Custom glossary creation
Make sure you’re presenting a coherent message to the world with consistent terminology in English and in your original language.
Personalised glossaries just for you
A glossary is a specialised dictionary of terms that are relevant for writing and translation projects.
You’re probably aware of the importance of your visual brand identity and have already taken steps to make this consistent, with a logo, brand colours, fonts and your own unique style.
But are the words and terminology you’re using in your written content equally consistent? With a custom glossary just for you – consisting of terminology that is specifically used in your materials – you can make sure that all of your content is written consistently.
A custom glossary will include terms in your original language along with the corresponding approved English translations. Many companies inadvertently use inconsistent terminology – both in original-language content and in translations. Without a reliable source of truth like a company-approved glossary, writers and translators can choose different words at different times to refer to the same thing. And this can cause confusion for readers and potential customers.
Your custom glossary will help both your original-language writers and your translators to choose consistent vocabulary in their writing. This will make it easier for your readers in both languages to comprehend.
And if you also translate your content into additional languages, such as French or Spanish, this glossary will be of further benefit as language translations can be easily added in any number of languages.
My background in glossary creation: I spent two years working at Google as the sole terminologist in charge of the company’s glossaries, which were used by translation teams working in over 70 languages.
And as a translator with 17 years of experience working on various types of content, I understand the importance and benefits of glossaries.
How it works
If you hire me to create a specialised glossary for you, the first thing I will do is trawl through your original-language materials and compile a list of terms that may be complex for translators to handle.
I will then check any existing English materials you have and identify how these terms were previously translated into English. It’s often the case that a single term may be translated in multiple different ways by different translators, or possibly even by the same translator. Having an approved glossary translation will inform translators which term to use, so your English content will then be consistent. It will also focus the attention of your original-language writers on the words they choose.
I will then compile a list of original-language terms along with definitions and approved English translations in a database or spreadsheet. Approved translations in additional languages can also be added by collaborating with your translation teams working on those languages.
Contact me today for more information or for a non-binding quote.