Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT), under the Union Education Ministry, launched a unique website ‘shabd.education.gov.in’ to provide access to technical terms in all 22 official Indian languages.The portal serves as a central repository for scientific and technical terms, offering 322 glossaries with 22,00,000 searchable words, with plans to expand to 450 glossaries.Users can search for terms by language, subject, or dictionary type, and provide feedback on existing terms.
This initiative aligns with the broader effort to deliver technical education in Indian languages, including fields like medicine and engineering.CSTT, established in 1961, focuses on evolving scientific terminology and regularly publishes textbooks, monographs, and journals such as Vigyan Garima Sindhu and Gyan Garima Sindhu.Key Initiatives in India to Promote Technical Education are All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Prime Minister Research Fellowship (PMRF), Impacting Research Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT), and Scheme for Trans-Disciplinary Research for India’s Developing Economy (STRIDE), and Scheme for Transformational and Advanced Research in Sciences (STARS) etc. are implemented in the Ministry of Education for promotion of technical education and research ecosystem in Higher Education Institutes.
Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology
- The Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology was established in India on 1 October 1961, with the objective of developing and defining scientific and technical terms in Hindi and all Indian languages.
- It was established under clause (4) of Article 344 of the Indian Constitution.
- It functions under the Ministry of Education, Department of Higher Education, Government of India and its headquarters is located in New Delhi.
Main function of the Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT)
- The main objective of the Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT), established in 1961 in India, is to develop and disseminate scientific and technical terminology across the country. The Commission performs various functions.
Some of the important functions of which are as follows
- Publishing bilingual and trilingual glossaries: The Commission prepares and publishes bilingual and trilingual glossaries, such as for English-Hindi and other Indian languages.
- Developing standard glossaries: The Commission develops standard glossaries and promotes their use. This function ensures wide recognition and use of the glossary.
- Preparing national glossary: The Commission prepares and publishes glossaries at the national level.
- Providing grant-in-aid for university level books in regional languages: In India, the Commission provides grant-in-aid to book academies, textbook boards and university cells for university level books in regional languages.
- Identifying and publishing school and departmental glossaries: The Commission identifies and publishes glossaries required at school and departmental levels.
- Preparation of dictionaries and encyclopedias: The work of preparing definitional dictionaries and encyclopedias is also the responsibility of this commission.
- Preparation and publication of textbooks and journals: The commission prepares and publishes university level textbooks, monographs and journals.
- Organizing training programs and seminars: The work of publicizing and critical review of new words coined or defined by this commission also includes organizing training programs, workshops and seminars.
- Providing terminology to the National Translation Mission: In India, this commission provides the necessary terminology to the National Translation Mission.
Multilingual Portal of the Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT)
- Multilingual Portal of the Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT) acts as a central repository for scientific and technical terms.
- The portal currently has 322 glossaries with 22,00,000 words, and plans are underway to expand it to 450 glossaries.
- Users can search for words by language, subject or dictionary on the portal and also provide feedback on existing words.
- This initiative is a significant step towards the broader vision of providing high quality technical education in Indian languages in medical, engineering and other technical fields in India.
- The portal aims to make learning material for higher education available in Indian languages, making technical education more accessible, intuitive and effective, thereby making the dissemination of knowledge in India even more accessible and effective.