Pedagogical specialised lexicography in multilingual higher education: designing an English–German–Albanian economic dictionary for students in Kosovo

Abstract This article presents the design and conceptual framework of a trilingual English–German–Albanian dictionary of economic terminology developed for students of economics at the University of Prishtina who take German as an elective foreign language. Situated within the field of pedagogical specialised lexicography, the study responds to the challenges faced by learners with limited proficiency in German when engaging with language for specific purposes ( Fachsprache ) in economics. The dictionary under scrutiny was compiled as an author-led lexicographic project over an extended period of teaching practice and draws on a combination of academic literature, institutional documents, and professional input from university experts and practitioners in the banking and insurance sectors. Rather than functioning solely as a reference tool, it is conceived as a pedagogically grounded lexicographic instrument designed to support mediation between language, disciplinary knowledge, and multilingual conceptual understanding. The article outlines the theoretical foundations of the dictionary, its methodological design, and key features of its microstructure, with particular attention to cross-linguistic equivalence between English, German, and Albanian. Selected entries are used to illustrate structural and conceptual differences across languages. The present study contributes to ongoing discussions on multilingual higher education and specialised language learning by demonstrating how pedagogically orientated dictionary design can respond to the needs of semi-expert users in linguistically complex academic environments.