Resumen de Developing Electoral Terminology for a New Official Language: Tetun in East Timor

Catharina Williams-Van Klinken

• As an official language of newly-independent East Timor, the public role of Tetun has increased markedly since 1999. Its use is, however, hampered by a shortage of agreed, well-understood, technical terminology. This paper reports on a project by the Independent Electoral Commission and the United Nations Development Programme to develop a glossary of electoral terms for Tetun. Most of the proposed terms were based on Portuguese words; however, phrases were usually adjusted to Tetun syntax. Abstract nouns were given alternative translations as verbs. Definitions used complete sentences which included the head word, and gave more information than traditional dictionaries do.