This is a helpful list of translation related terminology

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Database Publishing
Creating documents on the fly by using SQL queries to extract text from a database. If you are serious about setting up a web site with more than 10 pages, then database publishing is the only way to go.

DBCS
Double Byte Character Set. It is a character set required to represent Asian languages, since most Asian languages consist of more complex characters, which the Western alphabet is incapable of representing.

DCD Document Content Description
An XML file containing a set of properties used to constrain: (1) The types of elements and names of attributes that may appear in an XML document; (2) The contents of the elements; (3) The values of the attributes.

Deadlines
Usually too short for the translator, and too long for the client. But this latter should not forget that the translator does not have one client alone, and that he or she must first complete work in progress...

You can help a translator to respect deadlines by informing him or her in advance of work you will be sending, and by supplying the source text on the scheduled date.

Deja Vu
Translation memory program, published by Atril.

Descriptive markup
Markup which describes the meaning of something. For example, a paragraph in a HTML document can be marked as a "definition description" using a "

" tag. For display purposes the descriptive markup is translated into procedural markup using a style sheet.

Desktop publishing (DTP)
DTP is sometimes offered by translators and translation companies/agencies as a value-added service to provide a one-stop solution for customers' publishing needs. They will usually have the special equipment required to handle languages that use different typescripts.

DHTML
Short for Dynamic HTML. DHTML allows absolute positioning of page elements such as text and images, and it also separates style from content so for example you can change the fonts used throughout your site by modifying just one file. When used in conjunction with JavaScript, DHTML can be used to achieve dynamic tasks that are normally impossible with plain vanilla HTML such as moving page elements across the browser window and creating pop-up menus.

Dictionary
As opposed to a glossary, a dictionary contains two or more languages in a specialised and abridged form. The most basic form of dictionary is simply a table of equivalent words. The complexity of languages and their usage, however, rapidly creates the need for more complex data bases. These include, for example, functions for the processing of abbreviations and synonyms.

DIN 2345
German standard, specifying requirements for translation contracts, published April 1998. Can be ordered online from Beuth (http://www.beuth.de).

Docbook
An SGML application designed for producing technical documents. The SGML version of FrameMaker has built in support of Docbook.

DPI
Stands for Dots Per Inch. The more the number of dots that can be squeezed in a square inch, the better the quality of image and text output. Computer screens have very low DPI generally ranging between 72 and 120 DPI, and that sometimes makes the text harder to read and images less detailed due to insufficient detail. On the other hand printers and scanners support high DPI values sometimes as high as a few thousand, so the output of printers are almost always better than screens, and scanners can transfer richly detailed pictures to computer screens, but chances are high that pictures scanned in high DPI settings may not fit to your screen without scaling due to the low DPI of computer screens.

Dreamweaver (Macromedia)
A WYSIWIG HTML editor with support for various scripting languages

DSSSL
Document Style Semantics and Specification Language. An ISO standard used for formatting SGML documents for display on screen or paper. DSSSL was designed to replace the older FOSI standard.

DTD Document Type Definition
Each SGML mark-up language or "application" is defined by its DTD which contains rules about how the document is structured. For example, in HTML I cannot put a heading inside a list item, but I can have a heading after the list. This may seem to add unnecessary complication to the authoring process, but it is designed to help the creation of structured documents which can be easily stored in a database, or processed by a program.

Duotone
A grayscale image enhanced by a single color. Duotone is originally a print term. Although grayscale images can have up to 256 levels of gray, many printers are unable to reproduce the full tonal range in an image with a single ink. The addition of another color (ink) usually produces better results.

EAN
International Article Numbering Association

This association directs the management of unique manufacturer identification codes internationally, excluding the United States and Canada. Each EAN numbering organization, usually one for each country, assigns identification numbers.

EDD Electronic Document Definition
A proprietary FrameMaker+SGML document which contains information about a DTD and a style sheet. FrameMaker uses the rules in an EDD to structure and display documents.

