Jargon

 

Background information (or reference material) –  Previous translations or documents provided by the client to help the translator in terms of context and terminology.

Back translation – a re-translation of the translated text back into the original source language.

CAT (Computer-aided translation) tools – software that allows translators to reuse phrases or sentences of previous translations to ensure consistency of terminology.

DTP (Desktop publishing) – creating and formatting a document for publication, usually using software programs such as Adobe InDesign or Quark Xpress.

Editing –  also copy-editing. The process of preparing written material for publication. The text is checked for all kind of errors.

Glossary – a terminology reference to help the translator use the right terminology and ensure consistency.

Interpreting – an interpreter conveys a message orally from one language into another.

Localisation – Adapting a translation for a specific country or region, taking into account the target audience and culture.

Machine translation – a translation done by a computer software instead of a human translator. The quality might sometimes be high enough to get a gist of the text, but would not be good enough for publication.

Native language – our translators only work into their native language or mother-tongue to ensure that the translated text reads like an original.

Proofreading – examining a translation and correct any grammatical, punctuation and spelling errors.

Revision – checking the translation against the original document to ensure the target text is correct and complete. The translation is checked for the correct use of terminology, language, inconsistencies and style.

Source text – the text to be translated

Target text – the translated text

Target audience – the intended readership of your translated text

Translation – translation refers to the written process of rendering the meaning of a source text into another language (target text).

TM (Translation Memory) – a database that stores previously translated phrases or segments of text for future use.

Transliteration – the transcription of a word from one alphabet (e.g. Cyrillic or Arabic script) into the corresponding letters of another alphabet.

Typesetting – the process of setting translated text into a type that can be used in printing, e.g. setting text over a source text in an existing artwork file.