Glossary of Terms

Confused about terms used in the language industry?

We hope the following glossary clarifies your questions. If not, contact us.

Affidavit

A sworn statement (made by the certified translator) witnessed by a notary public.

Certification

A translation of an official document is ‘certified’ when it is done by a certified translator (a certified member of a provincial or federal organization that regulates translation practices). A certified translator must provide a hard copy of their translation and affix their seal and declaration (in the form of a header/footer or separate attached letter).

Citizenship and Immigration Canada

The governing body in charge of immigration procedures in Canada.

Consecutive Interpretation

Consecutive interpretation is when the interpreter listens to the source language speech and provides the spoken interpretation in the target language directly after each statement.

DTP or Typesetting

Stands for ‘desktop publishing’ and is also referred to as ‘typesetting’. This corresponds to the formatting of a document into a graphic design program. Usually used for marketing material, for example: brochures, business cards and other promotional documents.

Editing or Proofreading

A review of translated text for typos, spelling, grammar, tone and formatting. We strive to meet the specific requirements of every client in regards to style and accuracy.

ICBC

The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia. The organization that administers documents related to vehicles and driving in British Columbia: drivers’ licenses, driver’s records, vehicle registration, vehicle claims, etc.

Internationalization

The cultural and linguistic conversion of a product or service so it can easily be sold or employed anywhere in the world.

Interpretation

Spoken translation, on-site translation, conference translation or simultaneous translation are terms often used when referring to interpretation. Interpretation is a spoken translation between two languages in conversations between two or more people.

Localization

The linguistic and cultural adaptation of a product to another market. (For example, selling a product to the Korean market is different than the American market.) It can also mean the act of inserting a translation into the code of a particular software program, or ‘Software Localization’.

Notarization

A certified translation is notarized when it is signed and stamped by a notary public in the presence of the certified translator. An Affidavit (see above) may also be required. Notarization is sometimes necessary for immigration or legal purposes.

Simultaneous Interpretation

Simultaneous interpretation is when the interpreter listens to the source language speech and provides the spoken interpretation at the same time, or ‘live’. This requires the use of simultaneous interpretation equipment (headsets, microphones, booths, etc).

Source Language

The language of the original text.

Spot checking

 The last stage before we submit the completed translation to the client; a final review for inconsistencies, formatting and typos.

Target Language

The language into which the original text is translated.

Text Expansion

Languages don’t always have the same grammatical structure and morphology as other languages. Sometimes it can take many more words or phrases to express the same meaning in the target language. This is typical in English to Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese. The text expansion rate for these language pairs varies from 10 to 20%.

Transcription

Transcription involves listening to recorded speech, either from an audio or video file, and providing the text, word for word, in written form.

Translation

Foreign language translation is the process of transforming a written text from one language into another language. However, it is not a simple conversion; often cultural subtleties have to be taken into account.

Turnaround Time

The time between project confirmation by the client and delivery of the final translation.

Word Count

The number of words in a document used to calculate the price of the translation.