oSIST ISO/PRF 26162-3:2022
(Main)Management of terminology resources — Terminology databases — Part 3: Content
Management of terminology resources — Terminology databases — Part 3: Content
This document specifies content-related aspects of terminology database maintenance. It gives guidance on the content of terminological data collections, with emphasis on data quality evaluation.
This document gives guidance for modellers of concept entries who need to ensure interoperability and high-quality content. It aims to ensure that terminological data collections themselves meet high standards for design conformity with standards such as ISO 12620-1 and ISO 16642, data accuracy and performance. It outlines principles for assuring data quality (see ISO 9001) and evaluating terminological data collections for purposes of continuous improvement. This approach contrasts that of ISO 23185:2009, which focuses on the usability of existing terminology resources.
This document does not apply to the management of text corpora or to term extraction tools.
Gestion des ressources terminologiques — Bases de données terminologiques — Partie 3: Contenu
Upravljanje terminoloških virov - Terminološke baze podatkov - 3. del: Vsebina
General Information
Buy Standard
Standards Content (Sample)
INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 26162-3
First edition
2023-01
Management of terminology
resources —
Terminology databases —
Part 3:
Content
Gestion des ressources terminologiques — Bases de données
terminologiques —
Partie 3: Contenu
Reference number
ISO 26162-3:2023(E)
© ISO 2023
---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
ISO 26162-3:2023(E)
COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2023
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: +41 22 749 01 11
Email: copyright@iso.org
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii
© ISO 2023 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------
ISO 26162-3:2023(E)
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Identifying terms . . 3
4.1 Requirements for term selection . 3
4.2 Unithood and termhood . 4
4.3 Corpora and term extraction . 5
5 Collecting terminological data.6
5.1 Data requirements . 6
5.1.1 Evaluation procedure . . 6
5.1.2 Quality data . . 6
5.1.3 Purpose of the termbase . 6
5.1.4 Data correctness . 6
5.1.5 Fitness for use . 7
5.2 Data model. 8
5.3 Data categories . 8
5.4 Data portability. 8
6 Validating concept entry quality .8
6.1 General validation criteria . 8
6.2 Error typology and system design . 8
6.3 Error types . 9
6.3.1 Termbase specification and maintenance . 9
6.3.2 Error types associated with the inclusion of concept entries . 9
6.3.3 Error types associated with automatically generated content . 9
6.3.4 Error types associated with open data categories . 10
6.3.5 Error types associated with closed data categories. 10
Annex A (informative) Evaluation models.11
Annex B (informative) Sample concept entry .13
Annex C (informative) Sample error typology .17
Bibliography .21
iii
© ISO 2023 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
ISO 26162-3:2023(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to
the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see
www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 37, Language and terminology,
Subcommittee SC 3, Management of terminology resources.
A list of all parts in the ISO 26162 series can be found on the ISO website.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
iv
© ISO 2023 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
ISO 26162-3:2023(E)
Introduction
Managers, educators and terminology database maintenance authorities conduct both periodic and
continuous evaluation of terminology databases containing concept entries for a number of purposes:
— quality assurance-related validation of terminological data collections in business, government and
non-governmental organizations;
— formative assessment and summative evaluation and feedback in training and educational
environments.
ISO 26162-1 and ISO 26162-2 specify design principles and software considerations for modelling
terminology databases (termbases). ISO 26162-1 establishes the general principles of termbase design
as outlined in core ISO/TC 37 standards, such as ISO 704, which, among other topics, treats general
principles for concept entry content and structure, term identification, basic principles for modelling
concept systems and a range of other areas associated with terminology work. ISO 26162-1 also
encourages conformity to the terminological metamodel as outlined in ISO 16642. It describes the role
that data categories play in modelling terminological data and sets down basic principles for ensuring
and evaluating the quality of data stored in termbases, such as data granularity, elementarity and
modelling variance. These criteria comprise fundamental benchmarks against which to measure the
quality and reliability of terminological data. ISO 26162-2 relates the principles outlined in ISO 26162-1
to the implementation of database design with respect to software and user interface considerations,
together with pragmatic workflow implementations in terminology management environments.
This document provides guidance for defining procedures for ensuring high-quality content in
terminological data collections designed to meet documentation needs in a range of environments
involving, for instance, translation, interpreting and technical communication. Conformity to this
document can strengthen processes designed to support a quality management system, such as
ISO 9001, and the related auditing procedures in a translation, interpreting or technical communication
environment. An error typology is presented in the framework of an overall evaluation model, with
generic (non-standardized) options for creating a concept entry evaluation model, depending on the
needs of users and of the sponsoring organization.
