Dictionary of terms

A free, open-source developer platform for building cross-platform applications.

A set of design and development principles that make it easier for people with disabilities to use digital products.

A comprehensive eLearning authoring tool designed to create responsive, interactive, and engaging educational content.

An adaptive system that uses AI agents to interpret prompts, coordinate tasks, and deliver context-aware outputs across tools and formats.

Agile is a project management philosophy for software development based on a series of iterative, cross-functional, and self-organizing practices designed to find solutions collaboratively.

Technology that mimics human intelligence to support, enhance, or automate parts of the localization process.

A software program that learns from the digital environment to complete tasks on its own.

A type of automated translation that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to automatically translate content from one language to another.

Amplitude is behavioural analytics platform created by Amplitude Analytics, Inc. in 2012.

A mobile operating system (OS) primarily designed for touchscreen devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Android Studio, an official Integrated Development Environment for Android mobile OS development.

A major improvement to the Android support library that provides backward-compatible enhancements for Android app development.

Angular is a TypeScript-based open-source platform for building mobile and desktop web applications.

An interface that enables applications to exchange data with each other.

A process of turning investment into revenue.

The goal of app store optimization is to increase the number of people who download your app.

A library that helps maintain backward compatibility for Android applications.

Appium is an open-source framework for mobile application testing automation.

An analytics platform for mobile apps that provides insights into user behavior and app performance.

Articulate is a comprehensive suite of e-learning software that enables the creation of engaging and interactive online courses.

A natural sign language used by the Deaf community in the United States and parts of Canada.

The process of rechecking translations by translating them back into the source language.

The initial translation output that serves as a starting point for further refinement.

Bidirectional languages are written from right to left but include items such as numbers and foreign words that are written from left to right.

The method of managing and analyzing large volumes of data to extract meaningful insights.

Bitrise.io is a Continuous Integration platform oriented mainly at mobile apps and their developers.

A complete visual language used by the Deaf community in the United Kingdom, with its own grammar, vocabulary, and syntax.

It stands for Computer-aided Translation Tool, a type of software used to increase productivity during the translation process.

A network of computers interconnected via the Internet to make data more accessible to users worldwide.

CI can stand for Continuous Integration or Continuous Improvement. What is the difference?

A text-based interface used to interact with software and operating systems through commands.

A software application that allows users to manage, edit, and store digital content with minimal technical knowledge.

Code-switching involves the mixed use of two or more languages within the same conversation.

A database for managing locale-specific data in software applications. CLDR supports accurate date formats, currencies, and languages across over 500 global locales.

A tool that finds specific terms in a translation memory, helping translators ensure consistent terminology across projects.

Connected Projects is the name of a Localazy feature allowing users to share translations across multiple projects.

Information about where and how a string is used that helps translators, MT engines, and LLMs produce accurate and meaningful translations.

Continuous Improvement is a never-ending, repetitive process of learning and improvement.

Continuous integration (CI) is a way for developers to work together by combining their changes often to avoid problems later.

A development approach where translations happen automatically alongside coding, so teams can update content in multiple languages without slowing down product releases.

Control characters are characters that are not displayed in the text but ensure it is shown in the right direction.

Cordova is an open-source mobile application development framework. It was previously known as both Nitobi and PhoneGap. While being open-sourced, it is managed by Adobe.

Exact strings of text within a translation project.

The practice of obtaining services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people, typically via the internet.

A fully static, compile-time dependency injection framework for both Java and Android. It is an adaptation of an earlier version created by Square and now maintained by Google.

The process of discovering patterns and extracting valuable information from large datasets.

DeepL Translator is a neural machine translation engine that leverages neural networks to convert text from one language to another. 

An approach to internationalization where one language (usually English) is the foundation for all translations and localized content.

A Natural Language Processing (NLP) technique that identifies how words in a sentence relate to each other by establishing “dependency” links.

A structured collection of reusable components, visual styles, and rules used to build consistent digital user interfaces.

A problem-solving method that focuses on understanding users, exploring creative ideas, and testing solutions through iteration.

A simplified, non-standardized version of English used in international software development and product localization.

