Elektroninis ekonomikos terminų žodynas „e‑terminai.lt“

doi.org/10.35321/term26-13 Electronic Dictionary of Economic Terms e-terminai.lt AUŠRA RIMKUTĖ-GANUSAUSKIENĖ Institute of the Lithuanian Language XX a. the appearance of electronic terminology dictionaries in Lithuania, as with electronic (digital)1 dictionaries in general, fundamentally changed the possibilities for using terminology dictionaries: compared with traditional printed (paper) dictionaries, which are not only expensive but are also usually published in limited print runs, electronic dictionaries became more accessible to most users. Preparing a traditional terminology dictionary takes several years, so some of its information usually becomes outdated, that is, it no longer reflects actual usage and needs. In the rapidly changing world of information technology, users of electronic dictionaries can find the information they seek more quickly and easily; search functions make such a resource much more convenient to use, and the dictionary is easier to update, expand, or modify. Information in a large collection of terms can be searched in various ways: by term, synonym, definition, equivalents in other languages, abbreviations, sources, and so on, and an answer to a query can be obtained in just a few seconds. The General Requirements for the Compilation of Terminology Dictionaries, approved by the State Commission of the Lithuanian Language, also apply to electronic terminology dictionariesTerminų žodynų rengimo bendrieji reikalavimai2. They recommend managing terms in computer databases or electronic spreadsheets rather than in text files, since this facilitates data retrieval and allows it to be sorted or grouped in various ways. The requirements draw attention to the fact that in electronic text 1 A decade ago, Rimvydas Laužikas raised the question of how the terms digital and electronic are used (terminologists do not regard adjectives as terms—the author’s note). In his article “Digital or Electronic,” he attempted to identify the differences: “The word electronic has a much broader meaning. We can call all activities, data and information, and documents electronic if electricity and electrical devices (for example, a tape recorder, computer, video player, etc.) are necessary to carry them out, view, create, or read in full” (Laužikas 2008: 277). In his view, a digital document is only one type of electronic document; therefore, using these terms synonymously is not recommended. 2 See www.vlkk.lt/aktualiausios-temos/terminija/terminu-zodynu-rengimo-bendrieji-reikalavimai. Terminologija | 2019 | 26 265 Correct punctuation and spelling marks (quotation marks, dash, hyphen, etc.) must be used. Thus, today computer-assisted terminography is a rapidly growing method of managing terminological data, helping to identify and correct obvious deficiencies in terminology management more quickly; and a modern terminographer is a specialist who systematically manages the terminology of a particular subject field, published in printed and electronic terminology dictionaries, terminology standards, terminological databases, or terminology banks. The aim of this review is to examine the terms and their definitions in the publicly accessible electronic dictionary of economic terms e-terminai.lt (available online: http://e-terminai.lt/)3). As stated on the website under review, it contains “more than 1,500 terms in economics, management, marketing, finance, and investment to answer your questions (= terms in finance and investment that will help answer the questions you may have)”4: There are many economic terms that you encounter in everyday life (= economic terms that you encounter). In some cases, you have a vague idea of what a term means but do not know its precise (= precise) meaning. In that case, it can be difficult to understand the meaning of the context and how a particular term is used (= the context and how a particular term is used). This terminology website covers many of the most important economic (= economics) terms, shows their links to related terms, and explains their meaning in clear (= clear) and easily understood language. The list of terms is not exhaustive and will be updated from time to time (= updated occasionally (regularly (?))). The brief description makes it clear that this is a database of terms in economics and related fields, with abstract and unclear criteria for selecting terms. Apparently, the resource is intended for everyone—not only professionals, that is, economists, but also specialists in other fields. No information is provided about when this database was created. Based on information available in the public domain, one can guess that it was around 2011. So, quite some time ago. Therefore, for the reader of the article 