This glossary provides an explanation to many of the terms frequently used in
connection with translation and interpreting. Whether you need to communicate
effectively with translators or translation companies, or just want to know what
Unicode or translation memory are all about, you’ll find the answers here.
The German translations link to the corresponding term in the German glossary. Abbreviations are
listed separately at the end of the page.
If you can’t find the information you are looking for, the Web Resources page contains
links to many other useful websites, including most of the organizations
mentioned here.
Translator who has received accreditation from a professional institute
such as the ITI or the ATA. Accreditation – a
requirement for membership – is usually issued on the basis of examination and
experience. German translators may hold the title staatlich geprüfter Übersetzer or Diplomübersetzer if they have graduated in
translation studies at degree level.
Spoken translation between two languages in informal conversations between
two or more people. Used, for example in business meetings, for phone calls,
during site visits and social events. The term is sometimes used loosely to
include consecutive
interpreting.
Information relating to the subject matter of the source text or the
topic of discussion. Facilitates the translator’s or interpreter’s task by
providing context, terminology, definitions, etc.
Translation with the aid of computer programs, such as translation memory
tools, designed to reduce the translator’s workload and increase consistency
of style and terminology. Basically a database in which all previously
translated sentences are stored together with the corresponding source text.
If, during translation, a sentence appears that is similar to or identical
with a previously translated sentence, the program suggests the found target
sentence as a possible translation. The translator then decides whether to
accept, edit or reject the proposed sentence. Not to be confused with machine
translation!
Interpreter with highly specialised skills who provides simultaneous
interpretation of a speakers words in one direction only from one language
into another.
Oral translation of a speaker’s words into another language when the
speaker has finished speaking or pauses for interpreting. More formal than ad hoc interpreting
and used, for example in formal business meetings, for negotiations, training
sessions or lectures. (cf. simultaneous
interpreting)
Language with a restricted vocabulary and restricted rules of formulation.
Used, for example, in technical documentation to make the text easier to
understand for users or for non-native speakers and to facilitate machine
translation.
Writing of advertising or publicity copy. It cannot be stressed too
strongly that advertising copy will not translate satisfactorily due to
the different cultural contexts and advertising cultures of other countries
and regions. Adverts for foreign countries should therefore always be produced
in those countries. There are some advertising agencies who provide this
service.
Interpreter with special subject knowledge, providing interpretation
during legal proceedings. Requirements regarding accreditation and
certification for court interpreting vary from country to country.
DTP is sometimes offered by translators and translation companies/agencies
as a value-added service to provide a one-stop solution for customers’
publishing needs. They will usually have the special equipment required to
handle languages that use different typescripts.
DIN 2345
German standard, specifying requirements for translation contracts,
published April 1998. Can be ordered online from Beuth (http://www.beuth.de/).
Self-employed translator, who may undertake work for translation agencies,
localisation companies and/or directly for end clients. Often specialises in
one or more particular fields, such as legal, financial, commercial or
technical.
Translation in which more emphasis is given to the overall meaning of the
text than to the exact wording (cf. literal
translation).
Gisting
Producing a rough or outline translation of a text to provide an insight
into the subject and overall content of the source text. Being
less expensive and less time-consuming than a “proper” (or “custom”)
translation, gisting can be used, for example, to determine whether a text
contains useful information before a custom translation is commissioned. The
term gisting is sometimes used in conection with machine
translation, which is used by some translation providers for that purpose.
An invaluable tool for the translator. Beside making use of the wealth of
specialised mono- and multilingual online-glossaries on the Internet, most
translators compile and maintain their own subject-, customer- and
project-specific glossaries. Companies publishing documentation in several
languages can also benefit from maintaining multi-language glossaries of their
own. This not only makes tranlators’ work easier, but – by reducing the amount
of terminology research required – speeds up subsequent translation projects.
In addition, it ensures consistent and correct terminology usage in all
languages. Some translators and most translation companies offer glossary
compilation and maintenance, either as a separate service or as part of a
translation agreement. (See the Web Resources page for lists
of online glossaries and dictionaries.)
Text intended for internal use, generally not seen by people outside the
originating organisation. Includes internal correspondence, memos, work
instructions, etc.
The process of designing or redesigning a product (e.g. software) to
facilitate localisation
with a minimum of changes. Includes, for example, the arrangement of
country-specific data in external resource files and the use of a character
encoding method (e.g. Unicode) that
supports foreign character sets.
Often used as a measure of line or page length in defining the size of a
translation job. Includes all visible characters as well as spaces and line
breaks/paragraph marks. (See also standard line and standard page.)
The language that a person is most familiar with, usually the language
spoken in the country in which the person lives. Considered by some to be more
appropriate than mother-tongue
(Muttersprache) as a measure of a translator or
interpreter’s ability to translate into the given language. In German usage,
this distinction between mother-tongue and dominant language is not generally
made.
Interpreter who provides – usually consecutive –
interpretation between two languages in both directions. May be affiliated
to the host company and act as facilitator in negotiations or undertake some
PR activities.
Translation that closely adheres to the wording and construction of the source text. A
literal translation usually appears “stilted” and unnatural and is therefore
to be avoided unless there is a specific reason for translating literally.
(cf. free
translation)
The process of adapting a product (in the context of translation usually
software) to a specific locale, i.e. to the language, cultural norms,
standards, laws and requirements of the target market. Includes, but is not
limited to, translation of the screen texts, help files, etc.
