Glossary of Marine Conservation Terms 

 in English and Russian 



The language barrier is one of the serious obstacles to free exchange 

 of ideas and to mutual understanding among the nations of the world. The dif- 

 ficulty caused by the lack of a common vehicle for expressing feelings and thougjits 

 becomes especially apparent at international conferences; their progress is often 

 delayed and even threatened by misunderstandings caused by the failure of an in- 

 terpreter to convey shades of meaning corresponding to fine nuances of thoughts. 

 The situation becomes especially difficult when discussions deal with highly 

 technical and scientific subjects. No interpreter, no matter how good, may be 

 expected to be fully familiar with modern scientific vocabulary. 



The present tempo of scientific progress is so rapid that only an expert 

 in his chosen field is in a position to understand the correct meaning of the new 

 terms and expressions which appear at an ever increasing rate in scientific 

 writings . The question of correct translation becomes more puzzling when 

 familiar and common expressions are used in entirely new and unfamiliar con- 

 notations. In cases where no equivalent words exist in both languages, free 

 translation has to be made to convey true meanings. 



This glossary was prepared primarily to facilitate the work of interpreters 

 and translators assigned to international conferences dealing with the problems of 

 utilization and conservation of living resources of the sea. It is not a dictionary 

 in the ordinary sense of the word, for it comprises primarily the terms and ex- 

 pressions which have special meaning to conservationists, biologists, statisticians, 

 and oceanographers . I considered it advisable to add a few parliamentary and 

 legal expressions which usually appear in international treaties. 



Selection of the material was governed by my experience at the United 

 Nations Conference in San Francisco (1945); the International Whaling Conference 

 in Washington (1946); and the North Pacific Fur Seal Conference in Washington 

 (November 1955 --February 1956). Each word or expression which presented 

 difficulty to the official interpreters or translators was noted and included in the 

 glossary. Furthermore, technical terminology was selected from the texts of the 

 following treaties and conventions; Charter of the United Nations and Statute of 

 the International Court of Justice (1945); Convention between the United States and 

 other Powers Providing for the Preservation and Protection of Fur Seals (1911); 

 Sockeye Salmon Fisheries Convention between the United States of America and 

 Canada, Washington (1937); International Convention for the Northwest Atlantic 

 Fisheries, Washington (1949); High Seas Fisheries of the North Pacific Ocean 

 Convention with Annex and Protocol, between the United States of America, Canada, 

 and Japan; Tokyo (1952); International Technical Conference for the Conservation 

 of the Living Resources of the Sea, Rome (1955). 



