Pour une formalisation du concept d’équivalence en terminologie

Abstract

Equivalence is a central yet often controversial concept in the field of multilingual terminology. While extensively theorized in translation studies, it remains a vague notion in terminology, situated at the intersection of conceptual and linguistic dimensions and frequently addressed implicitly, without a consistent methodological framework. This paper aims to critically examine the validity and limitations of equivalence in terminology by analyzing key typologies proposed in the literature. Building on this analysis, the paper offers a theoretical reformulation of the concept of equivalence by applying tools from set theory, with the goal of more precisely formalizing the various scenarios encountered in terminological practice. The approach developed clearly distinguishes between conceptual relations and designational relations, while providing a typology that is both theoretically rigorous and operationally effective in contexts involving the organization, representation, and transmission of specialized knowledge.