Terminology Extraction & Research
Identify candidate terms in your documents or corpus, filter noise and verify meanings against subject-matter evidence.
PangeaVox · Linguistic Asset Management
Terminology Management & Termbase Development
One concept. The right term. Every language.
Critical terminology needs more than a spreadsheet of translations. A well-managed termbase records what each concept means, which terms are preferred, which should be avoided and who approved those decisions.
We help organisations extract, research, standardise and maintain multilingual terminology for technical documentation, healthcare, software, legal content and international marketing.
Concept ID · DEMO-001
Application programming interface
Subject field: Software engineering
Defined interface through which software components communicate.
LanguagePreferred termStatus
EN-GBapplication programming interfaceApproved
FR-FRinterface de programmation d’applicationFor review
DE-DEProgrammierschnittstelleApproved
Definitions · Source references · Usage notes · Decision history
Fictitious record for illustration; example statuses are not verified linguistic decisions.
A living linguistic asset
What Is Terminology Management?
Terminology management is the systematic collection, description, approval and ongoing maintenance of specialist terms and the concepts they represent. A structured termbase goes beyond word lists: it can capture concept definitions, subject fields, preferred and admitted forms, forbidden terms, equivalents, sources, context and review status.
Where different teams write or translate the same product, approved terminology reduces ambiguity and helps maintain consistent meaning in every market.
From first extraction to controlled release
Our Terminology Management Services
Commission a focused task or a structured programme that covers existing terminology, new content and future multilingual updates.
Multilingual Termbase Creation
Build concept-oriented entries with definitions, approved equivalents, subject fields, usage notes and source references.
Terminology Standardisation
Resolve competing expressions, record preferred and deprecated variants and develop do-not-translate rules where appropriate.
Termbase Auditing & Clean-up
Find duplicates, inconsistent language tags, incomplete entries, ambiguous concepts and obsolete or conflicting terms.
Migration & Format Conversion
Map and transform existing glossaries and termbases to agreed TBX, Excel, CSV or CAT-compatible formats with validation.
Ongoing Terminology Governance
Set ownership, approval roles, change requests, revision history and an agreed periodic review or update cycle.
Commercial options
Choose the Level of Support You Need
New Multilingual Termbase
Extract and research domain terminology, propose equivalents, collect specialist approvals and deliver a structured terminology resource.
Deliverable: Approved term records and an agreed export, with an issues log where needed.
Request termbase creationAudit, Clean-up & Migration
Assess an inherited glossary or termbase, eliminate conflicts and duplicates, restructure entries and prepare them for your chosen workflow.
Deliverable: Cleaned dataset, migration mapping and findings summary.
Request a terminology auditOngoing Termbase Governance
Control new terms, approval decisions, release versions and quality checks as your products, policies and language requirements evolve.
Deliverable: Reviewed releases, tracked decisions and agreed change reports.
Request ongoing supportExample of a structured record
What Goes Into a Professional Termbase?
Each field serves a distinct purpose. We define the schema and any mandatory attributes before starting production.
| Data field | Purpose | Example or decision |
|---|---|---|
| Concept ID & subject field | Keep concepts distinct and searchable. | DEMO-001 · Software engineering |
| Definition & sources | Record the concept's meaning and evidence. | Approved definition with cited reference |
| Language / locale | Distinguish language-specific and regional usage. | en-GB · fr-FR · de-DE |
| Term status | Separate preferred, admitted and deprecated terms. | Preferred · Admitted · Not permitted |
| Context & usage | Explain how a term should be used. | Product UI · Technical manual · Restricted context |
| Approval & history | Support review and traceable updates. | Reviewer · Decision date · Version |
The illustration and sample fields are demonstrative, not records from a client or a claim of validated translations.
Modern translation environments
Terminology for CAT Tools, MT & AI Workflows
Reliable terminology can help human translators, translation memories, machine translation and LLM-assisted workflows follow the same approved concepts, names and usage restrictions.
We can prepare structured term records, term lists and do-not-translate rules for use in compatible translation and content workflows. Human reviewers verify candidate terms and any automated extraction or import outputs before they are treated as approved.
Technical integration is scoped separately: real-time synchronisation, API connections, specific MT-model constraints and automatic enforcement depend on each customer's software and permissions.
International standards
Terminology Management to Applicable ISO Standards
We carry out commissioned terminology research, concept modelling, termbase development, content review and governance in accordance with the applicable principles and requirements of the ISO/TC 37 standards listed below. When delivering TBX, we validate the exported data against the agreed ISO 30042:2019 dialect and project schema, document exceptions and correct non-conformities before acceptance.
