How to improve application localization using glossaries

Any text needs the same style, tonality and vocabulary. For example, here I am writing this blog post in everyday modern language. And if in the midst of my letter I decided to change the language and began to express myself, as of old, it would have been inconvenient to listen to it very much, it was truly a river.



Do you see? It is completely confusing. And that is why the glossary is so important when translating: after all, your translators need to know which vocabulary to use and which to avoid. They need to ensure language uniformity throughout the application. And they should be clear what terms are uniquely used in the context of your application.

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In many languages ​​this is of great importance. In Japanese, for example, the word “undo” has different translations (キ ャ ン セ ル or 取消). If the word “undo” plays a significant role in your application (say, located on a button), translators should know which of the translations to use, and stick to the same option in all cases. It is especially important to preserve the uniformity of words specific to the brand.



A good glossary will provide a clear, consistent translation. Believing this, we in Alconost translated an article on how to create such a glossary for your application.

What is it - a glossary for translation?

The glossary is based on a set of key terms in the original language . If you do not want to translate these words (for example, Apple may prefer to leave the words iPhone and iTunes untranslated), the glossary will indicate that they should be used without translation. If you decide to translate them, the approved translation options for each word in each of the translation languages ​​will be listed.

Four reasons to use the glossary

1. Consistency of translations

A good glossary provides a consistent translation, and a consistent translation has a positive effect on user experience. The main term will not be named differently in different parts of the application, and the terminology in the reference materials will correspond to that used in the application itself.

2. Brand security

Long life or quick demise of companies depends on the quality of their brands. If users in other countries cannot recognize the main words that define your brand (because, say, the translator used three different translation options for them), you will have problems. The glossary helps you maintain brand integrity when you enter the international market.

3. Accelerating the translation process

When translators face difficulties, they have to ask questions. The process slows down. An understandable glossary means that translators have fewer questions for you, that is, they do the work much faster.

4. Reducing translation costs

If you have a glossary of frequently used terms in an application, translators can standardize certain parts of the process. This can reduce the cost of translation.

Step-by-step guide to creating a glossary for translation

Ready to make your glossary? This guide will get you started.

Step One: Define Terms for Your Glossary

The first step is, of course, the choice of terms that you really want to include in the glossary.



So what should go in there?



In general, here are the kinds of words you want to include in your glossary:

• Product / Service Names
• Brand Specific Terminology
• Acronyms
• Standard abbreviations
• Corporate slogans
• Text for buttons in the interface
• Any words you prefer to use in English
• Frequently used words in your content
• Company Specific Jargon

Industry terms are optional. If you have translators who are unfamiliar with the industry (which is actually not the best option), or you need original translations for these words, then they should be included in the glossary. In other cases - not necessary.

In an effort to create a thorough glossary, remember that in terms of information, it doesn’t always mean better: overloaded glossary will slow down translators and increase management costs.

How to define words for a glossary?

Some types of words listed above (such as brand names or slogans) are easy to identify. Others can be harder to track among all your content. To find all the terms that need to be included in the glossary, you can either calculate the frequency of words used , or study the interface of your product .

Word frequency counting

This method provides a simple calculation of the number of cases of use of certain terms in the content of your product. Those that are more common, as a rule, should be included in the glossary.



Plus: it's simple. You can create a rating of frequency with simple programming.



Minus: you will need to filter out some frequently used words like articles (“the”) and pronouns (“I”, “you”) that are not related to the product.

UI Learning

This method allows you to define and include in the glossary terms used on the panel, buttons and other interface elements of your application. These words must be translated uniformly, as these are the tags that the user is guided by in your application.



Plus: the user experience approach. You define the glossary words that the user of your application will encounter regularly.



Minus: the method may not be quick, because it focuses on user experience. You do not automate it.



For projects that have been translated into other languages, the glossary should be based on already translated material using segmented files or a translation memory.

Step Two: Explain Terms

Once you have collected all the words for the glossary, you will need to add some explanations for your translators. To provide them with sufficient context, you should enter the following information:

• subject area (What characteristic / sphere does this word refer to?) ;
• part of speech (How is this word used? As a noun, adjective or verb?) ;
• definition (What does this word mean?) ;
• note on usage (How is the word used in the specific context of your application?) .

So, for example, clarifies the terms in its Facebook glossary:





Glossaries for Facebook translation



Notice that Facebook provides the utmost clarity about how the word will be used in the context of the Facebook product. For example, they make it clear what the meaning of the word “fan” fits, and explain the very concept of a fan in relation to Facebook (compared to, say, a fan in a football stadium).



In some cases, your application may use synonyms or different forms of a word (for example, with different breakdowns for transfer or at different times). Be sure to indicate all instances of such use so that translators do not miss these related terms.

Step Three: Translate the Terms

Ask your translators to do this before they start translating everything else. And pay attention to geography: translating glossary words into, say, traditional Chinese in Hong Kong may differ slightly from translation into Taiwanese Chinese. Language subgroups are not identical.



Before completing the glossary, make sure that each translated term is approved by an independent reviewer in the respective country. If several reviewers cannot reach agreement, a good practical rule is to choose the most understandable, self-evident translation.

Step Four: Maintain your glossary

A good glossary for translation is a permanent job. If you have new terms that would be good to include in the glossary, add them. If your translators often ask you questions about a word, update the glossary.



Also encourage your translators to suggest new words to add to the glossary. Thus, when adding other languages ​​in the future, you will get an excellent glossary prepared for translators.

Input quality, output quality

A good translation is a job. The more care you put into it, the better translation you will get. A good glossary is a key step in creating a clear, consistent and easy to read translation.



We at Alconost also use glossaries when translating our customers' applications. Moreover, we assign to each project the localization of a dedicated manager, who not only provides a glossary, but also studies the specifics of the text, selects a team of translators and editors with the necessary specialization, monitors the quality and consistency of the finished translations. If anything, contact us - we will be happy to help with localization :)





About the translator



The article is translated in Alconost.



Alconost is engaged in the localization of applications, games and websites in 60 languages. Language translators, linguistic testing, cloud platform with API, continuous localization, 24/7 project managers, any formats of string resources.



We also make advertising and training videos - for websites selling, image, advertising, training, teasers, expliners, trailers for Google Play and the App Store.



Read more: https://alconost.com