APPROVED TERM
An approved term is the preferred wording that translators and reviewers should use for a particular concept.
- SOURCE CONCEPT
- Account holder
- APPROVED TARGET TERM
- Example only – the target-language term would depend on the language.
TERMINOLOGY
Why terminology matters in multilingual projects
Terminology management helps translators and reviewers use the same approved words for products, features, technical concepts and other recurring terms across languages and projects.
It becomes especially important when several linguists, content types or releases are involved. Without a shared terminology resource, the same concept can easily appear under different names.
What is terminology management?
Terminology management is the process of recording, approving and maintaining important words and phrases that need to be used consistently in multilingual content.
A terminology resource may contain product names, feature names, technical terms, financial terminology, medical terms, preferred translations and words that should remain untranslated.
The aim is to give translators, reviewers and client teams a clear reference when the same concept appears again.
Why does terminology become inconsistent?
Inconsistency can appear even when every individual translation is linguistically correct.
Two translators may choose different valid words for the same concept. Different departments may already use different terminology. Older translations may contain wording that has since changed.
Without a shared decision, these variations can appear across websites, software, documentation, marketing and customer communications.
Several linguists
Different translators may naturally choose different words for the same concept.
Several content types
A product term may appear in software, help content, marketing and documentation.
Long-term projects
Terminology may change as products and services develop.
Existing translations
Older content may contain wording that no longer matches the current preference.
Regional language differences
The preferred term may differ between markets using the same language.
Client feedback
New terminology decisions may be made during review and need to be carried into later projects.
What can a terminology entry contain?
A useful terminology entry contains enough information for the linguistic team to understand what term should be used and how.
Source term
The original word or phrase that needs controlled usage.
Approved translation
The preferred target-language term.
Definition
A short explanation of what the term means.
Context
Information showing where or how the term is used.
Usage note
Instructions that help the linguist choose the term correctly.
Do-not-translate status
An indication that a name or term should remain unchanged.
Prohibited term
A translation or wording that should not be used.
Not every entry needs every field. The amount of information depends on the project and the importance or ambiguity of the term.
Approved terms, do-not-translate terms and prohibited terms
DO-NOT-TRANSLATE TERM
Some product names, trademarks, feature names or abbreviations may need to remain exactly as supplied.
A do-not-translate instruction prevents linguists from adapting a term that the client wants to keep unchanged.
PROHIBITED TERM
A project may also record wording that should no longer be used.
This is useful when an older translation has been replaced or when several possible terms exist but the client has selected one preferred option.
Terminology and translation memory are different
TERMINOLOGY
Terminology records decisions about individual words and phrases.
Typical examples:
- product names
- feature names
- technical terms
- approved specialist terminology
- do-not-translate terms
- prohibited wording
TRANSLATION MEMORY
Translation memory stores previously translated source and target segments, usually complete sentences or sentence-like units.
Typical uses:
- repeated sentences
- similar content
- previous approved translations
- later versions
- recurring project material
The two resources complement each other. Translation memory helps reuse previous translated content, while terminology gives the linguistic team explicit guidance about important recurring terms.
How is project terminology created?
Terminology can come from several sources. A project does not always need to start with a completely new glossary.
- 01
Existing client material
Existing glossaries, style guides, product documentation and approved translations are reviewed where available.
- 02
Recurring terms identified
Product names, specialist concepts and other repeated terms that need consistent treatment are selected.
- 03
Translation proposed
Suitable target-language terminology is proposed where an approved translation does not already exist.
- 04
Context added
Definitions, examples or usage notes are added where the term could be ambiguous.
- 05
Client approval
Terminology decisions can be confirmed with the client or designated reviewer where required.
- 06
Resource maintained
Approved terms are kept available to translators and reviewers and updated when new decisions are made.
Terminology needs maintenance
A glossary created at the beginning of a project should not necessarily remain unchanged forever.
Products change, features are renamed and client preferences develop. New terminology may also appear as the content expands.
On ongoing multilingual projects, terminology should therefore be updated when decisions change.
New products
New product and feature names can be added as they appear.
Changed terminology
An old preferred term can be replaced when the client adopts new wording.
