Translation Customization

How to Use the Glossary in PTC for Software Translation

PTC’s glossary lets you create more accurate translations by defining how key terms and names appear in your software translations.

What Is The Glossary in PTC?

The PTC glossary is a tool that improves translation accuracy. You control how words that may have different meanings appear in software translations.

For example, let’s say your project includes the term “Target”:

  • In a fitness tracking app, the term “Target” could refer to a fitness goal 
  • In a shooting game, “Target” refers to an object or person being aimed at
  • In a retail app, “Target” refers to the store name and should remain untranslated

Adding “Target” to your glossary and defining how it should be translated keeps translations relevant to your software’s context.

Best Practices for Adding Glossary Terms

To get the most out of the glossary in PTC, follow these tips:

Only Add Critical Terms

Add terms that are important to your project and may be misunderstood without context. These include technical terms, brand names, or amibiguous words.

Enter Terms Exactly as They Should Appear

Avoid adding extra symbols, notes, or descriptions inside the term field. Just enter the word or phrase exactly how you want it to appear in translations.

Use the Singular Form

Add terms in their singular form unless the term is always used in the plural in your software.

Avoid Duplicates

Make sure each term is only added once. Repeated entries can confuse the system and reduce translation quality

Consider Capitalization

Add separate entries if your term needs to be translated differently based on capitalization. For example:

  • “Target” (store name)
  • “target” (a goal)

Only Add Verbs If Necessary

Most verbs don’t need glossary entries. Add them only if:

  • They appear only in buttons or action labels
  • They have different meanings depending on context
  • You want a specific conjugation or phrasing

How PTC Helps You Build Your Glossary 

PTC helps you get started with building your glossary in two ways:

  1. Pre-Populating Terms at Setup

During project setup, PTC uses the project description and categories to identify important, industry-specific terms. It then automatically adds them to your glossary.

  1. Identifying Names After Translation

PTC flags possible names after translating your project. Confirming them adds to your glossary, boosts your translation quality score, and helps future translations.

How to Add Glossary Entries in PTC

If PTC didn’t add certain names or terms to the glossary, you can do it manually. You can choose between two types of entries:

Name or Proper NounGeneral Term
Appear in translations exactly as you enter them in the glossary. 

Example: The name “Amazon” (the e-commerce company) will appear the same in all languages.		Appear in translations as you enter them or may adjust slightly to fit the context.

Example: The term “Amazon” (the rainforest) will translate to “Amazone” in French or “Amazônia” in Portuguese.

To add a term:

  1. From the top menu in your PTC dashboard, click on Glossary.
  2. Click Add new entry and enter your term.
  3. Select the type of term you’re adding.
Adding a new glossary entry
  1. Let PTC translate automatically for you, or add translations manually.

Translation Customization

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