3 Zofija Babickienė has examined the dissemination trends of grammatical and lexical forms of the website’s economic terms in standard Lithuanian. She stated that she chose the website “for three reasons: first, it is not yet complete, and its authors could further revise the information presented here so that users are not exposed to incorrect examples at all. Second, the website’s visitors are primarily students studying economics, banking, or other subjects, for whom correct language in their field and specialisation is particularly important; thus, there can be no doubt about the website’s usefulness, accessibility, and convenience. Third, the website’s advantage is that it allows newly emerging economic terms, which are relevant to us as we create and develop correct Lithuanian terminology, to be recorded promptly” (Babickienė 2012: 52–53). 4 Language errors are corrected in the parentheses after the equals sign. 266 Aušra Rimkutė-Ganusauskienė Elektroninis ekonomikos terminų žodynas e-terminai.lt One might ask whether it is worth examining information from a source that appeared almost a decade ago. It is, because more and more people use the internet and various information technology services. It should also be noted that this electronic terminology dictionary is described as a large and convenient Lithuanian-language website of economic terms, where “numerous terms from the fields of economics, management, marketing, finance and investment” are presented; a link is published on the website of Šiauliai State College (https://svako.lt/lt/elektroniniai-informaciniai-istekliai). It is also available on the website of the Lithuanian Technical Library. There, the dictionary is described as “the first comprehensive and precise electronic dictionary of economic terms to be developed in Lithuania” (http://www.tb.lt/IB/Temos/ekonomika.htm). This link can also be found on the websites of other higher education institutions and libraries. Thus, everywhere e-terminai.lt is described as a recommended source for the most important economic terms. Unlike other similar terminology databases in economics and related fields compiled to date, this one stands out because its authors, creators or compilers are not identified: “The e-terminai.lt project was created through the efforts of Tomas P (= P.)5 and Karolis P (= P.)6. Tomas implemented the website’s (– web page’s7) technical platform, making it possible to present economic terms in an easily accessible way. Karolis created the website’s design and provided high-quality, relevant content, which is continually supplemented in order to fulfil the project’s mission.” No further information is provided—not the project’s name, the year, or the sources of the terms and their definitions—yet its ambitions are great and grandly stated: its mission is “to express economic terms in easily understood language,” and its vision is “to become the most widely used source of economic terms in Lithuania.” It is difficult to judge whether the electronic dictionary has many users, but even the brief description’s language and the information about its authors raise doubts about the source’s reliability. The language should be correct. Moreover, given that dictionaries of terms in economics and related fields have been published, the compilers could have drawn on the work already done, for example: Antanas Buračas’s English–Lithuanian Dictionary of Economic Terms, published in 1980; Petro Auštrevičius, Dainius Pupkevičius and Dalia Treigienė’s Encyclopedic Dictionary of Contemporary Economic Terms in Lithuanian–English–German–Russian, compiled in 1991; and also, in 1994, 5 Tomas Petrašiūnas. 6 Karolis Pulokas. 7 Although the word tinklapis is correct, it is recommended to use the computing term tinklalapis (EKŽ 2008: 201; TB) as the more systematic form; cf. tinklaraštis, tinkladraugis, tinklavietė, tinklakalbė, tinklažmogis, etc. Terminologija | 2019 | 26 267 In 1997 (2nd revised and expanded edition), Christopher Pass, Bryan Lowes et al.’s Dictionary of Economics: translated from the English-language edition; in 1999, the book Economic Terms and Concepts: A Study Dictionary (1999, available online at www.biblioteka.vpu.lt/elvpu/15260.pdf); in 2005 and 2008 (2nd edition), Rūta Vainienė’s Dictionary of Economic Terms; in 2005, Explanatory Dictionary of Agricultural Economics Terms: in Lithuanian, English, German, French and Russian (available online: https://zodynas.laei.lt/),); in 2006, the translated Explanatory English–Lithuanian Dictionary of Economics (compiled by David W. Pearce, with consultation from the Terminology Department of the Institute of the Lithuanian Language), and others. Besides economics, dictionaries and glossaries of banking, markets, accounting, investment, taxation, marketing, management, finance