A translation glossary is an essential step in the translation process. It is an effective tool that helps to produce high-quality translations. As words are constantly evolving, neologisms that appear in our languages must be indexed. In this article, we will show you how important a translation glossary is, and you will find out everything you need to know about the topic. Enjoy!

What is a translation glossary?  

A glossary is a collection of glosses. It contains foreign, rare or complicated terms. It is a list of important terms specific to your company or industry. It contains definitions, abbreviations, SEO key words and different marketing expressions. The terms are available in the source language and translated into the target language.  

The purpose of a translation glossary   

A translation glossary is a useful document that helps translators to use the correct terms thanks to a list containing specific terms from each industry.  

In fact, a good translation requires the translator to work meticulously.  They need to have a perfect command of the language and use accurate, appropriate terms.  

The various advantages of using a glossary  

Creating a translation glossary helps to: 

1. Increase productivity: the translators do not need to translate the terms that it already contains.
2. Shorten delivery times: translating the document(s) does not take as long because the equivalent terms are found in the glossary in the target language.
3. Reduce costs: the terminology in your glossary becomes part of your translation memory (database containing all your translations). This helps to translate your future documents more quickly. Saving time helps to reduce costs.  
4. Guarantee consistent terminology: the terms are faithfully translated into the target language. Consistency is achieved across different documents.  

The criteria for creating a good translation memory  

Using a translation glossary is highly recommended, but it must be effective!  Here are some criteria for building a good glossary:  

1.  It must be updated regularly;   
2. It must be saved in an Excel file or CSV format; 
3. The terms must be in alphabetical order; 
4. Words or groups of words (maximum 5) are preferable rather than including phrases.