Metadata of articles in the field of agriculture: complications in translating from Russian into English

Abstract

The international information exchange opportunities including those in the field of agriculture have expanded due to the computer technology development. The metadata of domestic articles on agricultural themes are beginning to be translated into English. The Central Scientific Agricultural Library (CSAL) is directly related to the dissemination of agricultural information, including in English, as it prepares metadata of articles published in some Russian agricultural journals for indexation in the international agricultural information system AGRIS. Quality of these metadata translations from Russian into English has been analyzed. Data available in printed and / or electronic versions of some scientific agricultural publications collected by the Central Scientific Agricultural Library were involved. Typical shortcomings made by Russian-writing translators have been identified. This is excessive adherence to the original sentences; translation of individual words but not the total meaning; insufficient consideration of sectoral specifics during vocabulary choosing. The reasons for the appearance of these shortcomings are analyzed. Based on the generalization of the experience accumulated at the Central Scientific Agricultural Library in creating and editing such metadata, recommendations have been composed to improve the translation quality of titles and abstracts referring to agricultural articles. The nuances of using some terms, as well as working with abbreviations, names of organizations, and article titles are described. Editors are recommended to pay more attention to the compilation of English metadata and build the system of work in this direction.