Corporate terminology management
What is terminology management?
Terminology comprises a company’s language or vocabulary. In terminology management, this vocabulary is recorded, structured and defined – systematically and usually supported by programs. Terminology management supports all text creators – technical editors, marketing departments and translators – in their work. Smartly integrated into author assistance systems, CMS and translation tools, the terminology is then made available at the click of a button.
Why terminology management?
Is that an “aluminium wheel rim” or an “alloy wheel rim”? Is it spelled “aluminium disc wheel” or “aluminum disc wheel”? And what do customers call it when they search for this product online? Does your SAP system post the order under the same name?
Terminology is an important means of conveying information within an organisation. It can also take up a lot of time when lots of different terms are used for one and the same product across different areas of the company and in different languages. Companies that use defined, standardised corporate and technical language communicate more effectively and precisely with colleagues and customers alike. So it is no surprise that three quarters of companies surveyed are currently using some form of terminology management.
Terminology management at oneword
You can confidently outsource most of your terminology work, because our independent terminology management department helps you to effectively achieve and implement your communication goals, standardise your communication and prevent unwanted terms from being reproduced in your work. A large multilingual team of terminology experts with industry and specialist knowledge and many years of experience is there to support you.
Terminology projects of any size
Perhaps you’re planning a multilingual terminology project with a complex structure and thousands of entries that need to be checked, expanded and defined? Our terminology team can support you with both large long-term projects and smaller terminology issues, as well as pilot projects or individual optimisation measures.
Terminology – how and where do you start?
First the good news: your company’s terminology is already there! Terminology is the specialist vocabulary used by your company, so it’s already there, in all your documents, on your website, and in your databases. You only have to gather them (keyword term mining).
Although highly relevant for many companies, only around a quarter invest in long-term, company-wide terminology management in order to create target-oriented, strong customer communication and corporate identity and to prevent misunderstandings and unnecessary translation costs.
This is because terminology costs time and money. However, not using uniform terminology can cost an organisation even more. But where and how is the best place to start? Often it’s a small but crucial external impetus, a cost-benefit comparison or a kick-off workshop, that gets the ball rolling. Our consultancy team of terminologists and linguists will support you throughout the introduction of your terminology management system and help you prepare effectively for your terminology project.
What we offer in terminology consultancy
- Introduction of terminology management
- Extracting and constructing terminology databases
- Definition, research and information enhancement
- Definition of the entry structure and classification of terminology data
- Maintaining and streamlining terminology data
- Selecting terminology databases and systems
- Data migration from terminology databases and systems
- Creation of terminology guidelines
Our workshop topics
- Needs analysis and company concept
- Costs and benefits of terminology
- The basics of practical terminology work
- Optimum design of terminology processes within the company
- Designing efficient multilingual terminology management
We adapt to your needs and offer tailor-made workshops. You choose what you want to focus on and we design the workshop content accordingly.
“The project was surprisingly easy. Personally, I was afraid before the project started that no one would want to take on our terminology database and so I was completely thrilled at how fearlessly Ms Nesbigall and her team took on the task and mastered it. It is immediately apparent that they are aware that clear terminology is required. Both their internal and external terminologists are very well qualified. We were always able to reach oneword at any time and they responded quickly to our requests.”
Terminology extraction
After a consultation or workshop, it is finally time to get started. Often, the first step in creating terminology is extracting frequently used terms from existing documents. Terminology extraction is computer-aided and manually verified. The extracted terminology list then forms the basis for further terminology work.
Our terminology experts will professionally extract terminology for you, work with you to define further criteria for the terminology structure and determine the optimum workflow for continuing to expand the terminology, both in the source language and in all required foreign languages.
- Development of consistent corporate and technical language (terminology) and style guides
- Monolingual and multilingual terminology extraction
- Integration of existing terminology lists
- Definition of the scope and structure of the terminology database
- Streamlining and optimising existing terminology databases and lists in line with criteria for the style, language and terminology
- Terminology creation in foreign languages and design of multilingual terminology processes
Tidying up terminology
Why streamline terminology lists?