The overall quality of how developers interact with tools, systems, and workflows as they build, test, and maintain software.

Developer onboarding experience stands for the process of integrating new developers into a team or project.

A dialect is a form of a language spoken in a particular region or by a particular group of people that differs in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar from other forms within the same language.

Diglossia is a linguistic phenomenon in which two dialects or languages are used under different conditions by the same community of speakers.

Directus CMS is an open-source and self-hosted headless CMS platform.

The process of adjusting the design and layout for multilingual content to ensure it fits cultural and linguistic norms.

A feature in localization platforms that links multiple keys with the same content

Ethnolects are language varieties created and used by different ethnic groups.

A type of machine translation that produces translations based on the analysis of existing translation examples.

The growth process of the reach of a company outside of its native market or original intended audience.

A collective name for Key alias and Export file alias Localazy features.

Export file alias is the name of a Localazy feature allowing users to define alternative export files for their content.

Text separated from source code so it can be translated and reused across languages.

Fully automatic high-quality machine translation with no human involvement.

A situation when translations sound natural but contain subtle errors or cultural inaccuracies that aren't immediately obvious.

fastlane is an open source platform aimed at simplifying Android and iOS deployment

Figma is popular tool to build prototypes of digital products, made for design collaboration.

A mobile and web application development platform developed by Firebase, Inc. in 2011, then acquired by Google in 2014. Nowadays, it includes 18 products with nearly 2 million users.

An analytics platform that helps developers track user behavior and app performance, offering insights into localization effectiveness.

A SDK made by Google for building natively compiled applications for mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase.

Framework7 is a tool that can both be used for prototyping but also it can be used for building app development for mobile, desktop, and the web.

Friction is a type of force or tension that creates resistance.

A system that suggests near-identical translations, saving time and keeping language consistent with previous content.

The practice of optimizing content so it can be accurately used, cited, or summarized by generative AI systems/LLMs.

An AI platform that generates content and delivers concise, multimedia summaries and direct answers by synthesizing information from multiple sources.

An acronym for Globalization, Internationalization, Localization, and Translation.

GIST is an evidence-based product management system that allows businesses to adapt and deliver timely solutions to their customers following a series of easy-to-follow tasks & steps.

A method that uses a Git repository as the single source of truth for application and infrastructure configurations, enabling automated and reliable deployments.

The process of preparing a product for international use.

Adapting global strategies to fit local markets.

The Localazy Glossary is an essential tool for ensuring high-quality translations and providing context for translators.

Gettext is a library that was built to minimize the work of i18n and l10n. It works by extracting the strings directly from the source files and generating a template file.

A plan that outlines how a product will be launched, promoted, and delivered to its target audience.

Google Play is an online store where Android users can download apps, games, and other media.

GPT is a language model developed by OpenAI that generates human-like text.

An open-source build automation tool that is designed to be flexible enough to build almost any type of software.

GTK, also known as GIMP ToolKit, is an open-source toolkit for creating graphical user interfaces (GUIs).

Human-Assisted Machine Translation, i.e., a process where a human reviews translations generated by machine translation engines.

Languages with extensive digital content and strong tech support.

A term describing a form of translation performed entirely by a human without any technological assistance.

Human Translation Validation is a process where a human reviewer uses machine translation (MT) tools to verify existing translations made by other humans that are waiting for review.

A type of automated translation that combines multiple machine translation methods to produce high-quality translations.

i18next is one of the top open-source internationalization frameworks written in and for JavaScript.

A robust set of C/C++ and Java libraries designed to support Unicode and globalization features in software applications.

A localization-friendly syntax that lets developers write dynamic, multilingual messages using placeholders and logic rules.

A software application that provides developers with a complete set of tools for writing, testing, and debugging code in one place.

An integrated development environment (IDE) written in Java for developing computer software.

A customer communication platform that helps businesses interact with users through chat, email, and automated messaging.

An Internal Developer Portal, also known as IDP, is a centralized platform for managing development resources, tools, and workflows.

The process of making your software localizable.

Web addresses written in non-English alphabet characters.

Ionic is an open-source software development kit for mobile operating systems. It was originally built on top of Angular but now it allows developers to use one of several pre-existing web components such as React.

