ISO TR 20694-2018 PDF

Full title and description

ISO/TR 20694:2018 — "A typology of language registers". This technical report defines concepts and presents a typology and examples of language registers, together with guidance for selecting and using appropriate registers in a range of applications such as terminology work, translation, lexicography, language teaching and language-related software development.

Abstract

ISO/TR 20694:2018 gives general principles for language registers in both descriptive and prescriptive contexts, defines key terms, describes cross‑language and language‑specific register types and provides practical guidelines for applying register distinctions in terminology, translation, lexicography, second‑language teaching and language‑technology tagging.

General information

• Status: Published.
• Publication date: April 2018 (published 13 April 2018 in several national/adopted copies).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO). (National/adopted publications also issued by national bodies such as BSI).
• ICS / categories: 01.140.20 (Information sciences).
• Edition / version: Edition 1 (2018-04).
• Number of pages: ISO record lists 16 pages; some national/adopted publications or PDF product pages list a longer pagination (e.g., 26 pages) due to front matter or national front pages.

Scope

The report establishes a typology of language registers and explains principles for identifying and mapping registers across languages and modalities. It is intended to support work where register choice matters: development of terminology and standards, translation (to preserve equivalent register levels), lexicographic descriptions of language variants, second‑language teaching (avoiding inappropriate register use), and software/language resources that require accurate tagging or processing of register information.

Key topics and requirements

• Definitions and core concepts for "language register" and related terminology.
• A typology/classification of registers (general cross‑language types and language‑specific variants).
• Principles for mapping and comparing registers between source and target languages.
• Guidelines for choosing appropriate register levels in translation, terminology and teaching.
• Recommendations for tagging and representing register information in language resources and software.

Typical use and users

Primary users include terminology and standardization professionals, translators and localization specialists, lexicographers, language educators, researchers in applied linguistics, and developers of language technology (NLP, language resource catalogues and tagging systems) who need a consistent approach to register description and mapping. It is often consulted when precise register equivalence is required between languages or when building language resources that encode usage level.

Related standards

ISO/TR 20694:2018 is related to other ISO/TC 37 and language resource standards, for example ISO 24620‑1 (language resource descriptors) and ISO 639 (language codes), and complements other outputs from ISO/TC 37 on terminology and language resources; national/adopted publications (PD/identical standards) exist (for example BSI's PD adoption).

Keywords

language register, register typology, register mapping, terminology, translation, lexicography, language tagging, simplified language, language resources.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO/TR 20694:2018 is a Technical Report titled "A typology of language registers" that provides definitions, a typology of registers and practical guidance for using register distinctions across terminology, translation, teaching and language technology.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers general principles and examples of language registers (both cross‑language and language‑specific), guidance on mapping registers between languages and recommendations for applying register distinctions in terminology, lexicography, translation, language teaching and software tagging.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Terminologists, translators, lexicographers, language teachers, applied linguists and language/technology developers use the report when consistent register description or transfer between languages is required.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: As of its publication it is a current ISO Technical Report from April 2018. Users should check with national bodies or the ISO catalogue for any later revisions or related newer publications.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: It is an output of ISO/TC 37 (Terminology and other language and content resources). While not a numbered "series" in itself, it complements other TC 37 standards on language resources and terminology.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Key keywords are: language register, typology, register mapping, terminology, translation, lexicography, language tagging, simplified language.