On the existence of translations of structured specifications

We provide a set of sufficient conditions for the existence of translations of structured specifications across specification formalisms. The most basic condition is the existence of a translation between the logical systems underlying the specification formalisms, which corresponds to the unstructured situation. Our approach is based upon institution theory and especially upon a recent abstract approach to structured specifications in which both the underlying logics and the structuring systems are treated fully abstractly. Hence our result is applicable to a wide range of actual specification formalisms that may employ different logics as well as different structuring systems, and is very relevant within the context of the fastly developing heterogeneous specification paradigm. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.