A mobile device's operating system developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for Apple devices.

An international standard of quality for the core processes, resources, and other aspects necessary for the delivery of a quality translation service that meets applicable specifications.

A standard that establishes clear rules to make written content simple and easy to understand for everyone.

An international standard for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS).

An international standard that defines the TermBase eXchange (TBX) format for structuring, managing, and sharing terminology data.

A set of standards regarding the representation of languages and language groups.

A subcommittee on translation, interpreting, and related technology standards.

iSpring Suite is a comprehensive eLearning authoring toolkit designed to integrate seamlessly with Microsoft PowerPoint.

Java is an object-oriented programming language used to create applications for various platforms.

JavaScript is a scripting language that allows developers to create interactive web interfaces.

A JavaScript testing framework widely used to ensure stability in apps.

JetBrains is a Czech company focused on developing software for project managers and developers.

A user research technique that addresses customer's problems rather than their attributes as users.

jQuery.i18n, sometimes referred to as $i18n, is a jQuery internationalization plugin to support multilingual development for your website or web app.

JSON stands for JavaScript Object Notation and it's a widely used file format.

Key alias is the name of a Localazy feature allowing users to define alternative key names for the original source keys.

Key clustering in Localazy provides a unique solution for handling duplicate values without modifying the integration source. By utilizing key clusters, you can save time and resources by eliminating the need to translate the same content multiple times.

Key count refers to the total number of distinct text segments or phrases within a piece of content or software application that require translation.

A method that links text to unique keys so content can be updated and translated without changing the code directly.

An open-source statically typed programming language that targets the JVM, Android, JavaScript, and Native.

An abbreviation of Localization.

A way of organizing people, tools, and processes to manage translation and multilingual content more efficiently.

A language is a communication system used by a particular community or country consisting of spoken, written, or signed words and the rules for combining them.

A technique used in Natural Language Processing (NLP) that predicts the next word in a sentence to help systems write and translate text that sounds natural and makes sense.

A language pair refers to the two languages involved in a translation or localization process.

Standardized codes that identify specific languages and regional variations for precise content targeting in localization.

Software systems, tools, or frameworks that work the same way regardless of which programming language or natural language they're designed to support.

Laravel is an open-source PHP framework for web application development.

A machine learning model that has absorbed and analyzed vast amounts of data and can produce text based on them.

Lean UX is a design approach that focuses on validating and refining user experiences as quickly as possible.

Left-to-right-mark (LRM) is a non-displayable control character that displays the needed text in the correct left-to-right direction.

The process of transforming a word to its base or dictionary form, known as its lemma, to ensure the result is valid.

A systematic process that ensures the linguistic quality of translated content meets predefined standards.

A method based on translating text word-for-word from the source language to the target language without altering the original structure or meaning.

A modern platform for managing localization at scale accross apps and products, using smart tools and automation to reduce manual work.

In software, the term locale refers to the set of parameters defining a language environment.

The process of preparing a product for a particular market.

The practice of using software to perform routine localization tasks with minimal human input.

A professional that handles the technical aspects of software and digital content prep for its translation and cultural adaptation.

The process that ensures translated content works properly and appears correctly in its digital environment across different devices.

Languages spoken by smaller or niche populations that are less commonly supported in translation and localization efforts.

A software development approach that allows users to build applications with minimal hand-coding by using visual interfaces and pre-built components.

Languages that are difficult to translate due to the lack of resources about them.

LSP stands for Language Service Provider.

Left-to-right scripts, commonly abbreviated as LTR, are writing systems where the writing starts from the left of the page and continues to the right.

A branch of artificial intelligence that uses algorithms to look for patterns and make predictions, deciding things like what recommendations to show you.

The process of translating using computational linguistics.

Machine-Assisted Human Translation, i.e., human uses computer for help as desired.

The minimum set of translations, i18n fixes, and QA needed to make a product usable in a new language for a new market.

The act of simulating the behavior of a system or component for testing purposes.

MTPE stands for Machine Translation Post-Editing.

A language service provider that provides translation and localization services across multiple language pairs through a single provider.

