Chalmers, in collaboration with KTH, has created the database Stunda to make computer science terminology accessible in Swedish. Stunda provides much-needed support within academia, where many students struggle with English technical terms.
Chalmers, in collaboration with KTH, has created the database Stunda to make computer science terminology accessible in Swedish. Stunda provides much-needed support within academia, where many students struggle with English technical terms.
The demand for data-related terms in Swedish is significant, both within and beyond academia. As society becomes increasingly digitalized, data and IT impact more industries and are part of everyday life. Despite this, there has been no comprehensive resource for Swedish data-related terms—an essential tool for higher education in computer science, as well as for research and research communication. The lack of Swedish terms and the limited use of existing ones negatively affect the discipline.
Fia Christina Börjeson, Senior Lecturer, Communication and Learning in Science at Chalmers, initiated the project, resulting in a unique, national database accessible to everyone: Stunda, the Swedish Technical Universities’ Network for Data Terminology.
“Learning becomes faster and more sustainable when students have access to terms in Swedish as well. The database has been built with the long-term goal of helping students gain a deeper understanding of their subject. The idea is for Stunda to become an accessible tool for courses and education,” says Börjeson.
A flexible database designed for growth
Stunda is hosted on Språkbanken, a national research infrastructure for linguistic resources and tools for language studies. It is freely accessible and offers detailed information about each term. The database is dynamic, allowing users to suggest new terms. Universities, educators, and individuals are encouraged to add term lists to further develop Stunda.
“We’re not creating a dictionary but a living terminological resource that grows alongside technological development. This is crucial because new technologies emerge constantly, and specialized language evolves and integrates into everyday language,” Börjeson explains.
Outreach and Future Development
Stunda became available for searches in July 2024. The project generated significant interest within academia even before its launch. Fia Börjeson plans to organize and participate in networking events and seminars to further promote the database’s usage.
The database is not only a tool for students and researchers but also a resource for authorities and the public needing accurate and up-to-date technical terminology in Swedish. Börjeson emphasizes the democratic importance of accessible language:
“Yes, absolutely. Language is ultimately a matter of democracy,” she states.
Facts about Stunda
Stunda stands for Swedish Technical Universities’ Network for Data Terminology. Fia Börjeson, Senior Lecturer, Communication and Learning in Science at Chalmers, initiated the project. It was funded by Chalmers Foundation through digitalization grants and carried out over one year in collaboration with Aarne Ranta, Professor of Computing Science, Chalmers, Viggo Kann, Professor of Theoretical Computer Science, KTH, and Gerald Q. Maguire Jr., Professor Emeritus of Computer Communications, KTH
The database initially contains 6,600 entries, sourced from various materials, including theses and course content from Chalmers and KTH. Submitted term lists undergo an automated review and linguistic processing, combined with a search interface developed by teaching assistants at KTH. A manual review is done before the terms become searchable.
Questions?
- Senior Lecturer, Language and Communication, Communication and Learning in Science