Annexes A to C provide pragmatic advice on error evaluation practice. Annex A describes the creation
of scoring models reflecting the error typology described in Clause 6, allowing for design variations
depending on organization needs. For instance, a given scoring model can form the basis for a score
card used for students and trainees, which is likely to be different from a score card used for a major
enterprise or a national term bank.
Annex B presents a sample term entry. Annex C presents a sample evaluation model that can be adopted
or adapted to meet the needs of terminologists, individuals working as freelancers or in companies,
governmental organizations and NGOs. The values in this evaluation model can be used to create a
scoring method, with the understanding that actual scoring practice is likely to vary according to
specifications and user needs.
v
© ISO 2023 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 26162-3:2023(E)
Management of terminology resources — Terminology
databases —
Part 3:
Content
1 Scope
This document specifies content-related aspects of terminology database maintenance. It gives
guidance on the content of terminological data collections, with emphasis on data quality evaluation.
This document gives guidance for modellers of concept entries who need to ensure interoperability
and high-quality content. It aims to ensure that terminological data collections themselves meet high
standards for design conformity with standards such as ISO 12620-1 and ISO 16642, data accuracy
and performance. It outlines principles for assuring data quality (see ISO 9001) and evaluating
terminological data collections for purposes of continuous improvement. This approach contrasts that
of ISO 23185:2009, which focuses on the usability of existing terminology resources.
This document does not apply to the management of text corpora or to term extraction tools.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 1087, Terminology work and terminology science — Vocabulary
ISO 26162-1, Management of terminology resources — Terminology databases — Part 1: Design
ISO 26162-2:2019, Management of terminology resources — Terminology databases — Part 2: Software
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 1087 and the following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
concept entry
entry
terminological entry
part of a terminological data collection (3.14) which contains the terminological data related to one
concept
Note 1 to entry: A concept entry can contain information treating one or more languages.
Note 2 to entry: In this document, the term entry is used as a short form for concept entry.
[SOURCE: ISO 30042:2019, 3.5, modified — “entry” made second preferred term, notes to entry added.]
1
© ISO 2023 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
ISO 26162-3:2023(E)
3.2
evaluation model
model for analysing data in a concept entry (3.1) according to terminology principles and specified data
requirements consistent with the purpose of the termbase (3.11)
3.3
core structure
common structure and data categories (3.6) that are used in all TermBase eXchange (TBX) dialects (3.5)
Note 1 to entry: The core structure is compliant with ISO 16642 (TMF).
[SOURCE: ISO 30042:2019, 3.6]
3.4
error typology
systematic list of error types
3.5
TBX dialect
eXtensible Markup Language (XML) that validates according to the core structure (3.3) of TermBase
eXchange (TBX) and allows exactly those data categories (3.6) at those levels specified by a precisely
defined configuration of data categories
Note 1 to entry: See ISO 30042 for more detail.
[SOURCE: ISO 30042:2019, 3.12, modified — Simplified for this document, Note 1 to entry replaced.]
3.6
data category
class of data items that are closely related from a formal or semantic point of view
EXAMPLE /part of speech/, /subject field/, /definition/.
Note 1 to entry: A data category can be viewed as a generalization of the notion of a field in a database.
Note 2 to entry: In running text, such as in this document, data category names are enclosed in forward slashes,
e.g. /part of speech/.
[SOURCE: ISO 30042:2019, 3.8]
3.7
data integrity
conformance of data values to a specified set of rules
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC TR 10032:2003, 2.23]
3.8
lexical unit
unit of language, belonging to the lexicon of a given language
[SOURCE: ISO 1951:2007, 3.8, modified — Reference to a dictionary removed.]
3.9
quality assurance
QA
set of planned and systematic activities necessary to provide confidence that a concept entry (3.1)
satisfies acceptance criteria based on terminology principles and specified data requirements
3.10
specification
document that sets out detailed requirements to be satisfied by a terminological data collection (3.14)
Note 1 to entry: Specifications can include procedures for checking conformity to these requirements.
2
© ISO 2023 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 7 ----------------------
ISO 26162-3:2023(E)
3.11
termbase
terminology database
database comprising a terminological data collection (3.14)
[SOURCE: ISO 30042:2019, 3.28, modified — “terminology database” is no longer an admitted term, but
a second preferred term.]
3.12
termbase quality evaluator
person who is qualified as a terminologist or subject-matter specialist who conducts a quality evaluation
of a terminological data collection (3.14)
3.13
termhood
degree to which a lexical unit (3.8) is recognized as a term
EXAMPLE “bulk carrier ship” has stronger termhood than “ship” alone. “Mouse” has termhood in computer
applications, whereas it does not in general language.