Once terminology lists are created, they are usually extended over years, and are never streamlined. Therefore, they can quickly become filled with all sorts of linguistic information such as spellings, translations and abbreviations. It is not uncommon to find five permitted English words for one term. Regular database maintenance is unpopular, (supposedly) time-consuming, but also extremely necessary, similar to tidying up your basement.
Terminology tidy-up at oneword
Our terminology team will help you whip your terminology database into shape and prevent it from growing out of control. Our complete service ranges from specific optimisations to large-scale restructuring.
Optimisation of your terminology database
- Removal and merging of duplicates and synonyms
- Removal of obsolete and incorrect terminology
- Creation of guidelines for ongoing systematic terminology maintenance
- Improvement of database usability
- Restructuring of terminology databases
- Migration of your database to a terminology management system
Keeping multilingual terminology organised and up to date
We use an international, experienced terminology team and best-practice workflows to streamline and maintain multilingual terminology databases. To get your multilingual terminology project off to an optimum, easy start, we organise a made-to-measure workshop with you and together we design a roadmap for an optimum terminology workflow. Every aspect of our service is designed to ensure the long-term success of your terminology management system.
Terminology management
Terminology management – how does it work?
You have created terminology lists and set up a workflow to streamline them on a regular basis. But how do you make terminology available to your entire company, and ensure that it can be used efficiently in the future? Who should be allowed or required to modify entries in the terminology database? Without a standardised, practical process and a suitable system, your terminology database can either shrivel up or quickly grow out of control. However, there is often a lack of expertise and time to adequately maintain terminology databases.
Terminology management at oneword
oneword is an expert in terminology work and terminology management. We will be happy to support you with our complete range of services for managing and maintaining your terminology database and to help you to identify best-practice solutions for your terminology management. If you would prefer to fully outsource your management process to us, we can provide cutting-edge systems and just the right kind of services, all based on global standards.
- Terminology database concepts and consulting
- Migration of terminology databases
- Creation and structuring of databases
- to optimise terminology workflows
- Optimisation and tidy-up of terminology databases
- Terminology management as a full service package
- Structured Excel exports
- The oneTerm terminology solution
We offer all services for common systems, such as crossTerm, MultiTerm, translate5 and TermStar, and a discounted complete package for the most demanding requirements with oneTerm. No matter what size your company is, or what specific requirements you have, the processes we use will help to build the ideal terminology management system for you based on quality and standards.
Terminology management as an offline solution
If you do not require web access, we can export the contents of a server-supported or local terminology database for you, either at regular intervals, or just when you need it. This data is available in a structured Excel list and in all common data exchange formats. This gives you a clear file for quick reference and for working that can be transferred to a terminology database of your choice at any time.
Our oneTerm service
oneTerm: inexpensive, user-friendly and flexible
With oneTerm, we have developed a service package that enables our clients to have professional terminology management without having to invest huge amounts of time, resources and money. Our technology and services are tailored to your exact requirements and budget.
With oneTerm, we provide you with terminology management from a single source: A smart, comprehensive, technical solution, rapid implementation and all the terminology management services you may require.
Your benefits: Our large terminology team will help and guide you at every stage, from planning through to preparation and implementation. This collective experience and knowledge will give your terminology processes the necessary level of support that you require without adding costs.
- Flexible services and technologies for practical terminology management
- The highest technical standards with a complete range of functions and extra features
- Very user-friendly, with high levels of acceptance
- Global access, for use 24/7, anywhere in the world
- Uncomplicated access to the Web
- Freely definable user rights
- Supports all current standards and exchange formats
- Independence and flexibly thanks to data exports and transfers
- Support and training
We’ll be happy to create a bespoke package of services for you.
We make your terminology available at the touch of a button
oneTerm’s intuitive, easy to use design and functionality give you convenient, world-wide access to your terminology via a browser. Our in-house terminology specialists will build a structured database of your specialist terms on our terminology server. Your staff can then be assigned read or write access to this database. The database’s structure, user access rights, and the additional services provided by oneword can be scaled to meet your requirements. You will be able to move your data or export it at any time, giving you independence and flexibility.
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