Reviewer feedback
Approved review comments can become terminology rules for future work.
New languages
Existing source terminology can be extended into additional target languages.
Terminology across different types of content
The same terminology may appear in very different places.
Software
Feature names, buttons, settings and actions should remain consistent across the interface.
Help content
Support articles should use the same product wording users see inside the product.
Technical documentation
Components, processes and specialist terms need consistent names across manuals and versions.
Financial content
Payment, account and product terminology may recur across interfaces, legal documents and customer communications.
Medical content
Specialist concepts may need consistent approved terminology across documents and review stages.
Marketing
Product and brand terms should remain recognisable even where surrounding copy is adapted more creatively.
Why terminology matters in software localization
A user may see the same product feature in a menu, notification, help article and email.
If each location uses a different translation, the user may assume that they refer to different functions.
Maintaining approved product terminology gives translators and reviewers a shared reference across releases and content types.
Why terminology matters in large multilingual programmes
The need for terminology becomes greater as the number of languages, linguists and content streams increases.
Central terminology decisions help separate language-specific choices from project-wide instructions and reduce the risk that teams solve the same recurring issue differently.
Terminology is particularly useful when projects continue over time and new linguists, languages or content types are added.
GLOBAL MULTILINGUAL PROGRAMME
- ~20M
- Words
- 79
- Language pairs
- ~500
- Linguists
Large programmes require clear project instructions and shared linguistic resources so that recurring decisions remain available across batches and teams.
Common terminology problems
Several translations for one term
The same source concept appears under different target-language names.
Outdated terminology
Old translations continue to use wording that has since been replaced.
Missing context
A term is approved without enough information to show when it should be used.
Terms that are too broad
One translation is used even though the source term has different meanings in different contexts.
Unrecorded feedback
A reviewer corrects terminology, but the decision is not stored for future projects.
Unclear do-not-translate rules
Product or brand names are sometimes translated and sometimes left unchanged.
Different teams, different wording
Software, marketing and documentation teams use separate terminology for the same feature.
Duplicate entries
Several glossary entries describe the same concept without a clear preferred version.
A simple terminology example
A software company introduces a new feature called “Instant Transfer”.
The term appears in the interface, help centre, marketing emails and product documentation.
Before multilingual work begins, the project can record whether the feature name should be translated, kept in English or translated according to an approved local-language term.
Once that decision is made, the same instruction can be used by the teams working on all related content.
The exact translation is language-specific, but the terminology decision and context can be managed centrally.
ONGOING WORK
Terminology becomes more valuable over time
A terminology resource becomes more useful as an ongoing project develops.
Approved decisions from one release can remain available for the next. New terms can be added, outdated ones replaced and client feedback carried into future work.
This is one reason terminology management is particularly useful for long-term software, financial, technical and multilingual accounts.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is terminology management?
Terminology management is the process of recording and maintaining approved words and phrases so that translators and reviewers use them consistently across multilingual content.
Is a glossary the same as a termbase?
Both can store terminology. A glossary may be a simple list or spreadsheet, while a termbase can contain more structured information such as definitions, context, usage notes and language-specific entries.
What is a do-not-translate term?
It is a word, name or phrase that should remain unchanged in the target-language content according to the project instructions.
What is the difference between terminology and translation memory?
Terminology records approved words and phrases. Translation memory stores previously translated source and target segments so that previous translations can be reused where appropriate.
Who approves terminology?
The approval process depends on the project. Terminology may be supplied by the client, proposed by linguists or terminology specialists, and confirmed by a designated client reviewer.
Does every project need terminology management?
No. A small one-off project may need very little terminology work. It becomes more useful when content is specialist, repeated, multilingual or updated regularly.
Can terminology change during a project?
Yes. New terms can be added and existing decisions can be updated when products, content or client preferences change.
RELATED
Related VIAX resources
- Terminology ManagementCreation and maintenance of approved terminology for multilingual projects.
- Technology & QualitySee how terminology, translation memories, review and quality processes work together.
- Software LocalizationWhy context, terminology and consistency matter inside digital products.
- Managed Multilingual ProjectsCoordination of ongoing projects involving several languages, teams and content streams.
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