and other terms have been compiled. One should also remember the economics textbooks intended for higher education institutions, which explain various economic concepts. Unfortunately, no list of lexicographic sources is provided. Let us take a closer look at what is presented in this electronic terminology dictionary. First, it is worth clarifying what economics is. Entering this word in the search box brings up many compound terms containing it as an element. Thus, users see all the “related concepts” (though these are not necessarily all related terms—author’s note). The term economics is explained as follows: A description of a country based on its overall economic activity and its constituent parts. The total annual value of a country’s goods and services is called gross domestic product (GDP). The production of economic goods in order to acquire as much wealth as possible, or to obtain a certain amount of wealth with the fewest resources8. A more perceptive reader with knowledge of terminography should be alarmed to read that economics is “a description of a country.” We will not find this in serious terminology dictionaries. They will explain that economics is either a science or a particular activity. The second sentence of the second paragraph attempts to explain that economics is the production of economic goods. This, too, is inaccurate. Moreover, it is unclear why another term and its explanation appear in the entry for this term: The total annual value of a country’s goods and services is called gross domestic product (GDP). The authors should know that 8 The same definition of the term economics appears in the study dictionary Economic Terms and Concepts, published almost two decades ago, in 1999 (ETS 1999: 45). As Jolanta Gaivenytė writes, this dictionary is “a teaching aid for students of economics. It presents the main economic terms and detailed explanations of them” (Gaivenytė 2000: 108). 268 Aušra Rimkutė-Ganusauskienė Elektroninis ekonomikos terminų žodynas e-terminai.lt as a term, the established term gross domestic product. By the way, the term gross internal product is also listed in a separate entry. After reviewing the entry for just one term, one begins to feel uneasy: first, about the correctness of the terms, and second, about the accuracy of their definitions. Thus, the conclusion suggests itself that the website e-terminai.lt is non-normative. This entry, like the others, contains no lexical labels indicating whether a term is acceptable or not. We could also make comments about other dictionary entries that are not terminologically comprehensive. They are characteristic not of explanatory dictionaries but rather of encyclopedic term dictionaries. Although term entries most often provide a definition (sometimes even more than one!) and/or a fuller explanation, other data are missing: the terms are not marked for stress, equivalents and sources are absent, and synonyms are not given, if there are any. Dictionary entries often include subordinate terms, even though these are also listed separately. They could be standardized using appropriate abbreviations and cross-references. As Figure 1 shows, all the information available about a term is provided, along with “related terms.” Although the website’s creators write “related terms,” these are simply linked terms, which in some cases may not even be related. Only one term, economics, is linked to the term macroeconomics, while only the term resources is linked to microeconomics (see Fig. 2). There is no link either to economics or to macroeconomics. Nor is the term economics linked to the macro- and microeconomics terms under discussion, macro- and microeconomics, or to other subordinate and superordinate terms. Another example also shows that the links between terms are unclear. At the bottom of the entry for boycott, the “related terms” strike and general strike are listed (Fig. 3), but, for example, the term taxpayer boycott is not, although it is included in this database. Clearly, the compilers had no clear criteria for selection and presentation. Unfortunately, it must be acknowledged that the good intentions of the compilers of the electronic term dictionary remain only intentions. Many comments can also be made about the terms themselves. First to mention are unacceptable loanwords, for example: repurchase (repo) (= repurchase) agreement (see LBTB, cf. English repo agreement; repurchase agreement, see also TB), barter (= (barter) exchange (cf. English barter, AEŽ 2006: 61), dealer (= sales agent) (cf. English dealer; in the European term dictionary Eurovoc, the terms (authorized sales agent) and sales agent (dealer) (= sales agent), holding company (= holding company, cf. English holding, see Eurovoc, although