The internet is a tool that has changed the way we handle information. Once, we would have needed to read a manual to discover how to do a DIY task, now we just search on the internet for video of someone performing the job.
This change in the availability of information, how we search for it, and how we exchange it, might lead you to question the need for written communication. The popularity of online platforms such as, YouTube, could suggest that the written word is no longer as effective as it once was.
However, written text will always feature prominently in our lives; online content for websites, printed documents or brochures, and books (both physical books and eBooks), are continually necessary within our day to day existence.
With this in mind, it is worth considering the value of terminology management, in written texts, when they require translation from one language to another.
What is Terminology Management?
Terminology management is the process of detailing terms in a systematic, and methodical manner, usually for repeated use at a later date, to ensure consistency of terminology.
This process is generally straight forward when only one or two languages are in use, but can become more complex when dealing with multiple languages. For example, in its most basic form it can simply be a list of words (terms) and their equivalent in another language. More complex is when these terms require definitions, frequent, or contextual usage examples, and explanations of how terms are interlinked, or related.
Within the translation industry, terminology management can be used to assist with specialised translations (for instance medical, or scientific), to create a glossary of terms (making subsequent translation times faster), and to ensure accuracy, and consistency within documents.
How Translators use Terminology Management
Terminology management allows translators to store, and then retrieve terms in a prompt manner, ensuring speedy, accurate translations time after time.
Production of terminology will often include several phases which are detailed below:
• Proposed terms – a manual, or mechanical, (using software) extraction of terms that are frequently used within the source document
• Verifying terms – terms are checked for inconsistencies, synonym usage, abbreviations, and so on. The database will be built from the most frequently used, and precise terms
• Description of terms – more information is added to the terms in order to define them; examples of usage, grammatical information, and such like.
• Translated terms – translators will now translate the terms, adding equivalent terms, definitions, and comments.
• Approval of terms – internal or external reviewers should check the terms before they are added to a completed glossary
• Glossary of terms – this is the finished product that is then made available to the translation team.
Professional translation providers frequently use terminology management systems to store, connect, and retrieve the translated terms. They allow translators to access glossaries when required, and also mean that the client can add terms as required.
Terminology Management Systems
Translation management systems are vital tools for professional translation providers as they offer a central hub from which data can be added, excluded, or altered as desired by any number of people who have access to the store.
The following insights explore why these tools are essential:
• Changing terminology – old terms that are no longer valid can create confusion for readers. Terminology management systems ensure that terms are up to date
• Time, effort, and money – can be saved through the use of these tools. While they may involve a certain extent of initial outlay, they are ultimately a valuable resource for both translators, and their customers.
• Multi-lingual benefits – are vast for this kind of software. Once a term has been translated, and stored, it can be accessed for numerous applications, and will help ensure cohesion, and consistency of all future translations.
Terminology management within translation services are a vital tool for ensuring accurate, prompt translations. Their use is vital in written communications to give a consistent pattern for readers, or consumers, to follow, allowing for easier reading, greater understanding, and less confusion.
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