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Recent symposia, such as Wildlife and Range Research Needs in Northern Mexico and Southwestern United States--1981, and Management and Utilization of Arid Land Plants - 1985, sponsored by the National Institute of Forestry Research of the Subsecretariat of Forestry and Wildlife, Secretariat of Agriculture and Water Resources of Mexico and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service have made valuable contributions to the exchange of scientific and technical information regarding management of natural resources. These symposia were part of a continuing agreement between respective agencies to enhance professional capabilities through technology transfer activities. A receptive atmosphere of cooperation has resulted from such activities for the mutual benefit of Mexican and American scientists.
Despite individual efforts to understand and communicate the relevance of these symposia, the language barrier often precludes an effective interchange of ideas. In addition, the specialized meanings of scientific jargon are lost when translated into terms with sociological connotation. Quite often a given term may have different meanings to a forester, soil scientist or wildlife manager. In order for a listener to receive a clear understanding of the problem being discussed, the translator needs to be familiar with the scientific terminology relevant to the specialized topics.
The purpose of this glossary is to present to translators, scientists, resource managers, administrators and others the Spanish-English equivalent translations of scientific and management terms commonly used in the disciplines of forestry, range management, wildlife management, fisheries, soils and botany. Terms were selected on the basis of common usage and difficulty of translation from various scientific and technical articles which appeared in professional journals, such as Journal of Wildlife Management, Forest Science, Soil Science, Journal of Range Management, Ecology, Ciencia Forestal, and others. Scientific terms are introduced into common usage every time new concepts are formulated, and as such an update of new terminology is needed periodically. While no attempt is made to cover the entire scope of scientific terminology of the respective disciplines, it is anticipated that this glossary will be useful in improving communications and foster understanding between Spanish- and English-speaking persons as well as to serve as a starting point for developing a common understanding of technical terms.
The glossary is composed of two sections. Section one contains the English to Spanish translations, and section two the Spanish to English. Each section is divided into seven subsections, each of which is devoted to terms used within a particular discipline. The text is arranged alphabetically within sections beginning with the English or Spanish keyword, followed by the equivalent translation.
It is understood that some persons may disagree with some terms due to their usage of other similar jargon, but at least they will be aware of its use in other regions and disciplines.