A strategy that involves creating marketing content across multiple languages to engage global audiences in a culturally relevant way.

Multiplatform refers to the ability of software or content to function or be displayed on more than two platforms flawlessly.

A natural language processing technique that automatically finds and labels important names like people, places, or companies in a piece of text.

A subfield of artificial intelligence that helps computers understand, interpret, and generate human language.

Nette is a popular framework for PHP web development.

A type of automated translation that uses artificial neural networks to predict the likelihood of a sequence of words, producing translations fast.

Next.js is a web development framework for React applications created by Vercel. It is written in JavaScript, TypeScript, and Rust.

A software development approach that allows users to build software applications, websites, and digital products without writing any programming code.

NodeJS is a run-time JavaScript enviroment for server-side use.

Not to be translated term.

Nuxt is described as a meta framework for applications. It is based on several different frameworks and is written in JavaScript.

OCR stands for Optical character recognition. It is the conversion of texts in images into machine-encoded text.

A localization platform for managing translation processes and workflows.

Open-source software provides access to everyone to make changes to its source code for fast, appropriate, and affordable improvements.

An open-source JavaScript library built to simplify internationalization (i18n) in modern web applications.

The process of labeling each word in a sentence with its appropriate grammatical category to help systems pick the right translation and keep sentence structure clear.

PDCA cycle is a method of continuous improvement in quality assurance.

A cloud-based localization platform for managing translations efficiently.

A stand-in element that replaces content during production and testing to keep texts structured until the final data is added.

A stand-in element that replaces content during production and testing to keep texts structured until the final data is added.

The discipline of designing toolchains and workflows to prepare a developer platform for internal use.

The process of maintaining grammatical accuracy in software translations by correctly adjusting words to singular or plural form.

PO and POT are text-based file formats commonly used for localization purposes.

Postman is an API platform for building and using APIs.

AI-generated translations applied to source text before any human input.

Professional Proofreading is a process where a human reviewer goes through a series of strings translated by a professional translator to verify their quality.

Professional Translation is the process in which a professional human linguist translates a project into another language/s while following provided context cues and getting help from assistive technologies.

Proofreading is the process of reviewing and correcting written content to ensure accuracy in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting. It is a crucial step in the content creation process, ensuring that the final output is polished and error-free.

Pseudolocalization is a software testing method used for testing software designed for international use.

Python is an interpreted, high-level and general-purpose programming language and is one of the most popular languages.

The process of verifying that a localized product accurately delivers its intended functions to the end-user.

Qodana is a must-have code inspection platform that aids your localization process.

Qt is a cross-platform toolkit for creating applications with a graphical user interface (GUI).

An internationalization framework for Ruby that offers a YAML integration.

React is a development kit written in NodeJS. It is used for building frontend components of applications. Notable apps that use React include Facebook and Netflix.

A JavaScript library for managing internationalization in React applications.

Files used in the .NET Framework to support software localization.

XML-based resource files used by .NET applications to store localizable strings, images, and other content for different languages.

Right-to-left-mark (RLM) is a non-displayable control character that displays the needed text in the correct right-to-left direction.

A metric to measure the profitability of an investment.

A translation layer that allows Intel-based Mac apps to run on Apple Silicon, enabling a smoother hardware transition.

Right-to-left scripts, commonly abbreviated as RTL, are writing systems where the writing starts from the right of the page and continues to the left.

A web application framework written in Ruby in 2004 under the MIT license.

A type of machine translation that translates text using predefined linguistic rules and dictionaries.

A type of automated translation that uses linguistic rules and bilingual dictionaries to translate text. It delivers consistent, grammar-focused translations but may sound rigid compared to newer methods.

A library that composes asynchronous and event-based programs using observable sequences.

Scalability refers to the ability of a process, solution, or system to support an increased growth.

The practice of optimizing a website’s content, structure, and technical setup to increase its visibility in unpaid search engine results.

The list of webpages, summaries, and features displayed by a search engine in response to a user query.

Pieces of translated text stored in the translation memory.

Selenium is a browser automation tool, helping you test your websites and applications using real browsers in real-time.

One of the most popular platforms for online marketing management.

The process of determining the emotional tone behind a body of text.