LBTB lists a term not approved by the State Commission of the Lithuanian Language Terminologija | 2019 | 26 269 Fig. 1. Entry for the term macroeconomics Fig. 2. Entry for the term microeconomics Fig. 3. Entry for the term boycott 270 Aušra Rimkutė-Ganusauskienė Elektroninis ekonomikos terminų žodynas e-terminai.lt financial holding company, clearing (= settlement, see LBTB, cf. English clearing procedure)9, listing (=(admission to) listing on a stock exchange, see LBTB, cf. English listing), option (= option contract10, see LBTB, AEŽ 2006: 462, cf. English option), also see covered put option, covered call option, etc. The term arenda (cf. Russian аренда) should not be used; it should be replaced by the term nuoma (rent/lease). Incidentally, the term e-terminai.lt uses is nuoma. Instead of allocative efficiency, it would be better to use allocation efficiency. The term over-the-counter transaction should be replaced with non-exchange transaction (also see over-the-counter transactions). The non-Lithuanian term know-how, defined as follows: Progressive scientific, technical, commercial or other knowledge, wholly or partly unpublished because its possession guarantees a certain advantage, should also not be used. Perhaps it could be replaced by the term practical experience offered in the European terminology dictionary Eurovoc. In Vita Bitinaitė’s English–Lithuanian Dictionary of Legal Terms for Learners, we find further Lithuanian equivalents for the English term know-how: 1. technological innovations, advanced expertise; 2. industrial and commercial secrets (Bitinaitė 2008: 153). The term marketingas and its usage, which remains disputed to this day, could be discussed separately. Specialists argue that marketingas is not the same as rinkodara (marketing). “In Lithuania, the concept of ‘marketing’ is represented by two terms—‘rinkodara’ and ‘rinkotyra’. These terms have confused even the academic community. The promotion of the term ‘rinkodara’ has also bewildered people who have not studied marketing. Rinkotyra is, in fact, only one part of marketing,” says the agency Marketingo valdymas in its article “Marketing or Rinkodara” (MAR 2016). The Consultation Bank of the State Commission of the Lithuanian Language states that marketingas is a foreign borrowing that should not be used (http://www.vlkk.lt/konsultacijos/1717-marketingas-rinkodara). It is interesting that in the electronic dictionary of economic terms e-terminai.lt, the Lithuanian term rinkodara is given in parentheses alongside the entry for marketingas (English marketing); moreover, it states: “In Lithuanian, the preferred term is Rinkodara.” There are also no compound terms with the element marketingas. They all use the Lithuanian element rinkodara: trial, differen- 9 The Explanatory English–Lithuanian Dictionary of Economics does not contain the term kliringas (clearing). However, it does contain compound terms with this element of foreign origin, for example, clearing/settlement bank, clearing/settlement house (AEŽ 2006: 102). The dictionary’s compilers give preference to the term of foreign origin and place the Lithuanian term after a slash. What kliringas (clearing) is, is defined in the entry for the term clearing house (AEŽ 2006: 102). 10 E-terminai.lt has an entry titled “Option Contract.” It states that “an option (=option) contract (=transaction) is sometimes also called an option (English option).” Terminologija | 2019 | 26 271 segmented, irrational, commercial, concentrated, undifferentiated, sustaining, surplus, and expansionary marketing. Thus, when forming compound terms systematically, the source gives preference to the Lithuanian term. The type or distinguishing feature of an object is usually expressed in compound terms by an adjectival form with a definite ending, for example: insured (= the insured) bonds, general (= the general) company, fundamental (= the fundamental) analysis, natural (= the natural) rate of unemployment, immovable (= the immovable) property, fixed-term (= the fixed-term) loan, etc. In many cases, the singular alone would suffice: permanent employees (= permanent employee)11, cf. salaried employee; also see treasury bills (= bill, raw materials (= raw material), uninsured bonds (= uninsured bond), convertible bonds (= convertible bond), etc. The French word franchise is correctly adapted as franšizė, not frančizas; cf. frančizo (= franchise) fee. There are spelling inconsistencies: in some places licencija, elsewhere licenzija (= licencija) (see the entry for the term joint venture (?)), kontrabanda (= kontrabanda), Grešemo (= Grešamo) dėsnis (Gresham’s law; cf. English Gresham’s Law; Vainienė 2005: 100); the use of dashes and hyphens also varies, for example: Hekšerio-Olino dėsnis (= Heckscher–Ohlin model) (Vainienė 