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Reasons Why Every Translator Needs a Translation Glossary

By: Eric Nelson Posted on Tue, 27-10-2015

Every translator needs a Translation Glossary to help him or her provide high quality translation services. It is a translator’s arsenal. Every translator set the tone and style of the translation before they begin. If they add Translation Glossary to that to their pre-translation process, their translation work will be smoother and will take less time than it usually does.

However, before we jump into the advantages of Translation Glossary, let me help you differentiate between a Style Guide and a Translation Glossary. A Style guide is basically your style. It will include tone, voice, grammar and syntax of the translation, which is basically your own way of translation. It is your brand. Translation Glossary on the other hand is a list of things that should not be translated. For example, if you are a team lead on a new project, you will prepare a Translation Glossary to help you junior translators identify which terms or words should be used as such.

This is a pretty common mistake that is made by many newbie translators, even seasoned and professional translators have made this mistake countless times. Other than notifying which words and terms must not be translated, Translation Glossary also consists of meanings of different terms so that when the translator translates that particular word or term, he will choose the most suitable word for it in the other language.

Most translation service providers use this method to bring unity in their content. Translation Glossary is a must in Certified Translation Services, Legal Translation Services, and Chinese Translation Services because they demand a certain level of accuracy. Also, it is come to notice that cheap translation services are not that susceptible to use this tool. 65% of the most experienced companies have their own Translation Glossary to help their clients and their translators.

So, if you are still not convinced, here are some more advantages of Translation Glossary.

  • It creates seamless unity in the content. If the project is big, it is a big chance that multiple translators will be working on the project. Everyone will have their own style and structure. So having a style guide and a Translation Glossary will allow you to bring a unity and crispness to the text and bring out a high quality result.

  • Believe it or not, but having a Translation Glossary will actually speed up the translation process. As your translator will already have everything they need to know in a list, they will not have to waste their time and search the internet or dictionaries. They will work single mindedly and provide a much faster result.

  • The result in the end is more accurate and correct. When the boundaries are preset, there is very little room for mistakes. The translators will know what they are supposed to do and what they are not. This will enhance the whole process.

Once you start using Translation Glossary, it will become a part of your company and your brand. This will help you communicate with your clients easily, allow you to convey their message more properly and earn you some extra points too! Plus, it makes the whole translation process less expensive and more expressive.

Will you use Translation Glossary?

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