About the Portuguese VIM3 version

Abstract

For the first time, a unique Portuguese version of the International Vocabulary of Metrology (VIM) was organized and published by the National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) of Portugal and Brazil. This challenge could be met thanks to the experiences of the respective translations of the previous editions of the VIM and to the new Orthographic Agreement (AO) of the Portuguese speaking countries. After a brief historical review of the VIMs and their Portuguese versions, this communication aims to display the main steps that led to the final joint translation. Advantage was taken of this 3rd edition and of the AO to update the Portuguese multiplicative prefix writing "kilo" in coherence with the respective symbol "k". By way of answer to the questions raised by the recent edition of the VIM (VIM3) that stresses on the concepts associated to the terms, some suggestions are proposed and inconsistencies are identified, in order to facilitate the understanding and the dissemination of the document. These few suggestions for the next edition of the VIM also intended to standardize the terminology found in normative texts of different scientific fields which unfortunately does not necessarily tend to be consistent between them.