by KayWalten
So you’ve decided to expand your brand globally! Among other tasks, this decision will require the translation of a number of different texts so your new audience will be able to understand what you’re selling.
But as you start your quest into the translation industry, you might encounter many words and phrases that you’ve never seen before.
Being met with acronyms and terms you’re unfamiliar with can be intimidating, so we’ve compiled a list of words you should know before you start the translation process. Read through from top to bottom or just come back to this page when you have questions — it’s here for you!
110% match — This is when a segment and the segment after it matches, and the context matches too.
API — A “connector” of sorts on the backend of a system that tells a program to launch another action.
Application programming interface — See API.
Backtranslation — Another translation workflow. A text is translated from the source language to a target language. Then, the translated text is translated back to the source language. In doing so, workers in highly technical fields can more easily spot errors.
Bilingual evaluation understudy — See BLEU.
BLEU — Abbreviation for bilingual evaluation understudy. An algorithm to help determine the quality of a machine translation, providing an objective way to compare MT output.
Business analytics — Measurements that show how translators and translation managers are performing.
CAT — See computer-aided translation.
Character encoding — A system of codes for each character of a language, including punctuation and symbols. Common encodings are ASCII and Unicode.
Computer-aided translation — Abbreviated to CAT. A translation process in which a human translator completes a translation task with the help of a computer program. This may involve using translation memory, terminology managers, project management software, and other techniques. Also called computer-assisted translation.
Controlled English — A set of rules for English that are used when writing something that will undergo localization and that make using translation memories easier. For example, when writing in controlled English you might avoid past or future tense, homonyms, or contractions.
Crowdsourcing — A translation process in which a translation job is assigned to multiple translators who work on it at the same time.
End customer — The person, group, or company that is buying the translation.
Exact match — A segment in a text that matches a segment in translation memories, but not in the same context.
External translator — A translator who works remotely, which benefits companies that don’t have a lot to translate or need translation services infrequently. This translator may or may not be a freelancer.
Freelance translator — People who work for themselves for one or more companies at a time, and take tasks at-will. They might be referred to simply as “freelancers.”
Functional testing — When someone tests an application after it’s been translated.
Fuzzy match — A segment in a text that doesn’t exactly match up with translation memories.
Gig — A project a freelancer might pick up.
Globalization — The broadest decisions that can be made to something to bring it to new markets. It could include, for example, designing cars to meet a country’s strict emissions rules or creating offices in new countries to undergo local globalization processes. It’s often abbreviated “g11n.”
Group assignment — A translation process in which a job is presented to a group of translators, and is assigned to the first one who takes it.
In-house translator — A translator who works in your company’s office, which benefits companies that consistently have a lot of text that needs to be translated.
Internationalization — When a software is adapted so it can be more easily put to use in new markets, which may involve changing the encoding as well as other details It’s often abbreviated “i18n.”
Localization quality assurance — Abbreviated to LQA. Checks (usually made by an automated system) to find errors, such as if tags for formatting have been included or if the terminology is consistent. LQA can be done across projects, documents, and customers.
Language service provider — Abbreviated to LSP. Businesses that take a translation job, give that job to a translator and send the finished product to the end customer. The LSP guarantees the deadline and quality and may mark up costs by 40%.
Localization — When a text is adapted for a target market and may involve changing aspects of a marketing campaign or website to better suit new markets. It’s often abbreviated “l10n.”
LQA — See localization quality assurance.
LSP — See language service provider.
MT — See machine translation.
Proofreading — The process of reviewing a translated text, including the layout.
