An introduction to multilingual glossaries

Understand how and why to use a multilingual glossary when translating content

What is a multilingual glossary?

A common struggle for translators is interpreting an English word or phrase when there is no direct equivalent in the language you’re translating to (often called the “target language”).

One example is the common English phrase “log in.” In Spanish, “to log in” translates to “apertura de la sesión,” which translates back into English as “to open the session.” It takes tremendous time and effort to research how to interpret common terms into the most universally-acceptable translation of Spanish.

A multilingual glossary is a tool that facilitates sharing common translations among subject matter experts across communities. These glossaries help translators and agencies better communicate with non-English speaking audiences and households. Pooling commonly translated government terms into a shared multilingual glossary supports consistent communication across government.

A multilingual glossary is not the same thing as an automated translation tool. Think about the example where you translate the Spanish “apertura de la sesión” back into English “to open the session.” Automatic translation technologies do not have the programming to ensure that your translation is actually the way people speak.

Why create a multilingual glossary?

More than 67 million people in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home. Nearly 25 million of those people, or 8.2 percent of the U.S. population, are considered of limited English proficiency (LEP). Despite these numbers, most government web content is only available in English.

Providing content in different languages makes important government information more broadly accessible in the U.S. and beyond. Translated government websites have worldwide reach and influence. According to analytics.usa.gov, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) MedlinePlus en Español receives nine to ten million unique views on health topics every week, largely from other Spanish-speaking countries.

It is important that timely and vital information is available in languages beyond English. If you were a Spanish-speaking person with a limited understanding of English living in the United States in 2020, where would you have gone to get accurate, timely, and life-saving information about COVID-19 if it was not available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) en Español? During national emergencies, natural disasters, and worldwide pandemics, government agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the CDC provide crucial information the public trusts and depends upon.

Finally, language access is a civil right. Executive Order 13166 was signed on August 11, 2000, to improve access to government services for people with LEP. In 2011, the Department of Justice revived the effort by publishing Language Access Assessment and Planning Tool for Federally Conducted and Federally Assisted Programs (PDF, 867 KB, 22 pages, May 2011). While the federal government is actively undertaking efforts to produce content in more languages, a shared multilingual glossary makes the effort more efficient. Multilingual glossaries reduce duplicate agency translation work and lower costs through fewer man hours spent on commonly translated government terms. It also helps to standardize terminology across agencies to communicate with the public in a clearer, more efficient way.

How can I start using multilingual glossaries?

The Digital.gov Multilingual Community of Practice, GSA’s 10x Multilingual Glossary Tool project, and an interagency working group worked to develop a shared translation glossary of health terms in Spanish. The glossary is available and use is encouraged by all translation teams working in both public and private sectors. The goal of the glossary is to ensure consistency, quality, and understandability of key health-related terms across government.

What can I do next?

Explore more resources and knowledge related to multilingual digital content on Digital.gov.

You can also join the Digital.gov Multilingual Community of Practice to connect with government multilingual content managers who are working to expand and improve multilingual glossaries.