The percentage of visibility a brand or website has compared to competitors across search, ads, or other channels.

The shared translation memory at Localazy.

Languages that are widely spoken and have a strong online presence, making them key in global communication and localization efforts.

A way of communicating through hand signs, facial expressions, and movement mainly used by Deaf and hard-of-hearing people.

The practice of launching a localized product at the same time in multiple markets, languages, or regions.

A language service provider that provides translation and localization services only for one target language.

Varieties of languages used by certain age, professional, or social groups.

The process of making software usable and relevant for users in different languages.

The process of evaluating software so it meets the specified requirements and functions correctly.

A source key is a unique identifier used in localization to reference a specific text string in the source language.

The original language from which content is translated.

A designated location or system for all official, up-to-date information, helping localization teams maintain accuracy, consistency, and control over translations across different platforms.

The original content in its initial language before translation or localization.

A type of machine translation that uses statistical models from the analysis of bilingual text corpora to produce translations.

A text processing technique that reduces words to their root by chopping off suffixes or prefixes.

Storyblok is a flexible and highly customizable headless CMS for developers and content producers.

A visual tool used to design and plan the user interface and navigation flow of an app.

Strapi is an open-source headless [Node.js](/dictionary/nodejs) content management system (CMS) that allows you to display content in various formats through an API. It offers the freedom to add your favorite tools and frameworks for easy content delivery.

Streamlit is an open-source python library that turns data scripts into shareable web apps.

A centralized collection of all the text elements (or strings) used within a software application, website, or digital product.

Strings are sequences of characters used in software and localization to represent text, such as words, sentences, or entire paragraphs.

A reference that helps maintain consistency in language, tone, and formatting across content.

Swift is a general-purpose, multi-paradigm, compiled programming language developed by Apple for iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and Linux.

The language into which content is translated or localized.

The version of a text that has been translated from the source language into the target language.

An XML-based standard for exchanging structured terminology data.

Text directionality refers to the direction in which a script, such as Latin, Cyrillic, or Arabic, is regularly written and read.

Translation Memory eXchange (TMX) is an XML specification that allows computer-aided translation and localization tools to exchange translation memory data.

The process of breaking text into smaller parts, like words or variables, to make it easier for machines to interpret and translate.

A text analysis method that helps identify recurring themes or subjects in large sets of text.

TCO is an estimation of the total expenses associated with purchasing, deploying, using and retiring a product.

Transcreation is the process of adapting a message from one language to another while maintaining its intent, style, tone, and context.

A metric to evaluate how easily content adapts to other languages while maintaining its clarity and cultural relevance.

The process of transforming a text into another language.

A software for translation process automation.

A database of previously translated terms that reduces translation costs and enhances productivity by reusing translations.

A technological solution made for instant translation.

Triglossia points out the daily active use of three language varieties within the same community.

TypeScript is a language based on JavaScript made by Microsoft.

The interface users see and interact with on a screen.

Unity is a multi-platform game development kit. It is written in C# and can be used to make both 2d and 3d games.

The ease with which users can navigate and interact with a product or system, particularly in the context of software products and websites.

The process in which a user interacts with a digital product or service.

A text element that represents a value in programming and localization contexts.

A translation specialization focused on translating and customizing video game texts and other elements within game playing.

A Microsoft IDE for building, debugging, and localizing apps across desktop, web, mobile, and cloud platforms.

A plugin for the internationalization of Vue.js applications.

Vue.js is an open-source, front-end JavaScript framework for creating web user interfaces.

Webflow is a web design tool that allows users to create responsive websites visually without writing code.

Some words carry more meaning than others. Weighted words make sure the most important parts of a message stand out.

A cross-platform app development framework that allows developers to create mobile applications using C# and .NET.

Apple's modern format for managing localized strings in Xcode.​

XLIFF stands for XML Localization Interchange File Format.

A markup language that structures data with tags, forming the foundation for many localization file formats and translation workflows.

YAML is a human-readable data-serialization language similar to JSON.

A cloud-based service for managing customer support by organizing tickets, automating tasks, and providing tools for efficient communication across multiple channels.

Translating between languages without prior training on specific language pairs.