Note 1 to entry: Termhood applies to both simple terms (consisting of a single word) and complex terms
(consisting of more than one word or lexical unit), and to other designations, such as proper names and
appellations, as well as formulas and symbols.
3.14
terminological data collection
resource consisting of concept entries (3.1) with associated metadata and documentary information
EXAMPLE A TBX document instance, ISO 1087.
[SOURCE: ISO 30042:2019, 3.29, modified — Second preferred term “TDC” removed.]
3.15
unithood
degree to which a given sequence of words has sufficient collocational strength to form a stable lexical
unit (3.8)
EXAMPLE “art deco table” has stronger unithood than “modern table”.
Note 1 to entry: Because unithood derives from the collocational relationship of words making up a given string,
it only applies to multi-word terms.
4 Identifying terms
4.1 Requirements for term selection
Concept entries should meet the needs of their intended audience and purpose as well as organization-
specific requirements, including requirements for terms. ISO 704 discusses principles for assigning and
analysing designations.
While it is not possible to set universal requirements for term selection and for the content of concept
entries, an important goal of a termbase in many commercial environments is prescriptive in nature:
directing users away from terms that are problematic for one reason or another, and towards the
use of preferred terms. Thus, term selection involves both identifying the organization’s preferred
terms and documenting the corresponding synonymous terms that are to be avoided. In this context,
implementers should document deprecated and obsoleted terms along with preferred terms, as well as
non-central terms that nonetheless recur in critical enterprise content.
3
© ISO 2023 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 8 ----------------------
ISO 26162-3:2023(E)
Common considerations of including a term in the termbase include:
— Human safety: Important terms that, when used incorrectly, could affect the safety of customers
or employees. When the wrong terms are used, the product can be used incorrectly, inadvertently
damaging the product, or in some cases, posing a risk to the user. The same concerns apply for
terms used in documents related to government regulations that affect citizen access to critical
healthcare, interaction with the court system, occupational safety and health, and other resources
and human services.
EXAMPLE 1 Terms related to pharmaceutical prescriptions, safety equipment on an oil rig, airplane
landing gear assembly and maintenance, or communications between schools and parents.
— Company survival: Terms that protect the company or organization. Using the wrong terms could
result in liability suits or loss of intellectual property.
EXAMPLE 2 Terms related to regulatory requirements in an industry or patents that a company owns.
— Company identity: Terms in this category represent concepts created by a company. Using them
correctly protects the brand and trademarks and strengthens market share. More and more global
companies today check possible translations for suitability when deciding on brand-related terms
and trade names. It is important to make sure that terms will establish the company as an industry
leader and set it apart from the competition. These items would be terms that are related to products
or services, or terms that are used with a non-standard meaning.
EXAMPLE 3 Product names and registered company trademarks; components in patented products;
names of features or services below the branding level.
— Subject field: Terms used in an industry or domain. These include terms from vertical industries or
areas where experts (outside of a given organization) agree on a set of terms.
EXAMPLE 4 Domains such as accounting, core automotive, biology.
— Public service entities: Terms that will be transparent to a given target audience.
EXAMPLE 5 Materials written in an under-resourced language sometimes need to use different
terminology from the scholarly or industry-standard terms used by experts.
— Pragmatic and locale-related issues: Any terms that benefit from documentation or standardization,
including high-frequency terms or difficult terms in cases where documenting and managing these
terms will reduce errors or queries. If products are localized or documents are translated into other
languages, this category also covers terms that can pose translation challenges, or which can benefit
from standardization in one or more languages. Some languages can benefit from a higher level of
terminology documentation than others.
4.2 Unithood and termhood
As shown in Figure 1, “termhood” comprises the intersection among unithood, usage in the sponsoring
organization’s corpus and the purpose of the terminological data collection (see Reference [16]).
Figure 1 — Termhood
4
© ISO 2023 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 9 ----------------------
ISO 26162-3:2023(E)
“Unithood” refers to collocational relationships between words and is not applicable to single-word
lexical units. Determining whether a given multi-word string comprises a stable, lexical unit that recurs
with collocational frequency in the organization’s corpus is important for term selection. Because of
their relatively stable syntagmatic structures, multi-word units with strong unithood tend to form key
communicative structures demanding consistency in commercial environments. While multi-word
terms prevail in commercial and professional environments, this does not exclude the documentation
of simple terms that have sufficient prominence (frequency and/or dispersion) in the organization’s
corpus and support the purpose of the terminological data collection.
