| Marie Therese Farrugia - Vol. 45 Num. 2 (2025) | ||
| On equality and the vernacular | 63-67 | |
| ABSTRACT: Mathematics education in post-colonial Malta is experienced bilingually by teachers and students. I was recently involved in the publication of a bilingual (English / Maltese) glossary of mathematics terms relevant to early childhood and elementary classes. Work on the glossary involved compiling already existing Maltese mathematics terms and also coining new ones, since up till this point, there had been no established bank of Maltese mathematics terminology. One of the most challenging words to translate was equals, since no direct translation exits, and the word can be given different interpretations. This challenge prompted me to research the etymology of the word and the history of the notion of equality – and its symbol – within the field of mathematics. In the first part of this paper, I outline of the purpose of the bilingual glossary, describe briefly its compilation and explain the considerations taken in the translation of the word equals. I then present some historical information. Finally, I reveal an interesting link between 16th century mathematics texts published in England and our own English / Maltese bilingual glossary project. | ||