Abstract (eng)
Successful communication requires effort, not only from the person speaking, but also from the listener. Despite all efforts, it seems inevitable that misunderstandings will occur, particularly when two people, with two different mother tongues, communicate. Difficulties in communication among two people, who have the same mother tongue, may result from pluricentricity. For this reason, this thesis focuses on pluricentric languages and the necessity of knowledge of technical terminology.
This master thesis deals, in the theoretical part, with the differences of variants within the German language, as well as, in the English language. Regarding the German language, it refers to the German used in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and the English language used in the United States of America and Great Britain. Furthermore, the theoretical part provides information about the Austrian company, “ASFINAG”, which plays an important role in the field of road engineering. The practical part of the thesis deals with the topic of road construction and transport and pertaining to this, a German and English glossary was compiled. The PIARC Dictionary, a dictionary published by the World Road Association, served as a basis for this glossary.
Nowadays, it is imperative for translators to acquire a profound knowledge of a language, as well as expertise, not only in their mother tongue. This includes, for example, specialising in a specific field in order to be able to interact with colleagues internationally. Before translating (or interpreting) terms or texts into a different language, the translator must be aware of the fact that differences may exist between varieties of the language being translated. Therefore, it is insufficient to solely depend on the technical terminology of one variety of a language and important to realise that depending on the target language, different terminology is necessary.
For this master thesis the PIARC Dictionary was examined with respect to the variants of the varieties of the German and English languages, though the focus was primarily laid on the German language. The terminological differences, and the completeness of the information regarding different variants, were analysed. As a result, a glossary was established which is intended for people who are involved in the field of road construction and transport. This thesis can be seen as a resource for translators, terminologists or linguists.