GLOSSARY

Accredited translator - translator who has received accreditation from a

professional institute such as the ITI or the ATA.
Accreditation – a requirement for membership – is usually issued on the basis of
examination and experience.
Ad hoc interpreting – spoken translation between two languages, in informal
conversations, between two or more people, e. g. business meetings, for phone
calls, during site visits and social events. The term is sometimes used loosely to
include consecutive interpreting.
Apostille – is an official state-issued stamp or attachment to any public or private
document that makes the document legal for use in any country that has signed
the Hague Convention on Documents.
Background information – information relating to the source text that helps the
translator perform the translation in context using the correct style and tone.
Examples include previously translated documents, terminology, definitions,
etc.
Background text – text in the source and/or target language providing additional
information about the subject matter of the text to be translated as well preferred
terminology and written style.
Back translation – translation back from the target language into the source
language by a second translator. For example, if a document has been translated
from English into French, the back translation would go from the translated
French back into English to allow a speaker of the English to check that no
meaning has been lost in the translation process.
Bilingual person is, in its broadest definition, anyone with communicative skills in
two languages, be it active or passive. In a narrow definition, the term bilingual
is often reserved for those speakers with native or native-like proficiency in two
languages
Certified translation – a translation that has been reviewed and deemed to be correct
and a true reflection of the source text. There are two levels of certification
depending on the client's needs. A translation can be certified by the translation
company as being a true and accurate translation or it can be certified by the
translator before a notary public to legally deem it a correct translation.
Computer Aided Translation (CAT) describes computer technology applications
which assist in the act of translating text from one spoken language to another.
Examples for such programs are Trados, Wordfast, Transit to name just a few.
They record every translation done by the translator and, if the same
sentence/phrase reappears, suggest the previously saved translation, thus saving
the translator time and providing consistent translations.
Computer-assisted translation (CAT) – translation with the aid of computer
programs, such as translation memory tools, designed to reduce the translator's
workload and increase consistency of style and terminology. Basically a
database in which all previously translated sentences are stored together with the
corresponding source text. If, during translation, a sentence appears that is
similar to or identical with a previously translated sentence, the program
suggests the found target sentence as a possible translation. The translator then
 decides whether to accept, edit or reject the proposed sentence. Not to be
confused with machine translation!
Conference interpreter – interpreter with highly specialized skills, qualified for
conferences who provides simultaneous interpretation of a speakers words in
one direction only from one language into another.
Conference translator – translator with highly specialized skills who provides
immediate translation of a speakers words in one direction only from one
language into another.
Consecutive interpreting – oral translation of a speaker's words into another
language when the speaker has finished speaking or pauses for interpreting.
More formal than ad hoc interpreting and used, for example in formal business
meetings, for negotiations, training sessions or lectures.
Controlled language – language with a restricted vocabulary and restricted rules of
formulation. Used, for example, in technical documentation to make the text
easier to understand for users or for non-native speakers and to facilitate
translation.
Copywriting – the writing of material to a specific brief or instruction, most usually
associated with the production of advertising or publicity copy. It cannot be
stressed too strongly that advertising copy does not translate 100% due to the
different cultural contexts and advertising cultures of the target culture and
language. Advertising copy for non-English speaking target markets should
always be produced by persons familiar with the language, culture and
colloquialisms of the target country or region.
Court interpreter – interpreter with special subject knowledge, providing
interpretation during legal proceedings. Requirements regarding accreditation
and certification for court interpreting vary from country to country.
Desktop publishing (DTP) is offered by the big word as a value-added service to
provide a one-stop solution for customers' publishing needs. Special software
and equipment and expertise are required to handle languages that use different
typescripts.
Equivalence – the word equivalence can be described as “equal in value, measure,
force, effect, significance”. Based on the word’s etymology, however, it can also
be taken to mean “like”. Two major types of equivalence employed in
translation are defined as formal equivalence and functional equivalence. Formal
equivalence refers to a translation approach which attempts to retain the
language forms of the original as much as possible in the translation, regardless
of whether or not they are the most natural way to express the original meaning.
Sometimes when original forms are retained, the original meaning is not
preserved. Formal equivalence translation is a technical term for word-for-word
translation.
Freelance translator – self-employed translator, who may undertake work for
translation agencies, localisation companies and/or directly for end clients.
Often specializes in one or more particular fields, such as legal, financial,
commercial or technical.
Free translation – machine translation that provides the 'gist' of a document.