A multi-word lexical unit which meets the criteria for unithood functions as a term if it designates
an identifiable concept in the textual and operational context in question. Each concept shall be
documented as a separate concept entry in a termbase, adhering to the principle of concept orientation.
EXAMPLE Sometimes one word in one language requires multiple concept entries. For instance, the English
word (which in some contexts can function as a term) “river” denotes two concepts as illustrated by the French
“fleuve” (a river which flows into a sea or ocean) and “rivière” (a river that flows into another river or lake).
The German term “Abstandsbolzen” has two conceptual references as evidenced in English: “distance rivet” and
“spacer bolt”. Both of these cases would require separate concept entries in a termbase.
4.3 Corpora and term extraction
In commercial environments, identifying terms is usually a process informed by the textual context
in which they occur. It is recommended to use corpora to identify term candidates. Corpus analysis
informs the depth or breadth of subject-field coverage without overloading the termbase with
unnecessary entries. Corpora may consist of any kind of written materials produced by the sponsoring
organization, including marketing materials, product documentation, internal memos, transcripts,
bilingual translation memories or other collections of textual materials. The organization-wide corpus
provides evidence of the frequency of occurrence for a given term candidate, as well as its dispersion
across various types of textual materials. Both frequency and dispersion are criteria for determining
whether a candidate meets the criteria for termhood.
EXAMPLE 1 Certain low-frequency lexical units can be important terms for an organization because they
appear across multiple types of content (marketing, sales, training, online content, user guides, etc.), or they can
nonetheless represent key concepts.
A range of tools and techniques are available to assist in the extraction of lexical units for the purpose of
identifying terms (see ISO 26162-2 as well as ISO 12616-1 for additional information on term extraction
tools).
[3]
NOTE ISO 5078 on terminology extraction is also being developed.
Two key factors to consider for selecting relevant concepts and terms are:
— marketing: key concepts involving brand recognition that distinguish an organization from its
competitors;
EXAMPLE 2 Concepts and related terms associated with patented and trademarked products or
processes.
— customer satisfaction: areas where terms and concepts have historically caused problems and can
reflect past quality assurance (QA) problems or other serious risk criteria.
EXAMPLE 3 Particular topics that have generated a higher than usual number of support calls or
customer complaints.
5
© ISO 2023 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 10 ----------------------
ISO 26162-3:2023(E)
5 Collecting terminological data
5.1 Data requirements
5.1.1 Evaluation procedure
The evaluation procedure proposed in this document is designed to measure the quality of a termbase
based on the evaluation of the concept entries it contains and the terms assigned to those concepts, as
well as the correctness of related data and its fitness for use. Correctness and fitness for use are judged
with respect to adherence to the termbase data model and related specifications.
Quality data meets the requirements for its intended purpose (see ISO 8000-1). The purpose shall be
clearly articulated and shall comprise the basis for specifying data requirements. Data requirements
shall be aligned with the needs of the sponsoring organization and shall be made available to users and
contributors to the termbase. Data correctness and fitness for use can be measured as a function of
conformity to specifications.
5.1.2 Quality data
Data shall adhere to best practices outlined in ISO 26162-1 and ISO 26162-2, and shall:
— meet specified requirements for the terminological data collection;
— reference a stable data model;
— use explicitly defined data categories consistent with the data model;
— be portable as specified in ISO 26162-2.
5.1.3 Purpose of the termbase
The purpose of the terminological data collection shall be specified relative to the needs of the
organization. A termbase used primarily to support authoring or translation processes requires
different entries from those selected for a termbase designed for search optimization or ontological
modelling, although these purposes need not be mutually exclusive. For instance:
— Discourse-oriented termbases often provide a range of concept entries reflective of a wide
spectrum of subject fields. For instance, a manufacturing company can also document frequently
used concepts for human resources management, accounting or facilities maintenance, in addition
to core product and process-related concepts.
— Product and process-related entries can be closely linked to a central product catalogue or to
computer systems designed for logistics and process control.
— Information management and ontology-oriented systems can be designed for open data reference
across the enterprise or even with open accessibility to the Semantic Web.
5.1.4 Data correctness
5.1.4.1 Data correctness is a function of data validation as defined in ISO 1087:2019, 3.6.6. It can be
related to:
— the content of individual data fields (see 5.1.4.2);
— the relationship among several data fields within one concept entry (see 5.1.4.3); or
— relationships among multiple concept entries (see 5.1.4.4 and “consistency check” in ISO 1087:2019,
3.6.8).
6
© ISO 2023 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 11 ----------------------
ISO 26162-3:2023(E)
5.1.4.2 The data provided in
...
