Welcome to Building, Maintaining, and Using Interpreting Glossaries. In this module, you will learn about interpreting glossaries. By the end of this module, you will have a stronger understanding of how to identify and select relevant terminology for your language of interpretation, organize and format glossaries effectively for quick reference, utilize resources for glossary creation and management, and regularly review and update glossaries. This module will help you become more knowledgeable of interpreting glossaries that are available for you to use, and will help you create your own interpreting glossaries to meet your individual needs. It will also help you engage in discussions with other interpreters and share insights related to glossary building. Let's begin! We'll start with an overview of what interpreting glossaries are and how they are used by interpreters to assist them with interpretation in court proceedings. In general, a glossary is a list of terms or words relating to a specific subject, along with their definitions. However, an interpreting glossary is a little different. It is a list of specific terms or phrases, descriptions of those terms or phrases, and examples of their use. This helps place the term or phrase into context, showing when and how it might be used in the original or source language. An interpreting glossary also includes translations, or target language renditions, of the terms or phrases in that context. This way, the interpreter can select an appropriate equivalent depending on how that word or phrase is used in the source language. It may also include unacceptable renditions, or ones to steer clear of, in certain contexts. This helps the interpreter avoid possible common pitfalls, such as using a false cognate. Simply put, an interpreting glossary helps ensure that you are interpreting a term or phrase the correct way, in the appropriate context. To better illustrate, let's look at an example. Think of the word set in English. It could mean to put something down, happening at a specific time or place, or to adjust a clock to show the right time. It could be part of idiomatic expressions or phrases like set a record, set sail, set the table, set on fire, set out, and more. Depending on your non-English language, you may want or need to choose a different interpretation, based on the context in which this word is used. This is where a glossary can assist you. By listing possible uses of different words, as well as their interpretations, you can locate and select the appropriate equivalent. For court interpreters, interpreting glossaries can be indispensable tools. This is because court interpreters might be called in to interpret in any number of case types, such as traffic, family law, small claims, criminal, or juvenile cases. These cases might involve common as well as specialized terminology on a diverse range of topics. A well-designed glossary can help court interpreters navigate these terms and their usage across contexts that they might encounter as part of their interpreting assignments. A comprehensive glossary makes these assignments easier and less time-consuming to take on and helps the interpreter be better prepared. Interpreting glossaries help to better ensure clarity and consistency. Using an accurate interpretation for a term or phrase reduces confusion. Interpreting glossaries can help team interpreters choose the same interpretations to use for certain terms, resulting in smoother transitions and consistency throughout the proceeding. Interpreting glossaries can also lead to a quicker court process. Having more standardized interpretations results in less time spent clarifying information. It also saves time that might be spent on looking up a term or phrase that comes up frequently. When building your own glossary, it is important to remember that it can, and should, be personalized to work for you. The way you organize and build your glossary may be different from how another interpreter does this, and that is okay. In fact, as you go through this module, you'll see some different ways of building and maintaining glossaries. Just remember that the way in which you choose to build your glossaries should be one that meets your individual needs. This will enable you to build tools that work best for you. Personalizing your glossaries as you build them also allows you to learn terminology in your own unique way that creates stronger mental connections, so that you can pull that information up again more easily when you need it. It also improves your understanding and will help you better predict what related terms or topics might be addressed next. Another thing to keep in mind is that a glossary is not just a place for words and phrases you find difficult or unfamiliar. It is also a place for words and phrases that you already know. This helps you realize what you already know, as well as what you don't, and verify your interpretations against established, accurate definitions. In this way, you can focus your practice and improvement. Including words and phrases that you already know in your glossary also serves as an excellent resource for you to refresh your memory as needed. A well-developed glossary can be updated and expanded, allowing you to stay current with changing terminology and legal nuances. Keeping these goals and benefits in mind, let's move on to how to identify the terms and phrases that should go into your glossaries. A good place to begin building a glossary is to identify terms that are frequently used throughout court proceedings. One place to find these terms is in court documents, like forms, informational sheets, notices, summonses, complaints, citations, and more. The terms found in these documents are ones that are likely to come up during a court proceeding. Terms found in court or legal documents are often also defined within the document to give them specific meanings within the context of the document. You should be on the lookout for such definitions so that you learn how to distinguish between the legal definition of a term and the non-legal definition of the same term. Capturing these definitions will also help you build your glossary more efficiently. You can also review relevant codes and case law. For example, if you have an interpreting assignment for an embezzlement case, you might want to look up the code section that defines the crime of embezzlement to ensure that you are more familiar with the elements of