organization, that is, the terminology appearing in the regulations governing nuclear safety in Canada. Once that decision was made, the knowledge in that particular area could be structured into smaller groupings, based on the terminologist's research and especially on results of consultation with
subject-matter experts in the CNSC. The subject-field classification system that was established reflects the groups of topics and subtopics in which concepts related to nuclear safety will be found.
In summary, you should carry out the following activities when you are delimiting and structuring subject fields to be dealt with in a database or
during a subject-field research project:
- Identify in-house corporate activities, tools and products in the specialized documentation selected.
- Identify the target groups of these activities and products (for example, consumers and clients), as well as their characteristics and needs.
- Graphically represent the relationships between these activities and groups.
- Compare the result with existing classification systems in the spheres of activity in question, and make improvements as required; draw diagrams—they really help!
- Consult subject-field specialists to check the validity of the classification system.
- Respect the classification system in all database transactions and single- or multiple-term research activities.
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