The Importance of Terminology Management.

After a hard day’s work there is nothing better than getting home and popping on your dressing gown, or your bathrobe (…or is it your housecoat?), getting comfortable on the sofa, or couch…or should that be settee (?!), and then tucking into a barm, or a cob…or even a bread roll or muffin!

All these terms are used to mean the same item, however depending on who you are, where you grew up and generally preferred vocabulary, they can be known by several different terms.

The same issue can be found in the world of business. If you were selling a product, you would not want to give it one name in a brochure and then a different one on your website. Or if you were circulating an employee communication, you would not want to translate the name of one of your safety initiatives when the whole company knows it by its English name. Without careful management and close communication between you and your translation provider, such inconsistencies can easily creep in.

That’s why at The Translation People we work with our clients to develop a comprehensive understanding of the correct terminology for your business. This can include product names, corporate language and specific translations for terms that may have multiple options in the local language. It is by doing this that we can ensure accuracy and consistency in your translations and maintain your brand value, whether you are translating a website or undertaking technical translations.

What is the best way to manage terminology?

Whereas in the past translators may have worked from a bilingual table in Excel or Word, nowadays at The Translation People, we manage terminology through Termbases, using specialist software packages. These Termbases are detailed glossaries giving context and definitions as well as setting out forbidden terms (those which should never be used). They can even be stored in the cloud, giving shared access to all relevant parties and allowing you and the translator to edit / add to them as the project develops. The huge advantage of tools like this is that they can be integrated with Translation Memory Systems, so the appropriate term is automatically suggested to the translator wherever it appears in the document. On completion of the project, automated QA tests can be run to ensure that the translator has followed the Termbase and that the terminology used in the document is as you would expect.

What are the benefits of Terminology Management?

• Consistency throughout all your written communications
• Save money by avoiding potentially costly amendments further down the line
• Termbases automatically alert the translator, ensuring only your preferred terminology is used in the translation
• Reduces possible errors, allowing faster and accurate proofreading
• Manage terminology and translation in one place

Whether you are a construction equipment manufacturer specialising in loading shovels, front loaders or wheel loaders, or an optician stocking glasses, spectacles or eyewear – it’s worth putting the time in to build a solid terminology strategy today, to ensure your customers want to work with you in the future.

If you would like us to guide you through the process of terminology management and help find the right solution for your business, please do not hesitate to contact us.