Translation Glossary

Language translation terms (in alphabetical order)

Glossary of Commonly Used Translation Terms

Accreditation – Certification of a professional language translator by a professional translation or interpretation association such as American Translators Association (ATA) and others. ATA decided to change this term to “certification” for individual translators to reflect the meaning better. Translator accreditation should read translator certification for individual translators.

CAT – Computer Assisted Translation where sophisticated translation memory (TM) is a component for consistency in terms used and speed up the translation process by recalling previously translated materials.

CAT Software – Some computer assisted translation software programs are TRADOS, Déjà Vu, and DSL International.

Certification – In the United States it is a statement made by a translator to certify that he or she is fluent (conversant) in English and the said foreign language and that the attached translated document is an accurate translation of the referenced document. This certification is required by the U.S. Immigration (BCIS, formerly INS). Some countries, including Canada have certification requirements for translators while there is no such requirement in the United States.

Computational Linguistics – The study related to make computers understand the meaning of text written by humans.

Conference Interpretation – Translation of the statements of a speaker by a translator at a conference, symposium, or any other oral presentation.

Consecutive Interpretation or Translation – Interpretation of an oral presentation, negotiation, meeting, or discussion each time and after the speaker stops.

Cultural Adaptation – Adjusting a translation based on the cultural environment of the target language.

Culture-Sensitive Translation – Translating in such a way to reflect the cultural differences. Intercultural skills help translators convey the meaning with no loss in translation. Trainers use the term of immersion to describe the process for fast learning in the target cultural environment.

Escort Interpreter – A language translator or interpreter who travels with foreign visitor for immediate communication.

Freelancer – A translator or interpreter who works independently without being on the payroll of a company or organization. Freelancing translators are also called independent contractor or subcontractor.

Fuzzy Match – Used in translation memory (TM) for matching the previously translated words, sentences, and paragraphs with those that are in the translation process. In general, fuzzy match ranges from 65-70 percent to 100 percent, which is complete repeat.

Human Translation – Translation made by a human translator as opposed to that made by machine or computer translation software.

IFB – Invitation for Bidding.

Interpretation – Interpretation is for verbal and translation is for written materials. Interpreters provide conference interpretation, court interpretation, and escort interpretation services. Interpreting can be simultaneous (while the speaker is talking) or consecutive (after stops by the speaker).

Localization – Translating a text by adapting it to target local market or audience. Translator must be knowledgeable about the current terms used in the target local market.

Machine Translation (MT) – Translation by computer.

Natural Language – Term is used to describe the language used by humans as opposed to the language used by machines or computers.

Notarization – Attestation by a notary public. Notarized document is sometimes mixed up with certified document. Certification of a translation is made by the translator or translation agency.

OCR – Optical Character Reader. Scanning software that puts the printed and handwritten words into a word processing format.

Online Dictionary – An electronic dictionary that is made available for online use for immediate translation of words, sentences, and even paragraphs.

RFP – Request for Proposal.

RFQ – Request for Quote.

Scanner – An electronic device to copy a text or graphic and store it electronically. In general, a scanner has an optical character reading (OCR) software.

Semantics - Semantic translation is about giving the meaning on priority basis.

Sight Translation – Verbal translation or interpretation on the spot without any preparation in advance.

Simultaneous Interpretation or Translation – Interpretation of an oral presentation, negotiation, meeting, or discussion at the same time as the speaker is speaking.

Source Language – The language from which the translation originates (“from”) language as opposed to target (“into”) language.

Spell Checker – An electronic dictionary embedded into a word processing or email system to check the spelling of the written words against the words in its dictionary. Some spell checking software programs also suggest corrections and offer alternative words, terms, and synonyms.

Telephone Interpretation – Translating a conversation over the phone by a human interpreter.

Translation – Translation is associated with language. Linguistically, it is foreign language translation. It comes from Latin, translatio linguarum.

Translation Agency or Translation Bureau – A company that specializes in translation services and employs in-house translators and hires free-lance translators as required basis. Some translation agencies have in-house editors and computer assisted translation (CAT) software programs to maintain accuracy, consistency, and uniformity in translated documents.

Translation Capacity – The number of words, characters, or lines a professional translator can translate per day.

Verbatim Translation – Complete, word-by-word translation of a text, sometimes called literal translation.

Word Count – It is a measure to assess the cost of translation where the translation fee is based on the number of words in the source or target language. The word processing software programs such as Microsoft Word have built-in word count utilities (Tools/Word Count).