Glossary of Terms
At Cadence Translate, we understand that the language services industry can be complex and nuanced. That's why we've put together this glossary of terms to help you navigate the world of translation, localization, and interpretation.
A
Accuracy: The degree to which a translation is precise and faithful to the original text.
Adaptation: The process of modifying a text to make it suitable for a specific audience or market.
Audio Description: A narration of visual content, such as a video or image, for the benefit of visually impaired individuals.
B
Back-Translation: The process of translating a translated text back into its original language to evaluate the quality of the translation.
Bilingual: Proficient in two languages.
Bootstrapping: The process of creating a translation memory (TM) from a small, existing corpus of text.
C
Certified Translation: A translation performed by a certified translator, often required for official documents or legal purposes.
Collaborative Translation: A translation process that involves multiple translators working together to create a final product.
Contextualization: The process of considering the cultural, social, and linguistic context in which a text will be used.
D
Dialect: A regional or social variation of a language.
Dubbing: The process of replacing the original audio in a video or film with a new audio track in a different language.
E
Editing: The process of reviewing and revising a translation to ensure accuracy, clarity, and consistency.
F
Fieldwork: The process of conducting research or gathering data in a specific location or culture.
Format: The structure and layout of a document, such as a report or presentation.
G
Globalization: The process of making a product or service available in multiple languages and markets.
Glossary: A list of specialized terms or jargon used in a particular industry or field.
H
Human Translation: A translation performed by a human translator, as opposed to machine translation.
I
Interpretation: The process of conveying the meaning of a spoken language in real-time, often used in situations such as conferences, meetings, or court proceedings.
Interpreting: The act of interpreting, often used interchangeably with "interpretation".
L
Language Service Provider (LSP): A company that provides translation, interpretation, and other language-related services.
Localization: The process of adapting a product or service to a specific language, culture, or region.
M
Machine Translation (MT): The use of computer algorithms to translate text from one language to another.
Memory-Based Translation: A translation process that uses a database of previously translated texts to improve the quality and consistency of translations.
N
Native Speaker: A person who speaks a language as their first language.
Neutrality: The ability to remain impartial and objective in translation, often important in fields such as law, medicine, or academia.
P
Post-Editing Machine Translation (PEMT): The process of reviewing and revising machine-translated text to ensure accuracy and quality.
Pre-Translation: The process of preparing a text for translation, including formatting, editing, and research.
Q
Quality Assurance (QA): The process of reviewing and evaluating the quality of a translation to ensure accuracy, clarity, and consistency.
R
Re-Translation: The process of translating a previously translated text to ensure accuracy and consistency.
Revision: The process of reviewing and revising a translation to ensure accuracy, clarity, and consistency.
S
Simultaneous Interpretation: The process of conveying the meaning of a spoken language in real-time, often used in situations such as conferences, meetings, or court proceedings.
Subtitling: The process of adding text to a video or film to provide a translation of the original audio.
T
Terminology: A list of specialized terms or jargon used in a particular industry or field.
Translation Memory (TM): A database of previously translated texts used to improve the quality and consistency of translations.
U
Unofficial Translation: A translation that is not certified or officially recognized.
V
Verification: The process of reviewing and evaluating the quality of a translation to ensure accuracy, clarity, and consistency.
W
Word-for-Word Translation: A translation that aims to preserve the original wording and syntax of the source text.
This glossary is not exhaustive, but it covers many of the key terms and concepts used in the language services industry. If you have any questions or need further clarification on a specific term, please don't hesitate to contact us.