Why a glossary?
When different departments use different terms for the same concept, documents, translations and correspondence become inconsistent. A terminology glossary brings together the preferred term for each concept, its definition and its equivalents in other languages.
Choosing terms
Terms are collected from internal documents, standards, regulations and interviews with experts. Recording the document and context in which each term appears makes writing definitions and approving them easier.
Fields of a term record
- Preferred term and abbreviation
- Definition and usage note
- Synonyms, deprecated and obsolete terms
- Equivalents in other languages
- Broader, narrower and related terms
- Source, approver and approval date
Differences and confusable terms
The most useful part of a glossary is often the entries that explain how closely related terms differ. The difference entries on FaRkLaR.net are a large-scale example of this approach: two or more terms and the difference between them in a single entry.
Approval and revision history
In organisational glossaries it should be clear who changed what and when. Author, editor and approver roles, together with revision history and rollback, keep the glossary trustworthy.
Putting it to use
- An internal or public searchable site
- CSV and SKOS export for translators
- API access for internal systems
- An AI assistant that uses your terms in its answers (RAG)