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mainly empirical. It is rather difficult to define terminology as a
science. We may differentiate 4 point of view on terminology:
 a. For linguists, terminology is a part of the lexicon defined
by subject matter and pragmatic usage.
 b. For subject field specialists, terminology is the formal
reflection of the conceptual organization of a special subject and a
necessary medium of expression and professional communication.
 c. For end-users (either direct or intermediary) terminology
is a set of useful, practical communication units which are assessed
according to criteria of economy, precision, and suitability.
 d. For language planners, terminology is an area of a
language requiring intervention in order to reform its usefulness
and survival and to ensure its continuity as a means of expression
through modernization.
Mindful of these four points of view, we can now identify
two major user groups of terminology: users of terminology for
direct communication or communication through intermediaries,
and terminologists, who write glossaries, facilitate communication,
or mediate in some other way.
The direct users of terminology are the specialists in each
subject field. For them, terminology is a necessary tool for
communication and an important element for conceptualizing their
own subject matter. Specialists use terminology regardless of
whether a term is appropriate within a particular linguistic system
or not. Their communicative needs start from the knowledge of the
concept and from the need to communicate it; their interest in
terminology focuses on concepts and how they can be named
clearly and unambiguously.
Terminology intermediaries are language professionals like
translators, technical writers, and interpreters who need
terminology to carry out their profession of facilitating
communication. They need glossaries and specialized dictionaries
because they assist in technical writing or in translating a text from
one language to another. Terminologists, terminographers and

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