2005: 103), scientific-technological (= science and technology) park, purchase-sale (= purchase and sale) transactions (see dealer). Between words denoting bilateral relations, an en dash rather than a hyphen should be written, for example: purchase–sale (= purchase–sale, purchase) contract (see exchange). In the European terminology dictionary Eurovoc, this agreement is called a trade agreement (cf. English trade treaty). More terms should also be changed, for example, earnings per share (P/E) (= share price-to-earnings ratio) (see LBTB, ETŽ 1994: 102; also cf. English price earnings ratio12. The abbreviation should apparently be given as an option for use as a synonym when needed; moreover, it should be in Lithuanian. Interestingly, this website contains as many as three entries for the term earnings per share, in which the same concept is defined three times: one entry defines a Lithuanian abbreviation (Fig. 4), another uses the same words to define the Lithuanian term (Fig. 5), and a third defines an English abbreviation (Fig. 6). There is more than one such example. 11 The database does not contain the term temporary employee. 12 The Explanatory English–Lithuanian Dictionary of Economics contains the term price-to-earnings ratio (AEŽ 2006: 500). 272 Aušra Rimkutė-Ganusauskienė Elektroninis ekonomikos terminų žodynas e-terminai.lt Fig. 4. Article for the Lithuanian abbreviation of the term earnings per share Fig. 5. Article for the term earnings per share Fig. 6. Article for the English abbreviation of the term earnings per share As noted, the abbreviations provided in the dictionary are usually derived from English equivalents, e.g.: REPO, cf. English repurchase agreement. In the Terminology Bank and R. Vainienė’s Dictionary of Economic Terms, as mentioned earlier, we find repurchase transaction, without an abbreviation. The website has another entry: repurchase (repo) transaction. Apparently, the two entries could be combined into one, and the term repurchase transaction should also be clearly defined. A closer examination of the electronic dictionary shows that its compilers are uncertain about how to present synonyms. It should be borne in mind that one term should have one definition, so there is no point in repeating definitions for synonyms. It would suffice to provide the definition in the entry for the main term and link it to the synonymous term, while the entry for the synonymous term, i.e. the cross-reference entry, should contain only a reference to the main term. Cf.: Debtor Debtor (obligor) – a natural or legal person who owes a debt to another natural or legal person, or, in a promissory note, the issuer. Debtor A natural or legal person who owes a debt to another natural or legal person. Terminologija | 2019 | 26 273 There are many examples of presenting synonymic terms in pairs in this electronic terminology dictionary. Moreover, synonyms should not be given in parentheses, for example: limited partnership (= limited partnership) (see TB; the term trust partnership could be given as a synonym), substitutes (= substitute) (see English substitute, ATŽ 2006: 601), and also additional work (occupation), demonstrative (prestige) consumption, hourly pay (hourly wage), real wages (actual wages), etc. At E-terminai.lt, we find the terms depreciation and amortization. The latter term is presented as a separate entry, while in parentheses under depreciation we find amortization: depreciation (amortization), depreciation (amortization) for financial reporting purposes, depreciation (amortization) for tax reporting purposes. Linguist J. Klimavičius wrote more than ten years ago that “the word depreciation, a word of foolish fashion that grossly violates the system, should be discarded—after all, nothing here is being worn” (Klimavičius 2006: 205). To this day, economists use these two words—the Lithuanian depreciation and the international term amortization—either synonymously or as terms denoting slightly different concepts. Although, as Angelė Kaulakienė writes, synonymy between international and Lithuanian terms can be considered justified and unavoidable (Kaulakienė 2009: 182), it is clear that it should be standardized. Both terms are listed as acceptable in the Terminology Bank. Another example is the international term stagnation and its Lithuanian equivalent, stasis. Both are included and defined in the dictionary: Stasis A halt in a particular process, activity, or development. Stagnation An economic situation characterized by a prolonged depression, stagnation in production, trade, and investment (= stagnation in production, trade, and investment), and high unemployment. In the European terminology database Eurovoc, we find a term containing the element stasis, for example, economic stagnation. Usage varies in other sources. It is clear that the international word and its Lithuanian equivalent refer to different things. It is not advisable to give the English equivalent of a Lithuanian term in parentheses alongside it, for example, outsourced services (outsourcing): The transfer of part of a company's operations to an external organization. Outsourced services are usually arranged to reduce costs or to focus the company's work on its core activities (= core activity). 