Chinese terminology studies

Abstract A single but collective, multifaceted, and multidimensional theory of terminology relies on the contributions of scholars in different ways and in different languages. Local terminology practice and exploration back-feed the general theory and jointly contribute to the completion of a comprehensive theoretical framework. This paper analyzes the application of terminology as the driving force of the discipline, which includes standardized application, domain-specific communicative application, and cross-cultural/cross-lingual application. Specifically, the characteristics of terminology translation practice in China are introduced, with terminology translation conducted as a practice of knowledge dissemination and discourse contribution bound by and affecting Chinese language. Then, several characteristics of Chinese terminology studies are introduced. It is pointed out that Chinese terminology studies, based on the answering of the local terminology problems in China, have universal value for the construction of terminology as a whole discipline.