723 new words added to Tibetan language

After eight days of intensive deliberations, the Tibetan Terminology Standardising Board has approved 723 new terms spanning diverse disciplines such as science, education, law, politics, economics, arithmetic, environment and technology. The initiative aims to enrich the Tibetan language and ensure its relevance in modern academic and professional contexts.

The meeting was chaired by Kunga Gyaltsen, Additional Secretary of the Department of Religion and Culture, Central Tibetan Administration, who also serves as the board’s president. Among those participating were Dr Kelsang Wangdue, Geshe Ngawang Namdol, Menrampa Sonam Dolkar Oshoe, former English teacher Tenzin Dargye and Committee Secretary-cum-Member Urgyen Tenzin, along with staff from the Terminology Section.

According to the board, the 723 approved terms were selected from a list of 900 proposals discussed during the session.

Speaking to The Tribune, Board Secretary Urgyen Tenzin, who also serves as Chief Editor of the Glossary of Standardised Terms, said the effort reflects a continuing commitment to strengthen and preserve the Tibetan language in contemporary usage.

“So far, we have published 18 volumes in the Tibetan Term Book series,” he said. “A total of 21,661 terms have been standardised and published to date.” He added that a dedicated website — www.tibterminology.net — and accompanying software have been developed to make the glossary easily accessible.

Tenzin also noted that earlier in July this year, the board had finalised 570 terms from 700 proposals, underscoring the ongoing nature of the project. The current meeting and initiative were funded by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA).