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"A" language Native language or a foreign language spoken with native proficiency from which an interpreter can render all modes of interpretation.

"B" language Foreign language from which an interpreter can render interpretation.

16-bit Unicode transformation format Variable-length character encoding form that can represent Unicode or ISO characters in a 16-bit series suitable for storage or transmission in data networks. Commonly abbreviated UTF-16.

32-bit Unicode transformation format Fixed-length, four-byte method for encoding Unicode characters. Commonly abbreviated UTF-32.

8-bit Unicode transformation format Variable-length character encoding form that can represent any character from almost all the languages in the world. Commonly abbreviated UTF-8.

Accent mark Small symbol placed above or near a letter, usually to distinguish its pronunciation from a similar word.

Accreditation Formal process by which the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities of an individual – such as a translator or interpreter – or an organization – such as an LSP – are evaluated.

Accredited translator A translator who has successfully met the requirements for accreditation.

Active language Language into which an interpreter renders interpretation.

Ad hoc interpreter Person who provides interpretation services on an irregular basis, usually without the benefit of any formal training or professional preparation.

Adaptation Process of converting information into an appropriate format for the target language and culture.

Advocacy Practice by which an interpreter acts on behalf of either of the parties for which he or she renders interpretation. This practice is encouraged by some and discouraged by others.

Agglutinating language Language in which, through agglutination, a single word can constitute a complete sentence, sometimes resulting in units of measure other than price per word (such as price per line, per character or per page) for calculating translation costs.

Agglutination Process of adding one or more affixes to a word or combining components of words into a single word, often conveying complex ideas.

Alignment Process of matching segments of text with their translated renditions, creating equivalents between a source text and target text.

Alignment tool Application that automatically pairs versions of same text in the source and target languages in a table. Also called bi-text tool.

Ambiguity Situation in which the intended meaning of a phrase is unclear and must be verified – usually with the source text author – in order for translation to proceed.

Anglophone Person who speaks English.

Apache Open source web server supported by the Apache Software Foundation.

API Acronym for application programming interface.

Apostille Official attachment or stamp sometimes applied to translations of public and private documents as proof of authenticity for countries that have signed the Hague Convention on Documents.

Application programming interface Set of specified procedures or functions provided by a service or operating system to computer programs’ requests for support. Commonly abbreviated as API.

AQ Abbreviation for availability quotient.

Arabic Eastern numerals See Eastern Arabic numerals.

Arabic numerals Set of ten numerals (0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9) that comprise the most commonly used symbolic representation of numbers throughout the world.

Artificial intelligence Branch of computer science devoted to creating intelligent machines that produced the first efforts toward machine translation.

Artificial language Language used by machines.

Authoring Process of producing textual content.

Automated publishing Computerized production of content and presentation.

Automated translation Synonym for machine translation.

Automatic recognition Method that automates the translation of terms through the use of an electronic dictionary and computer-assisted translation software, proposing target language equivalents and facilitating consistency of terminology and style.

Automatic translation Synonym for machine translation.

Availability quotient Metric that objectively ranks what percentage of the total online population can access each level of experience on any given site. Commonly abbreviated AQ.

Back translation Process of translating a previously translated text back into its source language.

BIDI Abbreviation for bidirectionality.

Bidirectional Script that normally reads from right to left but contains some exceptions in which other characters, like numerals, read from left to right. Hebrew and Arabic are examples of bidirectional languages.

Bidirectional interpretation Interpretation that takes place in both directions. For example, spoken language is rendered from English into Japanese, and from Japanese into English.

Bidirectionality Quality or characteristic in a software program or application that facilitates work on bidirectional text. Commonly abbreviated BIDI.

Bidule Portable equipment used for providing simultaneous interpretation with only a microphone and sometimes headphones instead of a sound isolation booth.

Big-5 Method of character encoding used in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan for Traditional Chinese characters.

Bilingual Person who speaks at least one language fluently and exhibits near-native proficiency or fluency in the second.

Bilingual corpus See bi-text database.

Bi-text Document consisting of versions of a particular text in both the source and target languages.

Bi-text database Collection of bi-texts. Also called bilingual corpus.

Bi-text tool See alignment tool.

Bitmap Grid of pixels with individual color values.

BRIC Abbreviation for Brazil, Russia, India, and China, the four countries with economies expected to surpass the richest countries in the world by the year 2050. This term was first used in a thesis by Goldman Sachs investment bank.

Browse CEL Customer experience level in which a visitor learns about a category, options, and benefits.

Buy CEL Customer experience level in which a visitor completes a financial or equivalent contractual transaction.

C2JK Abbreviation for the four most commonly requested Asian languages for translation projects: Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Also called CJK and KCCJ.

CAI Abbreviation for computer-assisted interpretation.

Captioning Text-based versions of dialogue in films and television programs in the same language or another language, most commonly displayed at the bottom of the screen.

CAT Abbreviation for computer-assisted translation.

CAT tools See computer-assisted translation software.

CCJK Abbreviation for the four most commonly requested Asian languages for translation projects: Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Also called CJK and KCCJ

CEL Abbreviation for customer experience level.

