Institutional Glossaries: Threshold between Normative and Descriptive Approaches

Abstract

The development of a glossary has to account for possible different uses and users, and when it comes to an institutional terminological database, it has to ideally follow some standards in order to comprise applied description of terms and ensure normalization in a given field. Based on current discussions on institutional and specialized translation (F. Prieto-Ramos/ D. Guzmán 2021, F. Prieto-Ramos/ G. Cerutti 2023), and theory-oriented and a translation-oriented terminological approaches (M. Thelen 2015), the threshold between normative and descriptive approaches was discussed, regarding institutional glossaries, specifically comprising the domain of Aeronautical Meteorology, by analyzing the design and guidelines of six glossaries, published by supranational, non-governmental, and government institutions, and universities and commercial companies. As a result, it was verified that a more accurate terminological foundation is generally a concern of institutional entities, tending to a normative approach.