ISO 704:2022
Concept systems, designations, definitions and terminology-work methods.
ISO 1087:2019
Vocabulary and foundational definitions for terminology work.
ISO 26162-1/-2:2019 & -3:2023
Termbase design, software requirements and content quality.
ISO 30042:2019 (TBX)
TermBase eXchange data modelling and XML interchange, with the dialect agreed per project.
ISO 16642:2025
Terminological markup frameworks and mapping between representations.
ISO 29383:2020
Guidance for developing and implementing organisational terminology policy.
Standards status: ISO 30042:2019 remains the published TBX standard while a new edition is under development. The former ISO 12620:2019 was withdrawn; it should not be presented as a current published requirement.
Governed by people, supported by tools
Our Terminology Management Process
- 01
Define the terminology brief
Agree languages, subject fields, source material, target tools, data model, reviewer roles and approval criteria.
- 02
Extract and research candidates
Identify useful terms and concepts, establish definitions and assess proposed language equivalents.
- 03
Validate and approve entries
Resolve duplicates and conflicting designations with qualified linguists and, where needed, client subject-matter experts.
- 04
Structure, QA and deliver
Check language tags, statuses, references, schema consistency and agreed exports; document any unresolved items.
- 05
Maintain and update
If contracted, collect change requests, review new terminology, record decisions and issue controlled releases.
Data portability
Formats, Compatibility & Deliverables
Termbase Exports
Project-specific structured data, including TBX where agreed, Excel and CSV. We confirm fields and mapping to avoid silent data loss.
Governance Documentation
Approval statuses, term-use notes, source references, reviewer decisions and change or exception logs according to scope.
Migration & QA Report
A record of mapping, duplicates, invalid values, missing data and unresolved questions where an audit or migration is commissioned.
For each commissioned TBX conversion, we verify the file against the applicable ISO 30042:2019 requirements, the agreed dialect and the target application's import specification. We resolve or document mapping differences before handover rather than relying on the file extension alone.
Where accuracy matters
Terminology for Specialist Industries
Engineering & Manufacturing
Component names, specifications, safety instructions and complex technical concepts.
Medical & Life Sciences
Clinical, pharmaceutical and medical-device terminology with appropriate expert oversight.
Software, SaaS & IT
Feature labels, UI terms, APIs, product concepts and do-not-translate elements.
Legal, Financial & Institutional
Jurisdiction-specific definitions, legal designations and organisation-approved usage.
Confidential language assets
Ownership, Confidentiality & Quality Control
Your company's glossary, termbase, reference material and approval decisions remain subject to the agreed ownership, usage and confidentiality terms. We can define who may propose, approve or retire terminology as part of the project workflow.
Automated term extraction and AI-assisted suggestions, where approved, are treated as candidates rather than authoritative decisions. For confidential termbases, regulated materials or identifiable health information, contact us before transferring files so that secure transfer and appropriate contractual safeguards can be agreed.
Frequently asked questions
Terminology Management FAQs
What is the difference between a glossary and a termbase?
A glossary is typically a list of key terms and translations. A termbase can hold concept-oriented records with definitions, subject fields, usage notes, statuses, sources and review history.
How is a termbase different from translation memory?
Translation memory stores previously translated segments. A termbase stores information about individual concepts and their acceptable designations. The two resources complement each other but are not interchangeable.
Can you clean and import our existing MultiTerm, Excel or CSV glossary?
Yes, subject to file inspection and agreed mappings. We identify inconsistent entries and missing data before conversion; compatibility with a particular tool and version can be tested on a sample.
Do you work with TBX files?
Yes. We prepare and validate commissioned TBX deliverables against ISO 30042:2019 and the agreed dialect and schema. We also verify import compatibility with the customer's specified CAT or terminology tool and document any required mapping.
Who approves the preferred terms?
Approval can be assigned to nominated client reviewers or subject-matter experts, supported by linguists. We document ownership, decision criteria and unresolved issues at project start.
Can terminology help with machine translation and AI?
Yes, approved terminology can inform MT, LLM prompts and human review. Results depend on the underlying system; support for automated enforcement or synchronisation must be verified separately.
Can you manage product names and do-not-translate terms?
Yes. Term records can distinguish protected names, preferred forms, permitted variants and prohibited translations, with locale-specific instructions.
What should we send for a quotation?
Tell us your languages and locales, subject areas, approximate term count or source corpus size, available glossaries, required output format, software environment, reviewers and deadline. Arrange secure transfer for confidential source files.
Build a shared vocabulary
Bring Consistency to Every Language
Whether you are building your first termbase, cleaning a legacy resource or setting up ongoing terminology governance, we can recommend the right scope and deliverables.