A translation glossary is a key element that helps you boost the translation process by reducing the turn-around time while improving the quality of your translation projects. With undeniable benefits, creating a glossary before a translation project starts is of great importance.
As the creation process might take quite some time and great effort, some companies decide to skip this crucial step. It is a terrible mistake that leads to inconsistent translations later on.
In today’s post, we will discuss the concept of a translation glossary and how can you create one for your translation project. What’s more, at the end of the post, we give you a free sample of a standard translation glossary.
What is a Translation Glossary?
A translation glossary is a list of standardized key terminology that appears in the documents that need to be translated. It may also contain your company-approved translations for those terms or their definitions.
In general, the format of a translation glossary includes 3 elements:
(1) Terms in the source language (Required)
(2) Terms’ definition (Required)
(3) Approved translations of the terms (Optional)
Sometimes, people use the term Translation Glossary and Translation Termbase interchangeably. However, there is a key difference between them. In a termbase file, the most crucial element is the approved translations of the terms. In contrast, in a glossary, this element might or might not be present while the terms’ definition is indispensable.
A Translation Glossary:
Term
Definition (Required)
Translation (Optional)
24 hours a day
Every hour of the day; All-day
24 horas al día
A Termbase:
Term
Translation (Required)
24 hours a day
24 horas al día
4 Benefits of Having a Translation Glossary
Translation glossaries have become a crucial element in the translation process, especially when you need to translate complex technical documents. Below are some of the most notable benefits of having a glossary:
Keep your translations consistent – A term can have numerous equivalents in the target language. With the approved translations in the glossary, you can rest assured that this term will be translated accurately and consistently throughout the whole document. It is even more helpful if your project is handled by more than one translator, making sure that all translators are on the same page regarding the preferred translation of a term.
Reduce translation time – A good glossary allows translators to avoid ambiguity. Instead of spending hours sending back-and-forth emails to ask clients for an explanation for a specific term, translators can read the definition given in the glossary and speed up the translation process significantly.
Reduce translation costs – Some terms appear frequently in your documents. Translating them manually every time they appear will increase your translation cost as the cost depends on the number of words translated. Luckily, if your glossary integrates well with the translation memory of CAT Tools, you do not have to pay full price for duplicate terms. Needless to say, your translation will be much cheaper.
Harmonize your brand identity – A translation glossary can be considered a bespoke dictionary for your translators to follow your company’s guidelines and tone of voice. A consistent voice means that your target audiences can identify your messages and brand images in different languages.
What to Include in Your Translation Glossary?
Here are three important elements you should include in your translation glossary:
(1) Your Key Terms
As mentioned above, a translation glossary is a list of keywords and phrases that are important in your documents. Thus, listing all key terms is at the heart of your glossary creation. Before diving into what types of words and phrases should be added to the glossary, it is worth noting that the terms listed should be written in the same language as your documents’ source language. For example, if you want to translate a Spanish document into Chinese, the terms and definitions should be in Spanish.
Your glossary should include the following types of words and phrases:
Brand-specific terms – People names, products and services’ names, corporate slogans, company-specific jargon, etc.
Industry-specific terms – Terms that you want to have distinctive translations for instead of the widely-used translations by other companies or the public.
Audience-specific terms – Terms that your audiences are likely to use and understand. Using these terms will help your company’s documents be more relevant to your target audiences or markets.
Keywords – Keywords that your target customers use to search for information on search engines are a key part to guarantee your online presence in a foreign market.
Not-translated terms – There are certain words and phrases that you want to leave untouched during the translation process. You should include such information in the glossary, especially when your products/services contain highly technical terms in fields like IT, software, and medical.
(2) Definition & Explanation
Once you have collected all key terms, you will need to explain them carefully and thoroughly to translators. To help your translators understand the terms and use them correctly, your explanations should be able to answer some of the following questions:
Which part of speech is the term? Is it a noun, adjective, or verb?
What does the word mean in the source language?
How is the word used in the specific context of your documents?
(3) Preferred Translations of Terms
This element is optional for a translation glossary. If you decide to have it, then it is worth investing time and effort in choosing the most suitable and accurate translation for each term. Because these translations will be used by translators throughout the whole project, and maybe some projects in the future. Undoubtedly, your preparation will have a direct effect on the consistency of the materials.
Your company can prepare the preferred translations yourself or you can ask your translation partners to do the task. The translations will be used once your company check and approve them.
Who Should Be Involved in Creating the Translation Glossary?
The creation of a glossary should have the involvement of both your company’s internal employees and external human resources. We recommend you have a team consisting of employees in 3 positions below:
Internal linguists who have insights and experience in the linguistic elements of your company’s documents. They will provide help in explaining the terms accurately and give preferred translations that match your brand voice.
Internal specialists who understand how the terms are used by your company. For example, if you create a glossary for a medical device, it is highly recommended that you ask the medical engineers who are in charge of the device to contribute to the creation of the glossary. This guarantee the best accuracy for term uses in the documents.
Linguists from your translation partners – After creating the glossary, you should share it with the translators you are collaborating with. With long experience in the localization industry, they can give you some valuable input that will improve the quality of the glossary.
Need a Professional Translation Service?
GTE Localize knows the importance of a translation glossary and our linguists always read the glossary carefully before working on a translation project to guarantee the best translation quality for your documents.
If you’re seeking translation and localization services that are efficient, reliable, and reasonably priced, try GTE Localize’s services. GTE Localize is a trustworthy carrier in translation and localization services, as recommended by GoodFirms. We have offered professional translation and localization services for many well-known businesses around the world such as Facebook, Tiktok, Google, Abbott, and many more businesses in Fortune 500. Moreover, we have a sizable pool of in-house and freelance native translators globally that can handle all major languages and content types.
