Creating and updating terminology and translation glossaries requires time and effort, especially in the initial phases of a project. Organizations and translation agencies that used those tools know that, but understand the importance and usefulness of them. Translators also know that they will save time and effort in the long run, with the additional benefits of maintaining consistency and clarity on the terms. The use of translation glossaries and terminology guide and aid the quality assurance process of the translation project as well.

Term bases and glossaries are databases where we store either the explanation of a term (as in a monolingual dictionary), the equivalence of a given term in a different language (as in a bilingual dictionary) or both. These databases facilitate the translation process particularly preserving consistency throughout all documents, websites, software, manual and user interface.

The use of terminology, term bases, and translation glossaries are very beneficial in technical translation and within subjects that require the use of specific vocabulary. Also when working on a project with a large amount of documents or with a client that returns regularly, having term bases brings benefits for both the translator and the client.

Benefits of Terminology Management:

• Reduces time to market. It reduces translation time. All terms, even internal terminology of the company, forbidden terms, acronyms and accepted translation are approved and ready to be used in the term base and in the translation glossary.
• Facilitates edition and revision of documents.
• Translation will become more and more consistent with time even if multiple translators are involved.
• By eliminating ambiguity in the terminology your message will always be clear for your reader.
• Share knowledge of your business domain with the staff of your company and with outside organizations among them, your translation agency.
• Use of the same terms consistently across the different content and  communication process that support your product or services.

Your translated content should be clear and precise. Your translators are the vehicle to achieve that, the more information and resources you provide them the more time they will to work in the creative process.

ATA’s president, Dorothee Racette, mentioned on this month The Chronicle an article she wrote for Tech Writer, an online magazine for technical writers and editors, about what companies should take into consideration when asking for a technical translation.

Although this article was written having in mind technical translation projects, it outlines the basic rules for success of any translation project.

Some of the key aspects the article points out are in line with our view on the topic and have been mentioned in previous posts (Follow the links to read previous posts about these topics):

1. Defining your audience is one of the most important aspects before starting a translation. It determines who your reader will be and therefore, structures the whole translation process from selecting a translator to the vocabulary.

2. Finding a Qualified Translator would offer that extra guarantee that you are hiring a person who’s knowledgeable and serious about translation.

3. Machine Translation (MT) usage will always depend on the scope of the project. Sometimes clients only need to understand the gist of a text and, do not require or want a high-quality human translation. In any case, MT should always follow a human post-editing step.

4. Proofreading is an essential step of quality assurance in translation. Your client will be impressed and satisfied that even the longest, most complicated document was delivered flawlessly.

JR Language created this blog for the general public to have a source of reliable information about the translation industry and the localization process. Following these recommendations will help the translation agency or translator have a better understanding of your need, resulting in a smooth translation process.