SLOVENSKI STANDARD
oSIST ISO/PRF 26162-3:2022
01-december-2022
Upravljanje terminoloških virov - Terminološke baze podatkov - 3. del: Vsebina
Management of terminology resources — Terminology databases — Part 3: Content
Gestion des ressources terminologiques — Bases de données terminologiques — Partie
3: Contenu
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: ISO/PRF 26162-3:2022
ICS:
01.020 Terminologija (načela in Terminology (principles and
koordinacija) coordination)
01.140.20 Informacijske vede Information sciences
35.240.30 Uporabniške rešitve IT v IT applications in information,
informatiki, dokumentiranju in documentation and
založništvu publishing
oSIST ISO/PRF 26162-3:2022 en,fr,de
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.
---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
oSIST ISO/PRF 26162-3:2022
---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------
oSIST ISO/PRF 26162-3:2022
INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 26162-3
First edition
Management of terminology
resources — Terminology
databases —
Part 3:
Content
Gestion des ressources terminologiques — Bases de données
terminologiques —
Partie 3: Contenu
PROOF/ÉPREUVE
Reference number
ISO 26162-3:2022(E)
© ISO 2022
---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
oSIST ISO/PRF 26162-3:2022
ISO 26162-3:2022(E)
COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2022
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: +41 22 749 01 11
Email: copyright@iso.org
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii
PROOF/ÉPREUVE © ISO 2022 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
oSIST ISO/PRF 26162-3:2022
ISO 26162-3:2022(E)
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Identifying terms . . 3
4.1 Requirements for term selection . 3
4.2 Unithood and termhood . 4
4.3 Corpora and term extraction . 5
5 Collecting terminological data.6
5.1 Data requirements . 6
5.1.1 Evaluation procedure . . 6
5.1.2 Quality data . . 6
5.1.3 Purpose of the termbase . 6
5.1.4 Data correctness . 6
5.1.5 Fitness for use . 7
5.2 Data model. 8
5.3 Data categories . 8
5.4 Data portability. 8
6 Validating concept entry quality .8
6.1 General validation criteria . 8
6.2 Error typology and system design . 8
6.3 Error types . 9
6.3.1 Termbase specification and maintenance . 9
6.3.2 Error types associated with the inclusion of concept entries . 9
6.3.3 Error types associated with automatically generated content . 9
6.3.4 Error types associated with open data categories . 10
6.3.5 Error types associated with closed data categories. 10
Annex A (informative) Evaluation models.11
Annex B (informative) Sample concept entry .13
Annex C (informative) Sample error typology .17
Bibliography .21
iii
© ISO 2022 – All rights reserved PROOF/ÉPREUVE
---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
oSIST ISO/PRF 26162-3:2022
ISO 26162-3:2022(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to
the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see
www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 37, Language and terminology,
Subcommittee SC 3, Management of terminology resources.
A list of all parts in the ISO 26162 series can be found on the ISO website.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
iv
PROOF/ÉPREUVE © ISO 2022 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
oSIST ISO/PRF 26162-3:2022
ISO 26162-3:2022(E)
Introduction
Managers, educators and terminology database maintenance authorities conduct both periodic and
continuous evaluation of terminology databases containing concept entries for a number of purposes:
— quality-assurance-related validation of terminological data collections in business, government and
non-governmental organizations;
— formative assessment and summative evaluation and feedback in training and educational
environments.
ISO 26162-1 and ISO 26162-2 specify design principles and software considerations for modelling
terminology databases (termbases). ISO 26162-1 establishes the general principles of termbase design
as outlined in core ISO/TC 37 standards, such as ISO 704, which, among other topics, treats general
principles for concept entry content and structure, term identification, basic principles for modelling
concept systems and a range of other areas associated with terminology work. This document also
encourages conformity to the terminological metamodel as outlined in ISO 16642. It describes the role
that data categories play in modelling terminological data and sets down basic principles for ensuring
and evaluating the quality of data stored in termbases, such as data granularity, elementarity and
modelling variance. These criteria comprise fundamental benchmarks against which to measure the
quality and reliability of terminological data. ISO 26162-2 relates the principles outlined in ISO 26162-1
to the implementation of database design with respect to software and user interface considerations,
together with pragmatic workflow implementations in terminology management environments.
This document provides guidance for defining procedures for ensuring high-quality content in
terminological data collections designed to meet documentation needs in a range of environments
involving, for instance, translation, interpreting and technical communication. Conformity to this
document can strengthen processes designed to support a quality management system, such as
ISO 9001, and the related auditing procedures in a translation, interpreting or technical communication
environment. An error typology is presented in the framework of an overall evaluation model, with
generic (non-standardized) options for creating a concept entry evaluation model, depending on the
needs of users and of the sponsoring organization.
