Concise, Euphonic, Precise: Debates about Unification of Chinese Scientific Terminology in the early 20th century
Abstract
In 1925, the Chinese Government established the State Translation Bureau (Guoli bianyi guan), which was later re-established by the Kuomintang. One of its important functions was the unification of Chinese scientific terminology.
This paper presents some arguments from the debates surrounding this effort in the area of mathematics. Chinese scientists cared equally about the precision of the translated terms and about their aesthetic qualities and practicality (brevity, distinctiveness and easy pronunciation).