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The Importance of a Glossary for Vietnamese Technical Translation Services

Posted by Chloe G. on December 17, 2021.

A glossary of terms is a database of keywords and phrases commonly used in a niche or industry. It helps your Vietnamese technical translation services deliver accurate translations. Moreover, when many humans are behind a project, they are likely to speak in the same voice before your Vietnamese audience.

Having a comprehensive glossary even benefits you more. Let’s take a deeper dive to see how it might affect the quality of your Vietnamese technical translation services

A Glossary for Technical Translations Ensures Consistency

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The glossary will play as a skeleton throughout your entire content, by which the Vietnamese technical translation services will always use the same word to translate technical terms.

You need to translate a user manual for a medical device whose components have specific names. In that case, you have to make sure that each component will be mentioned in the same word throughout your content.

This way, users will be able to properly assemble the device. If your translator uses different words when referring to the same component, users will find it hard to assemble the device correctly. 

Let’s take the medical field where there is no room for errors as another example. The French term néphrose is translated into Vietnamese as “hội chứng thận hư” (syndrome + kidney + malfunction), not “hội chứng hư thận” (syndrome + malfunction + kidney) though both are quite equal in meaning. The disease name is normally fixed in terms, so your Vietnamese translation services should call the disease by the exact name from beginning to end.

A glossary of terms ensures that Vietnamese technical translations are consistent no matter how many translators are working on your project. Under no circumstances should end-users be in a position to make assumptions about what is mentioned in your documents due to improper translation of specific terminology. 

 

The Glossary Provides Translators with Brand Guidelines

Branding is crucial in technical content. By consistently appearing many times (as being on the top of google searching) or leaving a positive impression on readers (your tone of voice/clear and detailed instructions, etc.), you raise your brand recognition and improve sales. With the glossary for technical translations, your linguists will have clear guidelines on how you want each product/component to be known in the market.  

For example, your brand has a product called fuel injector cleaner. It is designed to clean the fuel injectors and improve injector spray patterns in gasoline fuel injection engines. When translated into Vietnamese, you can call it “vệ sinh kim phun”, “làm sạch kim phun” or “tẩy rửa kim phun”. As you desire to bear in customers’ minds consistently only one name of the product, you need to guide your Vietnamese translation services of the exact term first and let it constantly repeat throughout all translated materials.

 

It Helps You Reduce Translation Costs

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Building a glossary of terms is worth investing in, as it pays for high-quality translations and saves significant resources since you translate more content. 

When your Vietnamese technical translation services have the glossary guidelines for technical translations, they are less likely to have terminology troubles because all terms are listed, explained, and translated in multiple contexts. Resultantly, your translators will spend less time translating, proofreading, editing, and reworking to match your standards. They work more smoothly with a smaller number of hours; hence, your translation costs are naturally cut down.

You can also reduce the number of hours your team spends on the project. When the Vietnamese technical translation services deliver accurate translation right from the start, your in-house experts will not have much to do and could focus on other tasks. 

The more translations you have, the higher return on your investment would be.

 

Linguists Work with Fast Turnarounds

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A glossary for technical translation saves you not only money but also time. When your Vietnamese technical translation services do not have to look for technical jargon or niche phrases, they can work more quickly. They also have fewer questions incurring and know exactly what needs to be done.  

In this way, you meet all deadlines without sacrificing quality or taking any shortcuts. 

 

Glossaries Help You Comply with Regulations

In many industries, technical translation becomes a compulsory task, followed by existing national and international laws. For example, an imported medical device can’t be sold or distributed in Vietnam without ISO 13485 certificate, instructions (Vietnamese), labeling, and some other documents.

In industries like healthcare, translation services are heavily regulated to ensure that end-users will receive accurate information and not risk their physical integrity by using any products/components/services. 

For example, if a physician knows his patient’s full medical history (including procedures/past conditions), the physician will prescribe a safe and effective treatment for that patient accordingly. However, if your Vietnamese technical translation services confuse the terminology, entering the wrong condition or procedure into the chart, it can have a significant impact on the patient’s care. Treatment may be less effective, or in some cases, become dangerous to the receiver. 

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Work With a Competitive-pricing Company for your Vietnamese Technical Translation Services

Creating a glossary may appear daunting at first glance, but it pays off with a smoother translation process and consistent outcomes. Make sure before translation begins, your Vietnamese technical translation services will work with you on what to include in a glossary – you’ll reap the advantages both at home and abroad!

GTE Localize is a professional Vietnamese translation company that only offers comprehensive Vietnamese technical translation services for businesses at a cost-saving rate and fast turnaround time.

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Contact GTE Localize today to see how we can assist you in setting up your glossary and ensuring that your brand connects authentically with the Vietnamese market.

If you want to get more information about Asian languages and localization tips, our white paper will be a good resource to download.