Annexes A to C provide pragmatic advice on error evaluation practice. Annex A describes the creation
of scoring models reflecting the error typology described in Clause 6, allowing for design variations
depending on organization needs. For instance, a given scoring model can form the basis for a score
card used for students and trainees, which is likely to be different from a score card used for a major
enterprise or a national term bank.
Annex B presents a sample term entry. Annex C presents a sample evaluation model that can be adopted
or adapted to meet the needs of terminologists, individuals working as freelancers or in companies,
governmental organizations and NGOs. The values in this evaluation model can be used to create a
scoring method, with the understanding that actual scoring practice is likely to vary according to
specifications and user needs.
v
© ISO 2022 – All rights reserved PROOF/ÉPREUVE
---------------------- Page: 7 ----------------------
oSIST ISO/PRF 26162-3:2022
---------------------- Page: 8 ----------------------
oSIST ISO/PRF 26162-3:2022
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 26162-3:2022(E)
Management of terminology resources — Terminology
databases —
Part 3:
Content
1 Scope
This document specifies content-related aspects of terminology database maintenance. It gives
guidance on the content of terminological data collections, with emphasis on data quality evaluation.
This document gives guidance for modellers of concept entries who need to ensure interoperability
and high-quality content. It aims to ensure that terminological data collections themselves meet high
standards for design conformity with standards such as ISO 12620-1 and ISO 16642, data accuracy
and performance. It outlines principles for assuring data quality (see ISO 9001) and evaluating
terminological data collections for purposes of continuous improvement. This approach contrasts that
of ISO 23185:2009, which focuses on the usability of existing terminology resources.
This document does not apply to the management of text corpora or to term extraction tools.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 1087, Terminology work and terminology science — Vocabulary
ISO 26162-1, Management of terminology resources — Terminology databases — Part 1: Design
ISO 26162-2:2019, Management of terminology resources — Terminology databases — Part 2: Software
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 1087 and the following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
concept entry
entry
terminological entry
part of a terminological data collection (3.14) which contains the terminological data related to one
concept
Note 1 to entry: A concept entry can contain information treating one or more languages.
Note 2 to entry: In this document, the term entry is used as a short form for concept entry.
[SOURCE: ISO 30042:2019, 3.5, modified — “entry” made second preferred term, notes to entry added.]
1
© ISO 2022 – All rights reserved PROOF/ÉPREUVE
---------------------- Page: 9 ----------------------
oSIST ISO/PRF 26162-3:2022
ISO 26162-3:2022(E)
3.2
evaluation model
model for analysing data in a concept entry (3.1) according to terminology principles and specified data
requirements consistent with the purpose of the termbase (3.11)
3.3
core structure
common structure and data categories (3.6) that are used in all TermBase eXchange (TBX) dialects (3.5)
Note 1 to entry: The core structure is compliant with ISO 16642 (TMF).
[SOURCE: ISO 30042:2019, 3.6]
3.4
error typology
systematic list of error types
3.5
TBX dialect
extensible markup language (XML) that validates according to the core structure (3.3) of TermBase
eXchange (TBX) and allows exactly those data categories (3.6) at those levels specified by a precisely
defined configuration of data categories
Note 1 to entry: See ISO 30042 for more detail.
[SOURCE: ISO 30042:2019, 3.12, modified — Simplified for this document, Note 1 to entry replaced.]
3.6
data category
class of data items that are closely related from a formal or semantic point of view
EXAMPLE /part of speech/, /subject field/, /definition/.
Note 1 to entry: A data category can be viewed as a generalization of the notion of a field in a database.
Note 2 to entry: In running text, such as in this document, data category names are enclosed in forward slashes,
e.g. /part of speech/.
[SOURCE: ISO 30042:2019, 3.8]
3.7
data integrity
conformance of data values to a specified set of rules
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC TR 10032:2003, 2.23]
3.8
lexical unit
unit of language, belonging to the lexicon of a given language
[SOURCE: ISO 1951:2007, 3.8, modified — Reference to a dictionary removed.]
3.9
quality assurance
QA
set of planned and systematic activities necessary to provide confidence that a concept entry (3.1)
satisfies acceptance criteria based on terminology principles and specified data requirements
3.10
specification
document that sets out detailed requirements to be satisfied by a terminological data collection (3.14)
Note 1 to entry: Specifications can include procedures for checking conformity to these requirements.