Gisting – a rough or outline translation of a text to provide an insight into the subject
and overall content of the source text typically produced by a machine
translation.
Glossary – a database of agreed terminology for use by the translator. For example, a
company may specify that the preferred term for motorcycle is 'motorcycle', not
'motorbike', 'bike' or any other term. The preferred term is entered into the
glossary.
Inbound text – internal text that is only intended for use within the company, not for
people outside. Examples include internal correspondence, memos, work
instructions, etc.
Internationalization – the process of preparing a product or software to be ready for
localization. This may involve extracting text strings, making stickers for a
certain sign instead of engraving the words into the chassis, and other such
activity that prepares the product for a global market.
Interpreter provides oral (spoken) translation of a speaker's words from one
language into another.
Interpreting – the act of rendering spoken words from one language into another.
Keystroke – often used as a measure of line or page length in defining the size of a
translation job. Includes all visible characters as well as spaces and line
breaks/paragraph marks.
Language of habitual use – the language that a person is most familiar with, usually
the language spoken in the country in which the person lives. Considered by
some to be more appropriate than mother-tongue as a measure of a translator or
interpreter's ability to translate into a given language.
Liaison interpreter – interpreter who provides usually consecutive interpretation
between two languages in both directions. May be affiliated to the host company
and act as facilitator in negotiations or undertake some PR activities.
Literal translation – translation that closely adheres to the wording and construction
of the source text. A literal translation usually appears "stilted" and unnatural
and is therefore to be avoided unless there is a specific reason for translating
literally.
Literary translator – translator specialising in the translation of literature, such as
fiction, biographies and poetry.
Locale – a set of attributes specific to a language and geographical region, e.g. date
format, currency format etc. An example of a locale is: English (U.S.).
Localisation – the process of adapting a product (in the context of translation usually
software) to a specific locale, i.e. to the language, cultural norms, standards,
laws and requirements of the target market. Includes, but is not limited to,
translation of the screen texts, help files, etc.
Machine-assisted translation = Computer-assisted translation (CAT)
Machine translation (MT) – 1. Translation produced by a computer program; 2. Use
of a translation program to translate text without human input in the actual
translation process. The quality of machine-translated text, in terms of
terminology, meaning and grammar, varies depending on the nature and
complexity of the source text, but is never good enough for publication without
extensive editing. Machine translation (usually using highly customised MT
 programs) is occasionally used by some translators and translation companies to
assist them in their work, but rarely to translate entire documents.
Mother-tongue – used as an indicator of a translator or interpreter's ability to
translate into a particular language. Because a person who has lived in another
country for many years (perhaps from childhood) may be more fluent in their
second language than they are in their first (i.e. their mother-tongue), the term
"language of habitual use" or "dominant language" is often preferred.
Native speaker competence – oral and written command of a language equivalent to
that of a person who not only learned the language as a child and has continued
to use it as his/her language of habitual use, but who also has had some language
training.
Outbound text – text intended for publication outside the originating organization.
Normally designed to sell products and services. Examples include PR articles,
brochures, catalogues, advertising copy, etc.
Parallel text – text in the source or target language that is comparable to the text to
be translated in terms of subject matter or text type. Includes previous
translations of the same type of text.
Proof-reading – strictly, checking a proof before printing to ensure that no mistakes
have been made in typesetting. The term is often used by translators in the sense
of revising. When typesetting a translated text, it is advisable to let the translator
who performed the translation proofread the typeset document, especially when
the text is written in a language foreign to the typesetter.
Editing – reading a text to identify errors, inconsistencies, incorrect grammar and
punctuation, poor or inappropriate style, and, in the case of a translation,
conformance with the source text.
Simultaneous interpreting – oral translation of a speaker's words into another
language while the speaker is speaking. The interpreter usually sits in a booth
and uses audio equipment.
Source language (SL) – language in which the text to be translated is written.
Source text (ST) – the text to be translated.
Specialised language competence – familiarity with the relevant subject matter and
command of its special language conventions.
Specialised translation is a bit more difficult than your everyday translation needs.
This type of translation has to do with specific areas of knowledge such as
health care, law, or marketing. A specialized translator has mastered this type of
technical jargon in both languages for their specific field. This type of
translation is challenging because of the highly specialized technical information
required in addition to multilingual skills. If a translator has this type of
specialized knowledge in a specific field, they have a highly sought after skill
that can be beneficial to clients.