Electronic dictionary
A working dictionary on the computer (hard disk or CD-ROM). The functional operation of these dictionaries varies, depending on their editors. When associated with CAT software, these dictionaries make it possible to recognise source terms recorded within the dictionary and to propose an equivalent translation automatically.

em dash
- a dash with the same width as the letter m.

em space
A space with the same width as the letter m.

en dash
- a dash with the same width as the letter n.

en space
A space with the same width as the letter n.

EPS
Stands for Encapsulated Postscript, a file format used to transfer PostScript language artwork between applications.

EPS files can contain either outline or bitmap data. Most commonly EPS files contain outlines.

A standard for storing Postscript based graphics images. An EPS file can be embedded a Postscript file. An EPS image can contain a low resolution bitmap preview that allows the image to be displayed on systems that do not support the display of Postscript images. FrameMaker supports EPS images. The Postscript data in an EPS image only prints on Postscript capable printers. Non-Postscript printers usually print the bitmap preview.

FIGS
French, Italian, German and Spanish - sometimes treated as a group.

Firewall
A software or hardware solution to protect a single computer or a computer network from attacks by malicious users. Some firewalls can stop both outside attacks and malicious programs trying to send unauthorized transmissions to outside parties.

Fireworks (Macromedia)
A combined vector and bitmap editing program designed for producing web graphics.

Flash (Macromedia)
A proprietry vector, animation and interactive graphics file format.

FOSI
Formatting Output Specification Instance.

A standard used for formatting SGML documents for display on screen or paper. The Arbortext Adept SGML editor program uses FOSIs.

FrameMaker (Adobe)
An industrial strength document publishing program. The SGML version of FrameMaker is known as FrameMaker+SGML and is able to export and import SGML documents. It is not a native SGML authoring tool.

Free translation
Translation in which more emphasis is given to the overall meaning of the text than to the exact wording (cf. literal translation).

Freelance translator
Self-employed translator, who may undertake work for translation agencies, localisation companies and/or directly for end clients. Often specialises in one or more particular fields, such as legal, financial, commercial or technical.

FrontPage
A Microsoft web page authoring tool originally developed by Vermeer Technologies. FrontPage uses proprietary HTML extensions. The web server must be FrontPage aware.

Fuzzy matching
A computer search technique that makes it possible to find not only the exact equivalent of the term needed, but also all the elements with a certain degree of similarity to it. This technique is particularly applied within electronic dictionaries or when using CAT, where it allows the translator to obtain, for example, the translation of an adjective on the basis of a corresponding noun included in the dictionary or the translation of a similar (but not identical) phrase already recorded in the translation memory.

GIF
Stands for Graphics Interchange Format. Originally developed by CompuServe in 1987 to transmit graphics files across computer networks. The GIF format is limited to 8-bit or in other words 256 color images, and the image data is compressed with the LZW algorithm (after Lempel-Ziv-Welch). Unlike JPEG, the GIF format is lossless therefore it does not produce artifacts on images. In 1989, CompuServe added additional features to the format such as transparency, interlace, and the ability to store multiple images in a single file (this final feature would later give life to animated GIFs). Because of patent issues and other inherent limitations GIF is expected to be slowly replaced by the free and superior PNG format.

Gisting
Producing a rough or outline translation of a text to provide an insight into the subject and overall content of the source text. Being less expensive and less time-consuming than a "proper" (or "custom") translation, gisting can be used, for example, to determine whether a text contains useful information before a custom translation is commissioned. The term gisting is sometimes used in connection with machine translation, which is used by some translation providers for that purpose.

Globalisation
Involves preparing software or a web site with the goal of ensuring that the structural modifications localisation needs to make would not hinder its functionality. This would take into account, among other things, both the format of data ( 4PM = 16.00) and the space needed in some parts of a screen to cater for texts which are considerably longer than the original text.

Glossary
In principle, and as opposed to a dictionary, a glossary is a specialised, single-language dictionary. It includes the term and its definition and possible additional attributes such as its source, field or even its gender and number depending on the needs for use.

Glyph
The graphical representation/shape of a character. A character can have more than one glyph e.g. G and G are the same character using different glyphs.

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