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Glossaries play an important role if you want to make sure you have a correct translation and that the specific terms are translated and used properly.
When dealing with a smaller translation, a simple list of terms can be used as a glossary, but in the case of larger projects, we need special programs built for this purpose.
A glossary differs from a dictionary mainly in its conciseness. In a glossary, each expression has only one translation. Its content is constantly updated and adapted to the needs of the following translation projects. In a dictionary, there are many different meanings for a single term.
The smaller the volume of the glossary, the faster and more efficient you will be dealing with the translation. Therefore, it should not contain terms generally available in ordinary specialized dictionaries.
A good glossary contains not only the translation and definition of a specific phrase, but also a context to help you use the terms correctly. It may also include a list of words that remain untranslated, such as proper nouns. In the case of a technical translation, the terms must be translated in the same way in each translation project.
Using a glossary can also help speeding up the translation process. A good translator spends his time documenting himself rather than doing the actual translation. Limiting the terminology can certainly reduce the total time of unnecessary searching.
If you want to find out about the difference between dictionary and glossary, check out our article on this topic: Difference between dictionary and glossary.
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