Terminology

A term base is more than just a multi-language glossary. It contains words and terms specific to your company or industry and may include definitions as well as other information. This could be information about who added the term and when, in which context the term is used, when it should not be used, how it is shortened, how it is inflected, etc. A term base can also contain abbreviations, prohibited terms or terms that should not be translated.

On the whole, a term base should contain every word and term that you prefer to use or not use in your company texts.

Our terminology experts can help you build and maintain your term base either from scratch or by integrating your existing term lists or files.

If you just need a good clean-up of your existing term base, we can create a clean term base for you to keep adding to.

When we build your term base from scratch, we harvest terms from existing texts to create a basis on which to build on. We also harvest terms when we translate your texts, so that new terms are continuously added to your term base.

It’s important that terminology is handled in close co-operation between our terminology experts and your internal teams, so that no new terms are added without your approval.

This works best if there is an internal process in place where you know who is authorised to approve new terminology in various languages.

New terms or the correction of existing ones can be proposed by both our experts and your internal staff on an ongoing basis. However, the term should not be added until it has been approved by someone with the authorisation to do so.

You can read more about how to start the terminology process in our blog post on the subject here.

A term base is beneficial to both your employees and our language specialists when it comes to translating and proofreading your company texts.

It is especially beneficial for the employees who write and edit the texts internally and across departments within the company. Terminology management, therefore, helps optimise the company’s global communications across departments.

A term base also makes it easier for our language experts to use the right word in the right context, which in turn provides you with a translated text that lives up to your expectations.

Setting up a terminology work process may seem like a very big task, but it doesn’t have to be. With structure and help from our specialists, you will get to grips with the job right from the start.

This includes defining the various roles both internally and at the translation agency: Who should be responsible for the term base internally, who should have the authority to make changes and additions, and who should have access.

You will also need to find out if there are existing lists that need to be integrated or if any terms can be harvested from existing texts?

When you work with AdHoc Translations, you also get access to our term base software. However, as we work with many of the leading software products on the market, you are not forced to use a particular software product, and if you have your own preferred software, we will adapt to your needs. The software is also used to manage your company’s translation memories.

If you require, we can also offer your employees the ability to search directly in the term base via an online link located on your Intranet.

In our work with term bases, we always create a specific term base for each individual customer and company. This means that the term base will only be used when we work with your company’s texts. They are your words and terms, so the term base will remain your property.