2 7 4 Aušra Rimkutė-Ganusauskienė Elektroninis ekonomikos terminų žodynas e-terminai.lt The Terminology Subcommission of the State Commission of the Lithuanian Language has approved the term business outsourcing (an activity carried out under an agreement between a company and a service provider which, in the absence of such an agreement, would be performed by the company itself). In specialists’ opinion, the term outsourced services is not technically accurate. Another similar example is company relocation (offshoring), where an unacceptable English loanword is given in parentheses alongside an already-used Lithuanian term; cf. offshoring. There are quite a few such examples in the dictionary as well. Discussions about the use of the term kaštai continue to this day. Although it is assessed negatively in normative works, it is nevertheless widely used in various economics texts. We also find this term in the dictionary under discussion: Costs (English costs) The monetary value of the resources used to produce a company’s output. In a broader sense, costs are understood as any expenses necessary to achieve an objective. There are also specific terms containing the element kaštai: alternative costs, general costs, economic costs, explicit (direct, accounting) costs, implicit costs, external (incidental) costs, variable costs, indirect costs, prime costs, fixed costs, marginal costs, internal costs, public costs, social (public) costs, etc. Zofija Babickienė (Babickienė 2012: 55) has noted that economists and linguists disagree about the term kaštai. In her article “Kaštai – an avoidable foreignism or an inevitability of economic theory?”, Ramunė Vaskelaitė writes: “Kaštų as an economics term was discussed at the third conference of the Forum for Terminology of the Institutions and Agencies of the European Union and Lithuania, held on 7 June 2013” (Vaskelaitė 2013: 266). The linguist states that the word kaštai, “which began to be corrected almost forty years ago, has not disappeared from usage” (ibid.). In her view, “one of the factors sustaining the word kaštai in economic theory is the aim of presenting a general scheme for classifying costs, and this aim is influenced by economic theory developed in English and by the way concepts are laid out in English. This is confirmed by dictionaries of economics terms translated from English or compiled with reference to English terminology in the field of economics” (Vaskelaitė 2013: 303). At its meeting on 19 December 2013, the State Commission of the Lithuanian Language decided that the word kaštai may be used as a term in economics and management accounting. Thus, the definition given in the dictionary should be revised. It should be noted that, when speaking about bookkeeping and accounting Terminologija | 2019 | 26 275 The standard terms costs, expenses, funds or cost price should be used. The word kaštai should not be used in the sense of “price.” In addition to the term kaštai, the dictionary also contains entries for the terms costs, expenses, funds, cost price, price. Comparing their definitions shows that the semantic content of some of them is very similar. Economists, like specialists in other fields, occasionally use metaphorical terms to name specialized economic concepts. Terms denoting animals stand out, for example: bulls (cf. English bulls), bears (cf. English bears), as well as bull market, bear market. The previously mentioned Dictionary of Economic Terms by R. Vainienė includes the terms bear, bear market, but in Dalios Gulbinskienė’s English–Lithuanian Glossary of Economic Terms, the English term bull is explained as a broker who buys securities because he expects prices to rise (Gulbinskienė 2013: 9). In Explanatory English–Lithuanian Dictionary of Economics, the term bulls is written in quotation marks (AEŽ 2006: 81), as is the term bears (AEŽ 2006: 63). One thing is clear: such metaphorical terms should be defined clearly, so that non-specialists do not have to figure out, for example, what is meant by the term bull. The entry for the term bull market contains the following information: A bull is a term used to describe a stockbroker who expects securities prices to rise and therefore buys them in order to sell them later at higher prices. A stockbroker who cannot sell