Glossary creation for consistent terminology Glossary creation: the same terms in every translation.
Glossary creation, in practice: we build the termbase that settles your terminology, one language pair at a time, with definitions, approved translations and the terms that must never be translated. Every translation is then checked against it automatically. Request a consultation.
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- What it is: The build of an authoritative, multilingual termbase with definitions, approved translations and a forbidden list.
- Who it's for: Companies with recurring translation needs, fixed specialist terms, brand names or a house style to hold across several languages.
- What it costs: Project-based, by the number of terms and languages. A one-off build, applied automatically on every order thereafter.
- The difference: Glossary creation builds the term base. Ongoing upkeep is handled by terminology management, and whole sentences are reused by translation memory.
When a glossary pays off
Wherever the same terms have to sound the same every time
A glossary is worth the effort as soon as terms start drifting apart across documents, languages or translators. When the same component is called one thing here and another there, or a brand name suddenly gets translated, it costs you rework and recognition. Typical triggers:
You translate similar content regularly. A glossary keeps terms the same across every order, so they don't have to be decided afresh each time.
In technical, medical or legal texts, a term is often correct in one variant only. The glossary sets it.
Product and brand names often need to stay untouched. The list of terms not to be translated protects your brand in every language.
When people change, terminology travels with them. The glossary gives everyone the same brief, in your team and in ours.
The more target languages, the faster terms drift. The glossary is set up for each language pair and keeps every version in step.
After a rebrand, or where translations have grown inconsistently over time, a glossary gives you a clean starting point for everything that follows.
What's in your glossary
More than a word list: set, defined, approved
A glossary holds your specialist terms, house wordings and product names in the translation you want, each with a definition and rules of use. Forbidden variants and terms that should not be translated at all are recorded too. An entry looks like this, for example:
| Source term | Approved (EN) | Do not use | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drehmoment | torque | turning moment | technical context |
| Acme (brand) | Acme | any translation | do not translate |
| Anwender | user | operator, customer | consistent in the UI |
Every entry therefore fixes four things: the approved target term per language, the definition or context, forbidden variants, and terms that stay protected. We set the glossary up for each language pair and deliver it in common formats such as TBX or Excel, so you can also feed it into your own systems.
How your glossary is built
From your texts and your briefs, with your approval
Extraction & briefs
We pull candidates from your existing texts and take in your briefs. You tell us which terms you want to be certain are translated exactly that way.
Define & agree
Specialist translators define the target terms for each language and add the forbidden list and the protected names. You approve the term base before it goes into production.
Live in the database
The glossary sits in our database. Translators call it up automatically on every order, and an automated check compares every delivery against it.
A reusable term base It grows with your projects. Ongoing upkeep is handled on request by terminology management.
Glossary, terminology management or translation memory?
Three building blocks that work together and do different jobs
The three are often confused. In short: the glossary sets individual terms, terminology management maintains them over time, and translation memory reuses whole sentences. Glossary creation is usually the first step and provides the basis for the other two.
| Glossary creation | Terminology management | Translation Memory | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What | Building the term base | Ongoing upkeep & application | Reuse of whole sentences |
| Level | Individual terms | Terms over time and projects | Sentences and segments |
| When | One-off build, at the start | Continuous | With recurring content |
| This page | Terminology management | Translation Memory |
What glossary creation costs
Project-based, with a one-off build
Unlike a translation, we bill glossary creation on a project basis rather than by the word. The effort depends on the number of terms, the languages, and how much we extract from your texts against how much you specify. We name the fixed price once we have looked at your material.
The glossary is built once but takes effect on every follow-up order. It saves the after-the-fact correction of company-specific terms, shortens approval loops and gets new translators on target faster. Where demand recurs, it usually pays for itself after just a few orders. For ongoing upkeep and expansion, we couple it with terminology management.
Common questions about glossary creation
Content, distinctions, formats, cost
What exactly is a glossary?
A glossary holds a company's specialist terms, house wordings and product names in the translation it wants, each with a definition and rules of use. Added to that are forbidden variants (forbidden terms) and terms that should not be translated. A glossary can be set up for several languages.
What's the difference between glossary creation, terminology management and translation memory?
Glossary creation builds the term base, meaning individual terms with an approved translation. Terminology management maintains and applies those terms continuously across every project. Translation memory works one level up and reuses whole sentences that have been translated before. The glossary is usually the first step.
What does glossary creation cost?
We bill on a project basis rather than by the word. The effort depends on the number of terms, the languages, and the share we extract against the share you specify. The build is a one-off and takes effect on every order thereafter. We name the fixed price once we have reviewed your material.
Can you create a glossary from our existing texts?
Yes. We pull term candidates from your existing material and propose entries. You add your briefs and approve the term base. The result is a glossary that genuinely fits your language, rather than one taken from a generic list.
How is the glossary applied to translations?
The approved glossary sits in our database. As soon as we work on an order for you, the translators call it up automatically. On top of that, an automated quality check compares every delivery against the glossary, so the terms read the same everywhere.
Which formats and languages do you deliver in?
We set the glossary up for each language pair, in over 220 languages. Delivery is in common formats such as TBX or Excel, so you can use it in your own systems too. On request, we connect it directly to your workflows through system integration.
Can we bring in an existing glossary?
Yes. We take on an existing glossary, check it for gaps and contradictions, and merge it with the terms from your texts. So you don't have to start from zero.
What happens to terms that should not be translated?
We mark brand, product and proper names as protected, and they stay untouched in every language. The glossary likewise records which variants may not be used. Both protect your brand and prevent unwanted translations.
Technology & API
Maintain your terms and reuse your sentences?
Glossary, terminology management and translation memory mesh together. Terminology management keeps your term base consistent for the long run.
Set your terms once, valid for every translation.
Send us sample texts and the terms you want. We'll propose glossary entries, agree them with you and name the fixed price and delivery date.
Reply within ~10 minutes (within business hours) · per language pair · TBX or ExcelGlossary: terms around glossary creation
- Terminology database (termbase)
- The structured database that holds the approved terms, definitions and rules. Translators call it up automatically. Setting it up and maintaining it is known as terminology management.
- Forbidden term
- A variant that is expressly not to be used, such as an outdated or misleading translation. It goes in the glossary so that nobody falls back on it by accident.
- Do-not-translate (DNT)
- Terms that stay unchanged in every language, usually brand, product and proper names. They are marked as protected in the glossary.
- House style (corporate wording)
- A company's settled way of writing, from specialist terms through to tone of voice. A glossary carries that house style reliably into every target language. German marketing often calls this corporate wording.