Automated identification of terminological dissonance in IT and adjacent fields

Abstract

Information Technology often fills the role of tool supplier to other disciplines. This role necessitates that IT academics and professionals perform constant interdisciplinary communication. Semantic "dissonance", in the forms of synonymy and polysemy, is frequently encountered between participants in related meetings and discussions. Unfortunately the topic of semantic miscommunication is usually not broached until it causes a project meltdown. This laissez-faire approach can be compared to an information security manager ignoring potential virus threats until a machine is already infected. Taking a more practical stance towards the problem, we developed the Termediator software to pre-emptively identify potential term dissonance. Termediator has evolved since 2010 from a simple term browser to a multifaceted tool; in its current state it integrates similarity measures in synonymy with topic modeling and clustering in polysemy. The professional uses of Termediator include collaborative projects (both inter- and intradisciplinary) and telecommuting work situations. Termediator also has a distinct role in IT education, where it is imperative to include pedagogy that sensitizes students to the potential for misunderstanding because of semantic differences in commonly used terms.