SLTES Open key terms

The degree of formality in language shaped by setting, audience, and purpose. Interpreters and translators must match it in the target text, since shifting it changes how the message is received.

A habitual word pairing that native speakers expect, such as 'heavy rain' rather than 'strong rain'. Choosing the conventional partner in the target language makes output sound natural.

A word that looks or sounds similar across two languages but carries a different meaning, such as Spanish 'embarazada' (pregnant) versus English 'embarrassed'. Recognizing these prevents confident but wrong renderings.

The way sentences are linked through reference words, conjunctions, and lexical repetition so a text reads as one connected whole. Translators often rebuild cohesion because languages signal it differently.

The underlying logical consistency that lets a reader follow a text's ideas, independent of surface connectors. A translation can be cohesive yet incoherent if the reasoning is misrepresented.

Working out what a pronoun or referring expression points back to. Interpreters must resolve it instantly to avoid attributing an action to the wrong person or thing in the target language.

A feature of source text that permits more than one reading, whether lexical, syntactic, or referential. The translator must choose the intended meaning from context and, if needed, ask the speaker.

Achieving the same communicative effect in the target text that the source produced for its original audience, including implied meaning, tone, and politeness, rather than matching words one to one.

An utterance understood as an action, such as a request, warning, promise, or apology. Translating the intended act correctly matters more than reproducing its literal wording.

The intended function behind an utterance, for example whether 'it's cold in here' is a comment or an indirect request to close a window. Misreading it distorts the speaker's intent.

An approach that stays close to the wording and structure of the original, often to preserve its form or legal precision. It may read less naturally in the target language.

An approach that prioritizes natural expression and reader expectations in the receiving language. It often restructures sentences and adapts cultural references for fluency.

Rendering text word for word or clause for clause while keeping grammatical sense. It suits fixed formulas and technical strings but can produce awkward or misleading prose elsewhere.

A loan translation that copies a source-language structure into the target, such as 'skyscraper' rendered morpheme by morpheme. Some calques become accepted; others remain unnatural.

A translation procedure that changes the grammatical class of a word, for example turning a source noun into a target verb, to keep the meaning and read naturally.

A shift in point of view expressed in the target text, such as rendering a negative source phrase as a positive target phrase, while preserving the same meaning.

Making implicit source information explicit in the target text, such as naming a referent or adding a connective, so the intended meaning is clear to the new audience.

Leaving something unsaid in the target that the source stated overtly, because the audience can infer it from context. Overuse can remove information the reader needs.

Adapting a text to the target culture's norms and references so it reads as locally produced. It improves fluency but can erase cultural specificity the author intended.

Deliberately retaining source-culture features and wording so the target reader senses the text's foreign origin. It preserves cultural texture at some cost to immediate readability.

Rendering speech into another language in real time, usually a few seconds behind the speaker, while the speaker continues. It demands divided attention and rapid prediction.

Interpreting after the speaker pauses, often in segments of several minutes, with the interpreter relying on notes. It allows more polished output and closer accuracy than simultaneous work.

The lag between hearing a source utterance and producing its interpretation. Skilled simultaneous interpreters adjust it, widening it for dense content and narrowing it for fast speakers.

Dividing incoming speech into meaningful chunks that can be processed and reformulated. Good segmentation supports both simultaneous lag management and structured consecutive notes.

A personal shorthand used in consecutive interpreting to record ideas, links, and names rather than verbatim words. Notes are cues for memory, not a transcript to be read aloud.

Reading a written text in one language and speaking it aloud in another, often under time pressure. It blends reading comprehension with impromptu oral production.

Simultaneous interpreting delivered quietly to one or two listeners without a booth or headset system. It is common in bilateral meetings and site visits.

A chain in which one interpreter renders the source into a pivot language and another renders the pivot into the final language. Accuracy can degrade with each added link.

An intermediate language used to bridge two languages for which no direct interpreter is available. The relay interpreter works from the pivot rather than the original speaker.

An allusion to a place, event, institution, or custom that outsiders may not recognize. Translators decide whether to retain, explain, or substitute it for the target audience.

A style in which much meaning is carried by setting, relationships, and shared history rather than explicit words. Interpreters must convey implied messages, not just sentences.

A style that states meaning directly and explicitly, relying little on shared background. Misjudging it against a high-context speaker can make an interpreter sound blunt or vague.

A person's public self-image and dignity in interaction. Interpreters must preserve face-saving indirectness or honorifics, since flattening them can cause unintended offense.

A linguistic form that marks respect for the addressee or a referenced person, common in Japanese, Korean, and Javanese. It carries social meaning that must be handled in translation.

The duty not to disclose information learned while interpreting or translating. It applies to assignments, documents, and client identities, and generally survives the end of the engagement.

Remaining neutral and not favoring any party in an interpreted exchange. The interpreter conveys what each speaker says without advocacy, omission, or added commentary.

A situation where a personal, financial, or family connection could bias the interpreter's work. It must be disclosed and, where material, the assignment declined.

The limits of what an interpreter does beyond conveying speech, such as whether to explain culture, give advice, or answer on a client's behalf. Exceeding them can compromise neutrality.

A contested practice in which the interpreter steps beyond neutral conveyance to support a disadvantaged party. It conflicts with strict impartiality and must be agreed with all parties beforehand.

A database that stores previously translated segments and suggests them when similar source text appears again. It improves consistency and speed but can propagate old errors.

A managed collection of approved terms with definitions, equivalents, and usage notes for a domain or client. It enforces consistent vocabulary across translators and projects.

The process of identifying candidate specialized terms from a corpus or source text, often with software assistance, before confirming them for a glossary.

Reviewing and correcting machine-translated output to meet a defined quality level. Light post-editing targets gist; full post-editing targets publishable accuracy and style.

A structured collection of texts used to study language patterns, verify collocations, or train and evaluate translation tools. Comparable and parallel corpora serve different research purposes.

Systematic checks on a translation for accuracy, terminology, formatting, and completeness before delivery. It includes automated checks and human review against agreed criteria.