Certification Process by which the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities of an individual – such as a translator or interpreter – or an organization – such as an LSP – are evaluated. 2. Statement from a translator regarding his or her qualifi

Certified interpreter Interpreter who has successfully met the requirements of a certification process.

Certified translation Translation that is accompanied by a statement from the language service provider, and/or translator or a third party individual or authority attesting to the accuracy of the translation.

Chance interpreter Person who provides interpretation services on an irregular basis, usually without the benefit of any formal training or professional preparation.

Character encoding Character encoding. Mapping from a character set definition to the actual code units used to represent the data.

Character set Collection of symbols or characters that correspond to textual information in a language or language group.

Chuchotage Delivery method for simultaneous interpretation in which the interpreter sits behind the listener, simultaneously interpreting while the speaker talks and whispering the rendition into the listener’s ear.

Chunk Smallest unit of content in a content management system.

CJK See C2JK.

CJKV Acronym for Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese.

Coarse-grained TM Translation memory based on large clause- or sentence-based segments.

Code page Character set that assigns code point value or numeric value to each character.

Cognates Words that share a common origin.

Collaborative translation Emerging approach to translation in which companies use the elements of crowdsourcing in a controlled environment for working on large corporate projects in short periods of time.

Collation sequence Order of a character set that can be represented on a computer.

Collocation Group of words that work together to express a single concept, object, or action.

Colophon Description, logo, or note at the end of a text.

Community interpreting Interpretation provided in social and public services settings.

Computational linguistics Study of processing natural languages through information technology.

Computer-aided translation See computer-assisted translation.

Computer-assisted interpretation Process by which a human interpreter uses computer software to facilitate interpretation. Commonly abbreviated CAI.

Computer-assisted translation Process by which a human translator uses computer software to facilitate translation. Commonly abbreviated CAT.

Computer-assisted translation software Also called CAT tools.

Concatenation Procedure of linking multiple files or messages together as a single document, often to facilitate processes such as search and replacement, term list extraction, collocation finding, and repetition rate establishment.

Concordance Process through which a computer-assisted translation software program compiles a list of contexts for terms in order to define the term and its equivalent in the target language more precisely.

Conference interpreting Interpretation provided in conference settings.

Consecutive interpretation Process through which an interpreter orally conveys a speaker’s words into another language after the speaker completes an utterance, usually relying on memory and note-taking, or though voice-silencing technology, which allows the interpreter to record t

Consistency Measure of how often a term or phrase is rendered the same way into the target language.

Content delivery application Program that uses and compiles information to update a web site.

Content management system Tool that stores, organizes, maintains, and retrieves data.

Context Information outside of the actual text that is essential for complete comprehension.

Controlled language Language in which grammar, vocabulary and syntax are restricted in order to reduce ambiguity and complexity and to make the source language easier to understand by native and non-native speakers and easier to translate with machine and human translation.

Controlled vocabulary Standardized terms and phrases that constitute a system’s vocabulary.

Corpus Compilation of texts that is helpful for collecting data, conducting research, and analyzing natural language text.

Country code Abbreviation of two or three characters to signify a country or dependent area. ISO 3166 specifies country codes, such as “AL” for Albania and “CZ” for the Czech Republic. There are also country codes for telephone numbers, such as +1 for the U.S. and Can

Court interpreting Interpretation that takes place in court settings.

Creole Language that develops when speakers of different languages remain in ongoing and persistent contact with one another, usually with one language group characterized by having greater political or economic power than another.

CT3 Abbreviation for community, crowdsourced, and collaborative translation.

Cultural adaptation Adjustment of a translation to conform with the target culture.

Cultural assessment Examination of an individual’s or group’s cultural preferences through comparative analyses.

Cultural brokering Practice by which an interpreter provides cultural information in order to help the listener gain a better understanding of the speaker's intended meaning.

Cultural competence Ability of an individual or organization to work effectively with individuals or groups with diverse cultural backgrounds.

Cultural sorting Organization of a text in an order typical for a certain culture, such as alphabetical order in the United States and character stroke order in China.

Culturally-sensitive translation Translation that takes into account cultural differences.

Customer experience level Level that describes the experience of a web site visitor. Commonly abbreviated CEL.

DBE Abbreviation for double-byte enabled.

Desktop publishing Applications like FrameMaker, PageMaker, and QuarkXPress to prepare documentation for publication.

Diacritical mark Symbol that signifies an alteration to the character around which it is placed, such as the apostrophe [‘] and circumflex [^].

Diacritical weight Relative value of a diacritical mark in a collation sequence.

Dialect Variety of a language spoken by members of a particular locale and characterized by a unique vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.

Diaspora A dispersion of people, language or culture from its original homeland.

Dipthong Speech sound that shifts vowel tones within one syllable. Examples include the words “low” (English), “oui” (French), and “muita” (Portuguese).

Direct speech interpretation Practice by which the speaker's utterances are rendered into the target language directly, without changing pronouns or prefacing renditions with the words, "he said," or "she said."  A direct speech interpretation of the w

Disambiguation Process of cleaning up a text in order to eliminate ambiguities to make translation more accurate.