Standard line – a standard measure of the size of a text. The standard line length
varies from country to country. In Germany, for example, it is usually 55
keystrokes, in Belgium 60. Translation projects are often priced on a per line
basis.
Standard page – a standard measure of the size of a text, used esp. in the publishing
industry and in literary translation. The standard page length may vary from
country to country and depending on the sector, but is generally in the region of
 1500 to 1800 keystrokes or 300 words per page. Translation projects are
sometimes priced on a per page basis, although – except in the case of literary
translation – this practice is becoming less common, being replaced by the word
count.
Sworn translator – a translator who takes an oath and can produce a certified
translation. Normally, however, in the United States the translator vouches for
the correctness and completeness of the translation and a notary administers the
oath.
Target audience – the group of people that an interpreter addresses. Used mostly in
connection with simultaneous interpreting. Sometimes used (incorrectly) in the
sense of target readership.
Target language (TL) – language into which a text is to be translated.
Target readership – the group of people for which a text is translated, for example
subject experts, novices, prospective customers. It is important to specify the
target readership when commissioning a translation so that the translator can
choose an appropriate style and vocabulary.
Target text (TT) – the result of the translation process.
Text Encoding – a text encoding is a method of representing text as a sequence of
bytes. Commonly used text encodings include ASCII, Unicode and Shift_JIS.
Text function – the purpose of a piece of text. E.g., the text function may be to sell a
product, to provide instruction on the use of a product, to convey information
about an event. It is important to specify the text function when commissioning
a translation to so that the translator can choose an appropriate style and
vocabulary.
Text type – class of text (e.g. abstract, news report, light fiction, commentary) with
specific characteristics of style, sentence formation, terminology, etc.
TMX – Translation memory exchange format, designed to allow easier exchange of
translation memory data between tools and/or translation vendors with little or
no loss of critical data during the process. Supported by the latest versions of
most leading translation memory programs.
Transformation in the process of translation – major or minor alterations in the
structural form of language units performed with aim of achieving faithfulness
in translation are referred to as translator’s transformations. They are carried out
either because of the incompatibility of the TL means of expression or in order
to retain the style of the SL passage. Most frequent structural, or outer,
transformation include (word addition, word omission, concretization,
generalization, descriptive translation, antonymic translation).
Translating (translation) – the act of rendering written text from one language into
another.
Translating competence – ability to render text into the target language correctly in
terms of language, subject matter and idiomatic style, having regard to the text
function of both the source text and the target text.
Translation agency – provides translation and interpreting services, acting as
middleman between customers and freelance translators. May offer value-added
services such as file protection typesetting, publishing, project management,
review management.
Translation company provides translation services using mainly in-house
translators, may specialise in a particular field – such as legal, patents or
technical – and may offer value-added services such as typesetting, publishing,
project management.
Translation manager – 1. Translation memory program published by IBM; 2. (Syn.:
project manager) person in charge of managing a translation project. In large
translation projects, the translation manager is responsible for liaising between
customer and translators, coordinating the translation work (which may be
carried out by several translators for each language), maintaining the
terminology database, ensuring consistency of style and terminology, etc.
Translation memory (TM) – Computer-aided translation. An application that
stores translated sentences (translation units or segments) with their respective
source segments in a database (the "memory"). For each new segment to be
translated, the program scans the database for a previous source segment that
matches the new segment, either exactly or approximately (fuzzy match) and, if
found, suggests the corresponding target segment as a possible translation. The
translators can then accept, modify or reject the suggested translation. All
translation input or accepted by the translator are added to the database.
Translator renders written text from one or more languages into another language,
usually into their mother tongue.
Translator's Workbench – translation memory program published by Trados.
Transliteration – mapping from one system of writing into another. Transliteration
attempts to be lossless, so that an informed reader should be able to reconstruct
the original spelling of unknown transliterated words.
Voice-over – spoken commentary in a film or multimedia presentation. Foreign-
language voice-over consists of two parts: translating the narrative, whereby
timing (coordinating the voice with the film sequence) is an important
consideration; recording the voice-over, which may be performed by a linguist
with special training and/or expertise or by an actor. Voice-over services are
provided by some translators and translation agencies/companies including the
big word.
Whispering – similar to simultaneous interpreting, whereby the interpreter sits close
to the listener and whispers the translation without technical aids.
Word count – a measure of the size of a text based on the source language.
Translation projects, for example, are often priced on a per-word (US) or per-
1000-word (GB) basis.