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Terminology

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What exactly is terminology? Terminology represents one of the fundamental aspects of translation. A translation done correctly but with one or two incorrect terms repeated 50 times can be the difference between success and failure.

Terminology: The Copypanthers-way

What qualifies as “terminology”?

Terminology is not just about words that you don’t know. No translation agency or translator can be an expert in every industry. Therefore, we have a processthat allows us to deliver great translation with the right terms. At the beginning of a project, we’ll ask a language specialist to go through the document and collect terminology. This list is then sent to the client for approval. When doing this, we ask that words and phrases be gathered in the following areas:

All industry specific words
Brand names and trademarks
Any term requiring a standardized translation throughout
Marketing slogans
Country-specific concerns: URLs, phone numbers, company names
Questionable words where it’s unclear whether they should be translated
Strange/odd words that put a question mark in your mind

Copypanthers will provide a file (usually a Google Doc) where all terminology for each project is stored and shared with the team members. Once the terminology is approved, it will be uploaded into our CAT tool so that all team members will see the approved terminology and be able to use them and provide modifications and suggestions while working.

Give options

One very important and helpful way to deal with uncertainty in terminology is provide options for the client. Saying, “We don’t know,” gives the wrong message, but giving the client 3 options makes their life easy and shows that you have full control over the process.

Step-by-step terminology process

1. The team member designated as the terminologist will collect the terms and translate them
2. Another team member will check and proofread them
3. The list will go to the client for approval
4. After any fixes and approval, the terminology will be uploaded to our cloud-based CAT tool, XTM.
5. The translation can start
6. Any modifications or suggestions can be done within our CAT tool, XTM with all team members consulting with each other.
7. If necessary, problematic terminology will be referred to the client for clarification
*. It is always the Production Managers responsibility to ensure quality. If anything is unclear, it is on the PM to escalate issues.

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If you have something to be translated, get your free quote now. We always have three native speakers on every job and you can always trust that your terminology will get the attention it deserves!

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