Distortion Alteration from the original source.

DITA XML-based architecture for authoring, producing and delivering technical information.

D-M18N Abbreviation for domestic multiculturalization.

DNT Abbreviation for do not translate.

Do not translate List of phrases and words such as brand names and trademarks that do not require translation. Commonly abbreviated DNT.

Document type definition Description of how content should be structured, providing rules for tags and characteristics, to enable programs to more easily process and store the document. Commonly abbreviated DTD.

Domain Area of knowledge that is communicated within a text, translation, or corpus.

Domestic multiculturalization Multiculturalization that takes place within a country's borders. Commonly abbreviated D-M18N.

Dominant language 1. Language in which a person primarily communicates, usually his or her native language. 2. Language spoken by those who hold political and/or economic power.

Double-byte character set Character set that enables representation of double-byte languages.

Double-byte enabled Quality of an application or program that supports double-byte languages. Commonly abbreviated DBE.

Double-byte language Language – such as Chinese, Korean, and Japanese – that requires two bytes (16 bits) to represent each character precisely.

DTD Abbreviation for document type definition.

DTP Abbreviation for desktop publishing.

Dubbing Recording or replacement of voices commonly used in motion pictures and videos for which the recorded voices do not belong to the original actors or speakers and are in a different language.

Dynamic content Data produced in response to changeable, unfixed and retrieved from a database through user requests.

Eastern Arabic numerals Set of symbols used to represent numbers in combination with the Arabic alphabet in various countries, including Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, and parts of India. Also called Arabic Eastern Numerals.

Editing Second level of review in the traditional TEP process.

Encoding scheme System that assigns a numeric value to each character, in order to convert the character set to an automated form for transmitting and maintaining information.

Enter CEL Customer experience level in which a visitor arrives at a site and establishes interest or leaves.

Escort interpreting Interpretation that takes place for a person or delegation, for casual and/or professional communications.

Ethnic marketing Marketing that is designed to reach a specific linguistic or cultural group, usually a minority group.

Exact match Indication that a unit of text is 100% identical to a previously translated unit within a translation memory.

Example-based machine translation Form of machine translation that uses previously translated texts to produce a new translation, rather than creating a new translation from an actual translation and analysis of the source text.

Extended characters Characters that exceed the ASCII character range of seven bits, such as characters with diacritical marks or non-Roman characters.

eXtensible markup language Metadata language used to describe other markup languages. Commonly abbreviated XML.

Extreme globalization Globalization projects that involve immense scalability, huge complexity, the use of XML-based and web services, extraordinary organizational efforts, and the need for massive amounts of translation and localization leverage.

F2F Abbreviation for face-to-face interpretation.

Face cognates Words that are thought to share a common origin but actually do not. For example, the words “embarrassed” and “embarazada” (Spanish for “pregnant”).

Face-to-face interpretation Spoken language conversion by a human interpreter in the same location as the two parties who wish to communicate. Commonly abbreviated F2F.

False friends See false cognates.

FAQT Abbreviation for fully automated quality translation.

Faux amis See false cognates.

Federal court interpreter Interpreter who has obtained certification that permits him or her to interpret during U.S. federal court proceedings.

FIGS Abbreviation for French, Italian, German, and Spanish.

Fine-grained TM Translation memory based on word- or syntagm-level segments.

First language Language a person learns first in life.

First person interpretation Practice by which the speaker's utterances are rendered into the target language directly, without changing pronouns or prefacing renditions with the words, "he said," or "she said."  A first person interpretation of the words

Fixed booth Area built into a meeting room from which interpreters can perform simultaneous interpretation.

Foreign language Language that is not one’s native language.

Freelance translator Translator who works as a freelancer.

Freelancer Individual who is self-employed and works for multiple companies on a per-project or contractual basis.

Full match See exact match.

Fully automated quality translation Machine translation output with no human post-processing or editing, but suitable as a replacement for human translation. This type of MT is the ultimate goal of technologists. Commonly abbreviated FAQT.

Fully automated useful translation Machine translation output with no human intervention, but typically with a lower bar for quality than fully automated quality translation. Commonly abbreviated FAUT.

Functional quality assurance See functional testing.

Functional testing Reviewing software applications and programs to ensure that the localization process does not change the software or impair its functions or on-screen content display.

Fuzzy logic Process that creates near matches in text to translation memory terms when exact matches cannot be found.

Fuzzy match Indication that words or sentences are partially – but not exactly – matched to previous translations.

G11N Abbreviation for globalization, with the number 11 representing the number of characters between the G and N.

GB 18030 Non-Unicode code page that contains room for 1.6 million one-, two- or four-byte characters and includes characters for Traditional Chinese, Mongolian, Tibetan, Yi and Uyghur scripts.

GCMS Abbreviation for global content management system.

Geolocation Process of identifying the geographic location of an individual, computer, or device based on their IP address..

GILT Acronym for globalization, internationalization, localization, and translation.

GIM Abbreviation for global information management.

Gist translation Use of human or machine translation to create a rough translation of the source text that allows the reader to understand the essence of the text.