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home : translation : glossaries
Glossaries
The traditional use of a glossary is to provide terms and their definitions. A translation glossary may be a different type of tool. A translation glossary may be a pairing of the English word with the translated version used in a document or suggested for use in documents.
Traditional glossary
If a traditional glossary with definitions is desired, the glossary must be written in English first so that the translator can translate the definition rather than being expected to create the definition themselves.
Translation glossary
If the glossary is intended to be a list of translated terms, an understanding of the limitations of the glossary must be established. There is not always a word for word correspondence of terms between languages.
- The use of several words or an entire phrase may be necessary in order to convey the meaning of one word in the source text.
- Where there is one word in English, there may be many words in the target language each of which has specific usages. The translated term chosen may need to change, depending on the context in which the English word is used. For example, the English word "abuse" has many meanings. It might mean "neglect" "harm", or "misuse", depending on the context of the text. Because the English word conveys various meanings, there may be many different words which are appropriate translations in the target language.
Additional considerations
Decisions regarding how a glossary should be constructed must be made. Should the words appear in alphabetical order in English, in the target language, in both languages? Should synonyms be included? Should any other information be included such as who is using the word, what type of project the word is being used in, etc.?
Once a glossary is established, great care must be taken in its use. A glossary can't specify all the parameters for use or non-use of a word. Grammatical differences may require that the word form change in the target language. The words chosen may be very specific to a specific client (department) and the chosen form may not be appropriate for other applications. For all of these reasons, who uses the glossary and how it is used must be given careful consideration.
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