Terminology, Register, and Cultural Appropriateness
Terminology is a concept problem first
Term research starts with the concept, not the word: identify the domain, the definition, and the term's place in a concept system, then choose the target term that denotes the same concept at the right degree of specificity. Check collocations and phraseology, not just the head noun. Then standardise: one term per concept per document, recorded in a glossary and applied consistently, including in headings, tables, and summaries.
Register is a package
Field (subject matter), tenor (relationship between writer and reader), and mode (spoken/written, edited/unscripted) together determine register. Markers include lexical choice, contractions, honorifics and address forms, sentence complexity, and modality. A shift in any one marker reads as a shift in the speaker's identity or in the relationship between the parties.
Culture and realia
Culture-specific items - institutions, titles, foods, legal roles, holidays - usually call for one of: borrowing, calque, a descriptive gloss, an established target equivalent, or adaptation. Choose by the reader's need and the text's function, and stay consistent. Over-domesticating can misrepresent; over-explaining can swamp the text.
Traps
- Taking the first dictionary hit, or a synonym borrowed from a different domain or register.
- False friends that look technical but denote a different concept.
- Mixing registers: a colloquial verb inside a formal notice.
- Using a near-synonym that carries a different legal or technical consequence.
- Treating the same culture-specific item differently in two places.
Rule of thumb
Ask of each term: would a target-language specialist in this field use this word in this sentence, in this document type? If you cannot answer confidently, research - do not guess.