2
PROOF/ÉPREUVE © ISO 2022 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 10 ----------------------
oSIST ISO/PRF 26162-3:2022
ISO 26162-3:2022(E)
3.11
termbase
terminology database
database comprising a terminological data collection (3.14)
[SOURCE: ISO 30042:2019, 3.28, modified — “terminology database” is no longer an admitted term, but
a second preferred term.]
3.12
termbase quality evaluator
person who is qualified as a terminologist or subject-matter specialist who conducts a quality evaluation
of a terminological data collection (3.14)
3.13
termhood
degree to which a lexical unit (3.8) is recognized as a term
EXAMPLE “bulk carrier ship” has stronger termhood than “ship” alone. “Mouse” has termhood in computer
applications, whereas it does not in general language.
Note 1 to entry: Termhood applies to both simple terms (consisting of a single word) and complex terms
(consisting of more than one word or lexical unit), and to other designations, such as proper names and
appellations, as well as formulas and symbols.
3.14
terminological data collection
resource consisting of concept entries (3.1) with associated metadata and documentary information
EXAMPLE A TBX document instance, ISO 1087.
[SOURCE: ISO 30042:2019, 3.29, modified — Second preferred term “TDC” removed.]
3.15
unithood
degree to which a given sequence of words has sufficient collocational strength to form a stable lexical
unit (3.8)
EXAMPLE “art deco table” has stronger unithood than “modern table”.
Note 1 to entry: Because unithood derives from the collocational relationship of words making up a given string,
it only applies to multi-word terms.
4 Identifying terms
4.1 Requirements for term selection
Concept entries should meet the needs of their intended audience and purpose as well as organization-
specific requirements, including requirements for terms. ISO 704 discusses principles for assigning and
analysing designations.
While it is not possible to set universal requirements for term selection and for the content of concept
entries, an important goal of a termbase in many commercial environments is prescriptive in nature:
directing users away from terms that are problematic for one reason or another, and towards the use of
preferred terms. Thus, term selection involves both identifying the organization’s preferred terms and
documenting the corresponding synonymous terms that are to be avoided. In this context implementers
should document deprecated and obsoleted terms along with preferred terms, as well as non-central
terms that nonetheless recur in critical enterprise content.
3
© ISO 2022 – All rights reserved PROOF/ÉPREUVE
---------------------- Page: 11 ----------------------
oSIST ISO/PRF 26162-3:2022
ISO 26162-3:2022(E)
Common considerations of including a term in the termbase include:
— Human safety: Important terms that, when used incorrectly, could affect the safety of customers
or employees. When the wrong terms are used, the product can be used incorrectly, inadvertently
damaging the product, or in some cases, posing a risk to the user. The same concerns apply for
terms used in documents related to government regulations that affect citizen access to critical
healthcare, interaction with the court system, occupational safety and health, and other resources
and human services.
EXAMPLE 1 Terms related to pharmaceutical prescriptions, safety equipment on an oil rig, airplane
landing gear assembly and maintenance, or communications between schools and parents.
— Company survival: Terms that protect the company or organization. Using the wrong terms could
result in liability suits or loss of intellectual property.
EXAMPLE 2 Terms related to regulatory requirements in an industry or patents that a company owns.
— Company identity: Terms in this category represent concepts created by a company. Using them
correctly protects the brand and trademarks and strengthens market share. More and more global
companies today check possible translations for suitability when deciding on brand-related terms
and trade names. It is important to make sure that terms will establish the company as an industry
leader and set it apart from the competition. These items would be terms that are related to products
or services, or terms that are used with a non-standard meaning.
EXAMPLE 3 Product names and registered company trademarks; components in patented products;
names of features or services below the branding level.
— Subject field: Terms used in an industry or domain. These include terms from vertical industries or
areas where experts (outside of a given organization) agree on a set of terms.
EXAMPLE 4 Domains such as accounting, core automotive, biology.
— Public service entities: Terms that will be transparent to a given target audience.
EXAMPLE 5 Materials written in an under-resourced language sometimes need to use different
terminology from the scholarly or industry-standard terms used by experts.
— Pragmatic and locale-related issues: Any terms that benefit from documentation or standardization,
including high-frequency terms or difficult terms in cases where documenting and managing these
terms will reduce errors or queries. If products are localized or documents are translated into other
languages, this category also covers terms that can pose translation challenges, or which can benefit
from standardization in one or more languages. Some languages can benefit from a higher level of
terminology documentation than others.