securities bought earlier at higher prices is called a tired (exhausted) bull. Entering the word bulls in the search box, we learn that these are investors who believe that share and bond prices are likely to rise (=,) and therefore buy them, hoping to sell at a higher price. In general, when prices rise, the securities market may also be described as a bull market. Speculators who believe that share prices will fall (=,) are called bears (=,) or bears. Let us compare how a bear is defined: Bears (Engl. bears) are investors who expect the value of securities to decline (=,) and therefore sell them, hoping that later they will be able to buy them back at a lower price. A “protected bear” is a broker who sells securities that they own (= securities). Selling securities without owning them is called a short sale. Short selling is characteristic of a bull market. A speculator with the opposite expectations is called a “bull.” After reading this, it remains unclear whether, when economists use the metaphorical term bull, they mean a stockbroker or an investor, a speculator. One thing is clear: the reason such terms arise is translation 276 Aušra Rimkutė-Ganusauskienė Elektroninis ekonomikos terminų žodynas e-terminai.lt from another language, without seeking a more convenient and comprehensible designation or an equivalent, simply by attributing animal characteristics to people. The electronic terminology dictionary under discussion also contains more examples of professional jargon, e.g.: pay yourself, one of our own, window cleaning, candles, etc. It should be noted that a terminology dictionary should not include professional jargon, for example: Pay Yourself (= Pay yourself) A phrase often used in the literature (= A phrase often used in literature) about personal finance. It means that a portion of one’s income should be allocated (—transferred (?)) to a savings/investment account (= savings or investment). Usually, a term’s definition is written according to certain rules: it must reveal the essential characteristics of the concept and its most important features, as well as its systematic relationships. Unfortunately, most headwords on the e-terminai.lt website lack a scholarly definition. Definitions should contain no circular reasoning, or tautology; for example, the term report is defined using the word report: A financial report of an organization or individual, prepared according to a system of registered financial transfers. <...>. The term market entry is defined as follows: The entry of a new firm into the market <...>. As is evident from the definition, either the term or its definition needs to be changed. The term currency zones is defined strangely: Groups of countries’ currencies coordinating foreign exchange policy. The main currency zones are the dollar, sterling, and euro zones. It is still unclear what these currency groupings are. Here is another term, long-term debt, defined just as unusually: Bank and other loans with a term exceeding one year. As can be seen, the definition discusses loans, although what should be defined is debt. In Bronislovas Martinkus, Bronius Neverauskas, and others’ Explanatory Dictionary of Business Management Terms, we find the following definition: Debts paid off over a period of more than one year, e.g., a mortgage. It should be noted that co-hyponyms should be defined consistently. Compare: bond – a security whose owner undertakes to pay interest of a specified amount periodically and, on the specified date, to repay the money paid for the bonds (redeem the bond); single-payment bond – a one-time repayment of debt at the end of its term, i.e. (= that is) the opposite of periodic repayments; unsecured bonds – bonds typically issued by many companies (=,) that pay a fixed rate of interest and are redeemed at maturity (= maturity,); guaranteed bond – a bond whose Terminologija | 2019 | 26 277 issuer is one joint-stock company, while its redemption and/or interest is guaranteed by another joint-stock company. In this case, it would be most convenient to define the co-hyponyms using the word bond. Apibrėžtyse gausu žodyno, sintaksės, gramatikos, stiliaus, rašybos, skyrybos, korektūros ir kitokių klaidų. Labiausiai kliūva nelietuviška rašyba, pvz., liet. Paskutinis Gautas Pirmas Parduotas (= paskutinis gautas, pirmas parduotas (žr. LIFO metodas13, plg. angl. Last In, First Out), liet. Kainos ir Pelno (= kainos ir pelno) santykis (žr. pelnas akcijai), Susimokėk Sau (= susimokėk sau), Didžiojo Kvailio Teorija (= Didžiojo kvailio teorija), pirkti-ir-laikyti principas (= „pirkti ir laikyti“ principas) (žr. pasyvus valdymas) ir kt. Netaisyklingai vartojami linksniai, pvz., vietininkas: To pasekoje (= Dėl to) didelės pinigų sumos investuojamos į medžiagas ar produktus, tačiau tenka laukti