Terminology Management

Accurate and consistent use of terminology is essential for effective business communications in any language. Lack of clear terminology leads to ambiguity, inefficiency, and ultimately costly errors. This is just as true for translated documents as for the original source documents.

Take the example of a User Guide where translated screenshots employ the term "Printer preferences" while the translated help content refers to "Printer options", causing confusion for end users. At the other extreme, think of the repercussions of inconsistent labelling of medical products or critical engineering components.

Translation terminology management is all the more important when translating terms across languages and markets. Ideally, a source language glossary is already available at the outset of a project – if a source language glossary does not exist, LIT can work with you to create one. The key terms in the source glossary are then translated into the target language(s).

What is a translation glossary?

A translation glossary is a translated list of approved terms, created and agreed by a process of consensus between a translator and a client, approved by the client company’s authorised reviewers. This is a standard service offered by Lloyd International Translations. The approved terms could include any company or product-specific content ranging from standard abbreviations, names, technical terms and phrases, software strings, legal terms, ingredient lists, catalogue items, to branding and strap lines and more. Other identifying information such as "context" or "reference" may also be included in the glossary.

Why are glossaries important?

Access to reliable, accurate terminology is the cornerstone to achieving high-quality multilingual content cost-effectively. The upfront costs incurred in creating a glossary at the start of the project are usually more than offset by the considerable savings down the line, by minimising the time and cost subsequently spent on researching and correcting terms, and by ensuring consistency within and across documents. At the end of the project, the client reviewer should be looking at a near-perfect document.

Learn more about the benefits of translation glossaries and how translation glossaries work

View our Terminology White Papers