Terminology

Translation is not simply about translating words from one language to another. You have to interpret the meaning, context and cultural nuances so the message delivered is clear, accurate and achieves its goal. Terminology and consistency play a key role in this process. This is especially so in specialised fields such as legal, technical, medical and academic documents, where careless use of terms can create confusion, causes mistakes and even have serious consequences, such as a party refusing to sign a contract or being sued for damages.

Terminology is the set of terms specific to a particular field of knowledge. Using the right terminology in a translation ensures that the text is understood and trusted by your target audience. A translator needs to know not only the literal meaning of terms, but also their accepted usage in the target language. Translating a technical term imprecisely can alter the meaning of the text. Conducting terminological research and searching glossaries and specialised databases is essential to maintain terminological accuracy and coherence throughout the text.

Coherence refers to the internal logic and uniformity of the translated text. A coherent text has a clear structure, a uniform style and a logical relationship between its ideas. In translation this means respecting the conventions of the target language and ensuring lexical and grammatical choices are consistent from beginning to end. For instance, if a particular technical concept is translated in a certain way at the beginning of the document, the same translation should be maintained throughout, unless there is a justified reason not to.

This is one of the major problems of texts translated with AI: lack of textual coherence and terminological precision. The ideas do not follow a clear logical progression and, in long documents, terms are used inconsistently or ambiguously. This can lead to unnecessary repetition, abrupt changes of subject matter or use of vocabulary from a different field, making it difficult for the reader to understand the message. Although AI can generate grammatically-correct content, these shortcomings highlight the need for in-depth human review to ensure thematic unity, conceptual clarity and appropriate use of specialised terminology. Director in an English document cannot be translated variously as director, administrador or consejero in different parts of the Spanish version. And that is what AI does: it translates segments predictively, not as parts of a text.

In conclusion, terminology and coherence are extremely important when translating texts as they have a direct impact on the quality, clarity and credibility of the end product. A skilled translator must pay special attention to both aspects to produce accurate, professional translations adapted to the reader’s needs. Only then does translation fulfil its true purpose: to communicate effectively between languages and cultures.