This comes from a recent article in MultiLingual.Terminology survey results reviews a 2010 survey organized by TermNet and was written by expert and industry veteran Barbara Inge Karsch.

Though the survey focused on the automotive, mechatronic, and IT/communication sectors, it is still highly relevant to medical device and biopharma companies.

While the sample size was small (145 respondents) and U.S.-centric, it still includes interesting take-aways. Some highlights:

• Terminology is closely tied to translation and localization (at least in the U.S.)
• A substantial majority of people working for companies that translate materials said that “their companies did terminology management”
• Terminology is a “target-language affair” – coming late in the game, i.e., during translation and localization
• Translators may not be able to manage terminology but should proactively build and share glossaries

Especially when practiced on a larger scale and in corporate environments, terminology management is still often seen as “hocus pocus”. It’s great that organizations like TermNet and professionals like Barbara Inge Karsch work to demystify this black art.

See: Medical Translation Insight