Trijų Baltijos valstybių terminologijos seminaro deklaracija

DECLARATION OF THE TERMINOLOGY SEMINAR OF THE THREE BALTIC STATES At the seminar organized by the State Language Commission under the President of the Republic of Latvia, three Baltic States—Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia—seminar “Terminology Work Now and in the Future in Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia: Cooperation Plans in the Context of EU Member States” participants, • having heard the ideas expressed in the keynote presentations by participants in the seminar of the three Baltic states; • recognizing the fundamental importance of harmonized, clear terminology both for the internal development of states and for successful cross-border cooperation; • understanding that broad segments of society should be involved in resolving urgent terminology issues, while also observing the current destructive lack of terminological competence, including among specialists in various fields; • reaffirming the tasks already emphasized at the high-level meeting on terminology held in Brussels in 2002, urge the governments of their countries to support terminology infrastructures and promote the development of terminology policy as part of general language policy, linking it primarily to education and information programs and ensuring the necessary funding. This means: • promoting the widespread adoption of harmonized terminology in official usage, the development of automated terminology databases, and their broad, free availability; • ensuring better instruction in the fundamentals of the state language in primary and general secondary education; • introducing a compulsory course in professional language and terminology in all vocational study programs, thereby promoting the terminological competence of young specialists for work in national institutions as well as EU bodies; • establishing a joint regional cooperation center for professional-language translation, terminology and terminography for the three Baltic states, supported by the European Commission’s Latvian Translation Services Agency. If these areas are neglected, major difficulties are forecast in ensuring unified action by EU Member States in pursuit of common goals for the well-being of the peoples of EU Member States. Translated by Regina KVAŠYTĖ, Jolanta GAIVENYTĖ-BUTLER 179