1. Translation produced by a computer program; 2. Use of a
translation program to translate text without human input in the actual
translation process. The quality of machine-translated text, in terms of
terminology, meaning and grammar, varies depending on the nature and
complexity of the source text, but is
never good enough for publication without extensive editing. Machine
translation (usually using highly customised MT programs) is occasionally used
by some translators and translation companies to assist them in their work,
but rarely to translate entire documents. Some search engines, e.g. AltaVista,
interface with a translation program to provide translations of websites. To
get an idea of what MT can and cannot do, visit Babelfish, which provides a
free online MT service (for link, see Online Resources page). Not to be confused
with computer-aided
translation!
One’s native language. Often used as an indicator of a translator or
interpreter’s ability to translate into a particular language. Because a
person who has lived in another country for many years (perhaps from
childhood) may be more fluent in their second language than they are in their
first (i.e. their mother-tongue), the term “language of habitual
use” or “dominant language ” is often preferred.
Terminology program published by Trados. A component of the Translator’s
Workbench translation memory
program, but also available as a separate product.
Oral and written command of a language equivalent to that of a person who
not only learned the language as a child and has continued to use it as
his/her language
of habitual use, but who also has had some language training.
Text intended for publication, i.e. for a readership outside the
originating organisation. Essentially designed to sell products and services.
Includes PR articles, brochures, catalogues, advertising copy, etc.
Text in the source or target language that is comparable to the text to be
translated in terms of subject matter or text type. Includes
previous translations of the same type of text.
Strictly, checking a proof before printing to ensure that no mistakes have
been made in typesetting. The term is often used by translators in the sense
of revising.
When typesetting a translated text, it is advisable to let the translator who
performed the translation proofread the typeset document, especially when the
text is written in a language foreign to the typesetter.
Reading a text to identify errors, inconsistencies, incorrect grammar and
punctuation, poor or inappropriate style, and, in the case of a translation,
conformance with the source text, and
making appropriate changes and corrections to the text. In general, the number
of revision stages is proportional to the demands on the text quality: a
translation intended for publication may, for example, be revised by the
translator and by one or two third parties (e.g. the author, a subject expert,
a second translator, an editor), whereas an internal memo may not require any
revision after translation. (What exactly revising and editing entail and how
they differ is the subject of much debate. What is important is that the
person commissioning the work communicates clearly what is expected of the
editor.)
Oral translation of a speaker’s words into another language while the
speaker is speaking. The interpreter usually sits in a booth and uses audio
equipment. (cf. consecutive
interpreting)
A standard measure of the size of a text. The standard line length varies
from country to country. In Germany, for example, it is usually 55 keystrokes, in
Belgium 60. Translation projects are often priced on a per line basis.
A standard measure of the size of a text, used esp. in the publishing
industry and in literary translation. The standard page length may vary from
country to country and depending on the sector, but is generally in the region
of 1500 to 1800 keystrokes.
Translation projects are sometimes priced on a per page basis, although –
except in the case of literary translation – this practice is becoming less
common, being replaced by the standard line.
The group of people that an interpreter addresses. Used mostly in
connection with simultaneous
interpreting. Sometimes used (incorrectly) in the sense of target readership
The group of people for which a text is translated, for example subject
experts, novices, prospective customers. It is important to specify the target
readership when commissioning a translation so that the translator can choose
an appropriate style and vocabulary.
The function served by a text, e.g. to sell a product, to provide
instruction on the use of a product, to convey information about an event. It
is important to specify the text function when commissioning a translation to
so that the translator can choose an appropriate style and vocabulary.
Translation memory exchange format, designed to allow easier exchange of
translation
memory data between tools and/or translation vendors with little or no
loss of critical data during the process. Supported by the latest versions of
most leading translation memory programs. (For a full specification, go to www.lisa.org/tmx/tmx.htm)
Ability to render text into the target language correctly in terms of
language, subject matter and idiomatic style, having regard to the text function of
both the source
text and the target text.
Provides translation and interpreting services, acting as middleman
between customers and freelance translators. May offer value-added services
such as typesetting, publishing, project management.
Provides translation services using mainly in-house translators. May
specialise in a particular field – such as legal, patents or technical – and
may offer value-added services such as typesetting, publishing, project
management. The term is often used synonymously with translation agency.
1.Translation memory
program published by IBM; 2. (Syn.: project manager) person in
charge of managing a translation project. In large translation projects, the
translation manager is responsible for liasing between customer and
translators, coordinating the translation work (which may be carried out by
several translators for each language), maintaining the terminology database,
ensuring consistency of style and terminology, etc.
Computer-aided translation program. In essence a database that stores
translated sentences (translation units or segments) with their
respective source segments in a database (the “memory”). For each new segment
to be translated, the program scans the database for a previous source segment
that matches the new segment exactly or approximately (fuzzy match) and, if
found, suggest the corresponding target segment as a possible translation. The
translator can then accept, modify or reject the suggested translation.
Character encoding standard which, unlike ASCII, uses not 8 but 16 bit
character encoding, making possible the representation of virtually all
existing character sets (e.g. Latin, Cyrillic, Japanese, Chinese). The use of
Unicode simplifies multiple language document and program creation. (See also
internationalisation.)
Commentary in, e.g., a film, television programme, video, or commercial
spoken by an unseen narrator. Foreign-language voice-over consists of two
parts: translating the narrative, whereby, e.g., timing (coordinating the
voice with the film sequence) is an important consideration; recording the
voice-over, which may be performed by a linguist with special training and/or
expertise or by an actor. Voice-over services are provided by some translators
and translation agencies/companies.
For their invaluable advice and support in creating this glossary, I am
especially grateful to Joy Burrough-Boenisch, Chris Durban, Petra Kopp, John
May, Nathalie Mège, Judyth Mermelstein, Ruth Partington and Anke Vogelhuber.