šių pinigų sugrįžtant (žr. overtreidingas). Kai kur reikia naudininko, pvz.: Bendrojo kainų lygio indeksas, naudojamas apskaičiuoti realųjį bendrąjį nacionalinį produktą (= naudojamas realiajam bendrajam nacionaliniam produktui apskaičiuoti) (žr. defliatorius). The definitions use imprecise terms, e.g.: barter exchanges (= in-kind exchanges) (see barter), natural exchanges (= in-kind exchanges) (see barter), equipment(s) (= equipment, devices) (see joint venture, costs), over-the-counter transactions (= OTC transaction, see OTC), contractual (= contractual) relations between firms (see the article joint venture), economic (= economics) terminology (= terminology) (see the article joint venture), invoice (= invoice) (see value added tax (VAT)), etc. Through haste or carelessness, the words company and campaign are confused. Currently, many banks organize their leasing companies (= campaigns) and lease equipment to firms that cannot afford to buy it (see rental). In addition to these, one could make many more observations about the terms presented on the e-terminai.lt website. One thing is clear: this electronic economics terminology resource should be more than an alphabetically arranged list of terms with definitions. It should have a preface or introduction, a description of the dictionary’s structure, explanations of abbreviations, and a list of the sources used; correct spelling and punctuation should be employed (unfortunately, as can be seen, the use of Lithuanian quotation marks, dashes, and hyphens presents considerable difficulties). It is not difficult to mark the stress in terms—today’s technical capabilities make this possible. 13 R. Vainienė’s dictionary gives a somewhat different wording: LIFO (English last in, first out – last in, first out) – “an inventory accounting method whereby the costs are first assigned to those raw materials and supplies that were acquired most recently” (Vainienė 2005: 157). 278 Aušra Rimkutė-Ganusauskienė | Elektroninis ekonomikos terminų žodynas e-terminai.lt We would like to believe that this project will one day be put in order and the website will become useful, comprehensive, and prescriptive. A terminologist and a specialist in economics can always be called upon to help, in the hope that one of the aims of the electronic terminology dictionary—to meet society’s rapidly changing needs—will be achieved. Unfortunately, for now, the compilers’ mission “to express economic terms in easily understandable language” remains just a mission. LITERATŪRA AEŽ 2006: Aiškinamasis ekonomikos anglų–lietuvių kalbų žodynas. Sudarė Dawid W. Pearce. Vilnius: TEV. Babickienė Z. 2012: Ekonomikos terminų gramatinių ir leksinių variantų sklaida: norma ir realybė. – Specialybės kalba: gramatika ir logika. Mokslinių straipsnių rinkinys, Vilnius: Mykolo Romerio universiteto leidykla, 51–64. Bitinaitė V. 2008: Mokomasi anglų–lietuvių kalbų teisės terminų žodynas. 3-iasis patais. ir papild. leid., Vilnius: Eugrimas. EKŽ 1994, 1997: Ekonomikos terminų žodynas, Vilnius: UAB „Baltijos biznis“. EKŽ 2008: Dagienė V., Grigas G., Jevsikova T. Enciklopedinis kompiuterijos žodynas. 2-asis papild. leid., Vilnius: TEV. ETS 1999: Ekonomikos terminai ir sąvokos, Vilnius: Vilniaus pedagoginis universitetas. Eurovoc – Europos terminų žodynas. Prieiga per internetą: www3.lrs.lt/pls/ev/ev.main. Gaivenytė J. 2000: Naujausi lietuviški terminų žodynai. – Terminologija 7, 107–113. Gulbinskienė D. 2013: Glossary of English–Lithuanian economic terms = Anglų–lietuvių kalbų ekonomikos terminų žodynėlis [e. išteklius], Vilnius: Lietuvos edukologijos universitetas. Kaulakienė A. 2009: Lietuvių fizikos terminijos raida, Vilnius: Technika. Klimavičius J. 2006: Rūta Vainienė. Ekonomikos terminų žodynas (recenzija). – Terminologija 13, 202–206. Laužikas R. 2008: Skaitmeninis ar elektroninis? – Knygotyra 51, 275–279. LBTB – Lietuvos banko terminų bazė. Prieiga per internetą: http://www.rastija.lt/LBTB/. MAR 2016: Marketingas ar rinkodara. Prieiga per internetą: https://marketingovalymas.lt/marketingas/marketingas-ar-rinkodara/ (paskelbta 2016-05-26, žiūrėta 2019-12-14). ŠETEŽ 1991: Auštrevičius P., Pupkevičius D., Treigienė D. Šiuolaikinių ekonomikos terminų enciklopedinis žodynas lietuvių–anglų–vokiečių–rusų kalbomis, Vilnius: Lietuvos laisvosios rinkos institutas, Lietuvos komersantas. TB – Lietuvos Respublikos terminų bankas. Prieiga per internetą: terminai.vlkk.lt/pls/tb/tb.search. Vainienė R. 2005: Ekonomikos terminų žodynas, Vilnius: Tyto alba. Vaskelaitė R. 2013: „Kaštai“ – vengtina svetimybė ar ekonomikos teorijos neišvengiamybė? – Kalbos kultūra 86, 265–308. Gauta 2018-12-30 Aušra Rimkutė-Ganusauskienė Lietuvių kalbos institutas P. Vileišio g. 5, LT-10308 Vilnius E. paštas [email protected] Terminologija | 2019 | 26 279