faq
Q:
What is a bi-text (bilingual text)?
A:
A merged document comprised of both -source and target- language versions of a given text.
Q:
What is MT?
A:
Machine translation (MT) is the use of software to translate text or speech from one language to another.
Q:
What is computer-aided translation (CAT)?
A:
Translation conducted with the aid of computerized tools.
Q:
What is controlled language?
A:
Human language that is subject to various constraints, such as restrictions of vocabulary, grammar, or sentence length.
Q:
What is copywriting?
A:
Writing advertising or publicity materials.
Q:
What is desktop publishing? (DTP)
A:
The creation of documents on a computer for either large scale publishing or small scale local economical multifunction peripheral output and distribution.
Q:
What is a fuzzy match?
A:
A result found using translation memory in which the segment is similar, but not identical, to a segment already in translation memory.
Q:
What is interpretation?
A:
Verbal translation of spoken language.
Q:
What is language technology?
A:
Computer programs, including terminology management, translation memory, and machine translation, that facilitate the translation or localization of textual content.
Q:
What is literal translation?
A:
Translation that attempts to convey the meaning of each word in the source text. Varying degrees of literal translation are possible, from so-called “morphemic glosses” that translate every part of a word where possible, without regard to intelligibility, to translations that attempt to preserve word choices and broad structures while still producing intelligible (although stilted) output.
Q:
What is localization?
A:
The process of modifying products or services to account for differences in distinct markets. We also call localization to the process of adapting software for a particular geographical region or "locale". Localization is often abbreviated as L10N. This abbreviation is formed using the first and last letter of the word (L, N) and the number 10, which specifies the number of letters between the L and the N.
Q:
What is mother tongue?
A:
An individual’s native language.
Q:
What is multilingual?
A:
Supporting more than one language.
Q:
What is proofreading?
A:
The practice of reviewing translated text to identify and correct errors.
Q:
What is revising?
A:
Changing a text or other project after authoring or localization.
Q:
What is source language?
A:
The original language of a project, from which all other versions are translated. The language from which a text is translated, or in which a product is developed for localization
Q:
What is standard page?
A:
An amount of text corresponding to a standard number of keystrokes per page in a given locale, usually 1500 to 2000 characters.
Q:
What is a style guide?
A:
A written document that explains the guidance on aspects of language usage and localization practice, such as grammar, punctuation, spelling, and numeric formats to ensure consistency and quality.
Q:
What is target language?
A:
The language into which content is translated or localized. For example, in a Spanish to English translation, English is the target language.
Q:
What is target market?
A:
The intended audience or users for a given product.
Q:
What is terminology database?
A:
An electronic database of terms and associated information.
Q:
What is a translation memory?
A:
A translation tool that stores text segments (usually sentences) and their translations in a database and automatically retrieves translations for text that is already in the database (usually from a previous version of the text). The tool may also find similar segments and their translations to assist the translator.
Q:
What is transliteration?
A:
The process of writing text in one script with a (nearly or completely accurate) equivalent in another script.
Q:
What is word count?
A:
The total number of words contained in a text. Word count is the basis for price determinations for many localization-related tasks.
