Glossary of Translation Industry Terms

Our glossary contains an alphabetical listing of many of the terms used in the translation industry, accompanied by definitions.

Computer-assisted Translation Internationalization/Localization/Globalization
Interpreting
Machine Translation
Source Text
Standard Language
Target Text
Translation
Translation Memory
Translation Process

Computer-assisted Translation
Computer-assisted translation (CAT), also called machine-assisted translation (MAT), is a form of translation where a human translator creates a target text with the assistance of a computer program. Note that in computer-assisted translation, the machine supports the translator.

Computer-assisted translation can be seen to include standard dictionary and grammar software, however, the term is normally used to refer to a range of specialized programs available for the translator.

For example, translation memory (TM) programs store and align previously translated source texts and their equivalent target texts in a database. When a new source text is submitted, the translation memory program scans it for previous translations, which are then proposed to the translator for re-use. top

Internationalization/Localization/Globalization
Internationalization and localization are means of adapting products such as publications or software for non-native environments, especially other nations and cultures.

Relation to Globalization

The term internationalization is also sometimes used interchangeably with globalization when speaking broadly of the economic and cultural effects of an increasingly interconnected world.

While internationalization is most commonly taken to refer to the addition of a framework for multiple language support, especially in software, it is also sometimes used to refer to the process whereby something (a corporation, idea, highway, war, etc.) comes to affect more than one nation. This usage has become uncommon and globalization is preferred. Because of globalization, many companies and products find themselves in many countries worldwide. This has given rise to increasing requirements for localization of products and services. top

Translation vs. Interpreting
A distinction is made between translation, which consists of transferring ideas expressed in writing from one language to another, from interpreting, which consists of transferring ideas expressed orally, or by the use of gestures (as in the case of sign language), from one language to another.

Although interpreting can be considered a subcategory of translation from the point of view of analyzing the processes involved (translation studies), in practice the talents required for these two activities are quite different. top
Machine Translation
Machine translation (MT) is a form of translation where a computer program analyses the source text and produces a target text without human intervention.

Currently the state of machine translation is such that it involves some human intervention, as it requires a pre-editing and a post-editing phase. Note that in machine translation, the translator supports the machine.

In recent years the long anticipated goal of machines assisting in the translation process has met with limited success. The goal of converting information from one language to another automatically is a major goal of natural language processing.

The international plaza of the internet has been a promising testing ground for these technologies, such as AltaVista's Babel Fish. These tools produce what is called a "gisting translation" - a rough translation that gives the "gist" of the source text, but is not otherwise usable.

However, in fields with highly limited ranges of vocabulary and simple sentence structure, for example weather reports, machine translation can deliver useful results. top
Translation
Translation is an activity comprising the interpretation of the sense of a text in one language - the source text - and the production of another, equivalent text in another language - the target text. The goal of translation is to establish a relationship of equivalence between the source and the target texts (that is to say, both texts communicate the same message), while taking into account the various constraints placed on the translator. (These constraints include the rules of grammar of the source language, its writing conventions, its idioms and the like.)

The term translation is also used for the product of this procedure.

Translation is also the name given to a profession which consists of transferring ideas expressed in writing from one language to another. top
Standard Language
A standard language is a particular dialect of a language that has been given either legal or quasi-legal status. It is said to be the most correct language of a nation.

Usually, but not always, based on the tongue of a capital city, a standard language is defined by the selection of certain regional and class markers, and the rejection of others. This is the version of a language that is typically taught to learners of the language as a foreign language, and most texts written in that language follow its spelling and grammar norms. top
Translation Process
The translation process, whether for translation per se or for interpreting, can be stated simply as:

Decoding the meaning of the source text, and re-encoding this meaning in the target language.
Behind this simple procedure there lies a complex cognitive operation. For example, to decode the meaning of the source text in its entirety, the translator proceeds more or less consciously and methodically to interpret and analyze all the features of the text, a process which requires in-depth knowledge of both the grammar, semantics, syntax, idioms and the like of the source language, as well as the culture of its speakers. The translator needs the same in-depth knowledge to re-encode the meaning in the target language. In fact, many sources maintain that the translator's knowledge of the target language is more important, and needs to be deeper, than his knowledge of the source language. For this reason, most translators translate into a language of which they are native speakers.

In addition, knowledge of the subject matter being discussed is essential.

In recent years studies in cognitive linguistics have been able to provide valuable insights into the cognitive process of translation. top
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/