This article written by Heike Elisabeth Jüngst provides an overview of the use of terminology in non-fiction books for children, with the purpose of highlighting the importance of the way in which terminological issues are treated in this field.

Non-fiction books for children are an important part of the book market. Since the early years, terminology plays an important role in the learning and development of language skills in childhood.

It is true that terminology can be difficult to learn, even more for children. For this reason, there are some books where terminology is more or less avoided, but the problem is that it can result in fairly imprecise information. Sometimes very complex terms stand alongside childish or simplistic terms used as synonyms. Nevertheless, terminology should not be avoided. Quite the opposite, it can be explained in a different way, using pictures and short phrases and making it part of the narrative.

The reason is that terminology is a key part of knowledge management. Anyway, terminology work must be done thoroughly and the terms need to be well-established. Authors and translators should research what terms are available for certain concepts and which ones are the most appropriate in each case.

On another level, there are some differences in the design and structuring of children’s non-fiction books. Japanese non-fiction books for children, for example, use special language and terminology, and tend to present science facts at a higher level than European ones. There are also some cultural changes primarily due to the fact that many of them are translations. More.

See: TermCoord

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