4.2 Unithood and termhood
As shown in Figure 1, “termhood” comprises the intersection among unithood, usage in the sponsoring
organization’s corpus and the purpose of the terminological data collection (see Reference [16]).
Figure 1 — Termhood
4
PROOF/ÉPREUVE © ISO 2022 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 12 ----------------------
oSIST ISO/PRF 26162-3:2022
ISO 26162-3:2022(E)
“Unithood” refers to collocational relationships between words and is not applicable to single-word
lexical units. Determining whether a given multi-word string comprises a stable, lexical unit that recurs
with collocational frequency in the organization’s corpus is important for term selection. Because of
their relatively stable syntagmatic structures, multi-word units with strong unithood tend to form key
communicative structures demanding consistency in commercial environments. While multi-word
terms prevail in commercial and professional environments, this does not exclude the documentation
of simple terms that have sufficient prominence (frequency and/or dispersion) in the organization’s
corpus and support the purpose of the terminological data collection.
A multi-word lexical unit which meets the criteria for unithood functions as a term if it designates
an identifiable concept in the textual and operational context in question. Each concept shall be
documented as a separate concept entry in a termbase, adhering to the principle of concept orientation.
EXAMPLE Sometimes one word in one language requires multiple concept entries. For instance, the English
word (which in some contexts can function as a term) “river” denotes two concepts as illustrated by the French
“fleuve” (a river which flows into a sea or ocean) and “rivière” (a river that flows into another river or lake).
The German term “Abstandsbolzen” has two conceptual references as evidenced in English: “distance rivet” and
“spacer bolt”. Both of these cases would require separate concept entries in a termbase.
4.3 Corpora and term extraction
In commercial environments, identifying terms is usually a process informed by the textual context
in which they occur. It is recommended to use corpora to identify term candidates. Corpus analysis
informs the depth or breadth of subject-field coverage without overloading the termbase with
unnecessary entries. Corpora may consist of any kind of written materials produced by the sponsoring
organization, including marketing materials, product documentation, internal memos, transcripts,
bilingual translation memories or other collections of textual materials. The organization-wide corpus
provides evidence of the frequency of occurrence for a given term candidate, as well as its dispersion
across various types of textual materials. Both frequency and dispersion are criteria for determining
whether a candidate meets the criteria for termhood.
EXAMPLE 1 Certain low-frequency lexical units can be important terms for an organization because they
appear across multiple types of content (marketing, sales, training, online content, user guides, etc.), or they can
nonetheless represent key concepts.
A range of tools and techniques are available to assist in the extraction of lexical units for the purpose of
identifying terms (see ISO 26162-2 as well as ISO 12616-1 for additional information on term extraction
tools).
[3]
NOTE ISO 5078 on terminology extraction is also being developed.
Two key factors to consider for selecting relevant concepts and terms are:
— marketing: key concepts involving brand recognition that distinguish an organization from its
competitors;
EXAMPLE 2 Concepts and related terms associated with patented and trademarked products or
processes.
— customer satisfaction: areas where terms and concepts have historically caused problems and can
reflect past quality assurance (QA) problems or other serious risk criteria.
EXAMPLE 3 Particular topics that have generated a higher than usual number of support calls or
customer complaints.
5
© ISO 2022 – All rights reserved PROOF/ÉPREUVE
---------------------- Page: 13 ----------------------
oSIST ISO/PRF 26162-3:2022
ISO 26162-3:2022(E)
5 Collecting terminological data
5.1 Data requirements
5.1.1 Evaluation procedure
The evaluation procedure proposed in this document is designed to measure the quality of a termbase
based on the evaluation of the concept entries it contains and the terms assigned to those concepts, as
well as the correctness of related data and its fitness for use. Correctness and fitness for use are judged
with respect to adherence to the termbase data model and related specifications.
Quality data meets the requirements for its intended purpose (see ISO 8000-1). The purpose shall be
clearly articulated and shall comprise the basis for specifying data requirements. Data requirements
shall be aligned with the needs of the sponsoring organization and shall be made available to users and
contributors to the termbase. Data correctness and fitness for use can be measured as a function of
conformity to specifications.
5.1.2 Quality data
Data shall adhere to best practices outlined in ISO 26162-1 and ISO 26162-2, and shall:
— meet specified requirements for the terminological data collection;
— reference a stable data model;
— use explicitly defined data categories consistent with the data model;
— be portable as specified in ISO 26162-2.
5.1.3 Purpose of the termbase
The purpose of the terminological data collection shall be specified relative to the needs of the
organization. A termbase us
...
Questions, Comments and Discussion
Ask us and Technical Secretary will try to provide an answer. You can facilitate discussion about the standard in here.