English for Translation & Interpreting: Essential Vocabulary

"source text (ST)"

The original document or utterance that is to be translated into another language.

"The translator read the source text twice before beginning to draft the translation."

"target text (TT)"

The translated version of the source text produced in the target language.

"The proofreader compared the target text against the source text paragraph by paragraph."

"equivalence"

The degree to which the translated text conveys the same meaning, style, and effect as the original.

"Achieving full equivalence is rarely possible when translating culturally specific humour."

"dynamic equivalence"

A translation approach that prioritises producing the same effect on target-language readers as the original had on its audience, rather than word-for-word accuracy.

"The Bible translator used dynamic equivalence to make the text accessible to modern readers."

"domestication"

A translation strategy that adapts the source text to the norms and expectations of the target culture to make it feel natural for readers.

"The translator chose domestication, replacing British idioms with American equivalents."

"foreignisation"

A translation strategy that retains foreign elements from the source culture, deliberately making the target text feel like a translation.

"The literary translator favoured foreignisation to preserve the Japanese flavour of the novel."

"skopos theory"

A functionalist theory stating that the purpose (skopos) of a translation determines the strategies and methods used.

"According to skopos theory, a marketing brochure should be translated to persuade, not merely to inform."

"back-translation"

The process of translating a translated text back into the original language to verify accuracy, commonly used in clinical and legal contexts.

"The pharmaceutical company required a back-translation of the patient consent form to check for errors."

"CAT tool (Computer-Assisted Translation)"

Software that helps translators work more efficiently by storing previously translated segments for reuse, without replacing the human translator.

"She used a CAT tool to maintain consistency across the 50,000-word technical manual."

"translation memory (TM)"

A database that stores previously translated source and target segments, allowing translators to reuse approved translations automatically.

"The translation memory saved hours of work by suggesting matches for recurring contract clauses."

"fuzzy match"

A segment in a translation memory that partially matches a new source segment, typically expressed as a percentage of similarity.

"A 75% fuzzy match still required significant editing before it could be approved."

"post-editing (MTPE)"

The process of correcting and improving text that has been produced by machine translation to meet quality standards.

"The agency offered a reduced rate for post-editing machine-translated content."

"terminology management"

The systematic process of collecting, defining, and maintaining approved terms and their translations for consistent use across all projects.

"Good terminology management ensures that "liability" is always translated the same way throughout the contract."

"glossary"

A client-specific or project-specific list of approved terms and their target-language equivalents that translators must follow.

"The client provided a glossary of 200 product names before the project began."

"segment"

A unit of text, typically a sentence or clause, that is processed individually within a CAT tool or translation memory.

"The CAT tool flagged the segment as untranslated and highlighted it in yellow."

"revision"

A quality assurance step in which a second qualified translator reviews a translation by comparing it with the source text to identify errors or improvements.

"The project manager assigned revision to a senior translator before the file was delivered to the client."

"simultaneous interpreting"

A mode of interpreting where the interpreter renders speech into the target language in real time, with minimal delay, typically from a sound-proof booth.

"Simultaneous interpreting at the UN requires exceptional concentration and is usually done in 20-minute shifts."

"consecutive interpreting"

A mode of interpreting where the speaker pauses after completing a passage and the interpreter then delivers the equivalent in the target language.

"The diplomat used consecutive interpreting for the bilateral meeting, which allowed time for note-taking."

"note-taking"

The specialised system of symbols, abbreviations, and visual cues used by consecutive interpreters to record the speaker's message.

"Effective note-taking is a trained skill that takes months of practice to master in consecutive interpreting."

"booth interpreting"

Simultaneous interpreting performed from a soundproofed booth where the interpreter listens via headphones and speaks into a microphone.

"The conference centre provided four booths for booth interpreting in English, French, Spanish, and German."

"relay interpreting"

A technique where the output of one interpreter is used as the input source by another, allowing rare language combinations to be covered indirectly.

"The seminar used relay interpreting from Finnish into English, which was then interpreted into Arabic."

"sight translation"

The real-time oral rendering of a written document into a target language, without prior preparation.

"The interpreter was asked to provide a sight translation of the contract summary for the delegation."

"whispering (chuchotage)"

A form of simultaneous interpreting where the interpreter sits next to the listener and whispers the interpretation quietly.

"The ambassador's aide provided whispering throughout the press conference."

"active listening"

The interpreter's disciplined skill of fully concentrating on the speaker's message, including tone, emphasis, and nuance, in order to reproduce it accurately.

"Active listening is the foundation of all interpreting work, more important than vocabulary alone."

"localisation (L10n)"

The complete process of adapting a product or content for a specific locale, including language, cultural norms, formats, and legal requirements.

"The software localisation project covered eleven languages and took six months to complete."

"internationalisation (i18n)"

The process of designing a product or content so that it can be easily adapted for multiple locales without engineering changes.

"The development team built internationalisation into the app from the start to avoid costly rework later."

"transcreation"

The creative adaptation of marketing or creative content for a new cultural audience, going beyond translation to recreate tone, intent, and emotional impact.

"The campaign slogan required transcreation rather than translation to resonate with Brazilian audiences."

"desktop publishing (DTP)"

The post-translation formatting work required to make a translated document look identical in layout and design to the source, accounting for text expansion and different scripts.

"The DTP specialist reformatted the Arabic brochure to use right-to-left layout after translation."

"string"

A discrete piece of text within software or a digital product that requires translation, stored in a localisation file.

"The developer exported all user-interface strings into an XLIFF file for the translator."

"locale"

A specific combination of language, region, and cultural conventions, such as en-GB for British English or pt-BR for Brazilian Portuguese.

"The app supports twelve locales, each with its own currency format and date convention."

"pseudo-localisation"

A software testing technique where source strings are replaced with mock translated text to identify layout and encoding issues before real translation begins.

"Pseudo-localisation revealed that the German strings were 40% longer and broke the UI layout."

"machine translation (MT)"

Automated translation of text produced by software algorithms, ranging from rule-based systems to neural machine translation (NMT) models.

"The team used neural machine translation to generate a first draft for post-editing."

"certified translation"

A translation accompanied by a signed statement from the translator attesting that it is a complete and accurate rendering of the source document.

"The immigration office required a certified translation of the birth certificate."

"sworn translation"

A translation produced by a translator who has taken an official oath before a court or notary, giving the document legal validity in the target country.

"Only a sworn translator could produce the sworn translation accepted by the Spanish courts."

"legal translation"

The translation of documents such as contracts, court rulings, legislation, and patents, requiring precise knowledge of both legal systems involved.

"Legal translation demands understanding of common law and civil law to choose the correct equivalents."

"medical translation"

The translation of clinical documents, patient records, drug information leaflets, and research papers requiring specialist scientific and medical knowledge.

"The medical translation of the drug trial protocol was reviewed by a pharmacist before submission."

"technical translation"

The translation of manuals, engineering specifications, and scientific documents, prioritising precision and consistency over literary style.

"The technical translation of the aircraft maintenance manual required the translator to hold an aviation certificate."

"financial translation"

The translation of annual reports, prospectuses, fund documents, and regulatory filings, combining accounting knowledge with linguistic skill.

"The financial translation of the IPO prospectus had to comply with SEC disclosure requirements."

"subtitling"

The process of creating on-screen text that represents the dialogue and relevant non-speech audio in a video, adapted to fit reading speed and screen space.

"Subtitling requires condensing dialogue by up to 30% while retaining the original meaning."

"dubbing"

The process of replacing the original spoken dialogue in a video with a translated spoken version recorded by voice actors in the target language.

"The animated film required dubbing into twelve languages for its international theatrical release."

"quality assurance (QA)"

The systematic procedures applied throughout a translation project to ensure the final product meets agreed standards of accuracy, consistency, and style.

"The agency's quality assurance process includes translation, revision, and proofreading as separate steps."

"ISO 17100"

The international standard specifying requirements for translation service providers, covering qualifications, processes, and resources.

"Clients increasingly require agencies to hold ISO 17100 certification before awarding contracts."

"confidentiality"

The professional and often contractual obligation of translators and interpreters to keep all client information and source material strictly private.

"The interpreter signed a confidentiality agreement before attending the merger negotiation."

"impartiality"

The ethical requirement for interpreters to remain neutral and not allow personal opinions or interests to affect the accuracy of their interpreting.

"A court interpreter must maintain impartiality even when interpreting testimony they find distressing."

"omission"

The failure to translate a word, phrase, or idea from the source text, whether accidental or deliberate.

"The quality check flagged a key clause as an omission that could have changed the meaning of the contract."

"mistranslation"

An error in which the meaning of the source text has been rendered inaccurately in the target language.

"A mistranslation of the dosage instructions in the medical leaflet was identified during back-translation."

"style guide"

A document specifying a client's preferred language choices, tone, grammar rules, and formatting conventions for all translations into a given language.

"All freelancers working on the account received the client's style guide before starting."

"professional development (CPD)"

Ongoing training and learning activities that translators and interpreters undertake to maintain and improve their professional skills and language knowledge.

"The professional association recommends 30 hours of CPD per year for all practising interpreters."