the crime and its meaning. Similarly, if you will be interpreting during the appeal of a court case, you might want to review relevant case law that will be relied upon to better equip yourself with an understanding about the legal question in the case and the reasoning behind the court's decision, and any terminology associated with the legal analysis and decision. Another resource for identifying legal terminology is in legal publications. These include articles, books, journals, textbooks, and other print or online publications. Legal concepts and discussions surrounding matters of legal import often contain legal terminology, which help enhance an interpreter's understanding and application of new and existing terminology. You can also review past legal proceedings. Review the case transcripts, legal briefs, motions, pleadings, petitions, responses, and any other public documents submitted as part of the case. As you analyze these documents, be sure to not only look for common terminology, but also specialized terms. For example, you might want your glossary to include words or phrases that you frequently encounter in court, like litigant, acquittal, and ladies and gentlemen of the jury, but also jargon that is almost exclusive to legal contexts, like habeas corpus, undue hardship, and exculpatory evidence. You should also look for technical terms that might be specific to the case type or topic at hand. For example, a medical examiner's report may contain specialized medical terminology, while a police report about a drug-related offense might contain terms used in the world of narcotics. You can also consult any existing official glossaries that are publicly available. These may be offered by the court you are working for, or even justice partner organizations. These can be useful, as certain programs, organizations, or even court systems may use terminology that is specific to them. Please see the resource document containing a list of publicly available interpreting glossaries that was developed as companion to this module. When creating your glossaries and identifying possible interpretations, be aware of any cultural considerations. For instance, some regions use very different terms to describe the same thing. These variations should go into your list of possible renditions so that you can select the appropriate equivalent based on the party for whom you're interpreting. If you find yourself interpreting for a particular dialect, you may be researching how different dialects approach the same subjects. Your glossary is a good place to document this new knowledge, to strengthen your repertoire, and save you from having to potentially do the same research in the future. Lastly, you can work with your colleagues to build glossaries and share definitions. Just remember that glossaries created by other interpreters can be helpful, but interpreters may create their glossaries differently than you do, and in a way that is useful to them, and so they may not be complete in the same way that you prefer to use them or give you a full picture of a term's meaning in the context that would apply to your interpreting assignment. Remember the importance and benefits of personalizing your own glossaries. Now that you know what glossaries are and how they help interpreters, as well as what types of terms and phrases can go into your personal glossaries, your next question might be, how should I organize and format a glossary? The answer is, it's up to you. However, as discussed earlier in this module, it should be in a way that helps meet your individual needs. Regardless of how you decide to build your glossaries, you should choose an organized, structured approach. Most commonly, glossaries are ordered alphabetically. This will help you find terms quickly and easily, without prolonged searching. It's also recommended to use widely available software or web-based products to create your glossaries. These allow you to organize glossaries into spreadsheets, tables, and other formats. Examples of such software and web-based products include Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, OneNote, and Google Sheets. You may even choose to color-code your glossaries. For example, you can use different colors to denote certain categories of terms, like medical or ballistics, or parts of speech, like nouns and verbs. Whether you prefer color-coding or keeping things black and white is up to you. The important thing is to remember that if you enjoy using it, you will use it. An electronic glossary has several advantages over a paper-based glossary. First, it allows you to easily add rows to the list or table. This way, you can add terms or phrases as you encounter them. Secondly, you can easily sort and organize your list of terms or phrases in the ways that work for you, such as alphabetically, or into separate tables or tabs by topic. Third, with an electronic glossary, you can use search functions to quickly locate a term or phrase in context and identify possible interpretations. Fourth, you can access electronic glossaries with a cell phone or tablet. Lastly, electronic glossaries can continue to grow and can contain more content than a physical binder or book. Keep in mind, however, that an electronic glossary has its disadvantages as well. For instance, since there is no limit to the number of rows you can add, the information can become too cluttered to be useful. Secondly, some courts may have restrictions around electronic devices in the courtroom, and in that case, you would need to be prepared with physical reference materials to bring with you. It is up to you to confirm with the court regarding its rules. Luckily, electronic glossaries are printable, so you can print and carry just a few pieces of paper with you when you are called in for an interpreting assignment. Many interpreters create and utilize multiple existing glossaries, each one pertaining to a specific topic area. For instance, some interpreters will have one glossary specifically pertaining to automobile terminology, another for ballistics, one for medical terminology, one with terms relating to financial matters, and more. This way, the interpreter can select the glossary or glossaries most relevant to the interpreting assignment at hand. You may also find it helpful to have multiple glossaries for your use. Glossaries should also be easy to manage and use, and compiling all terms in one place could become unruly. Therefore, you will want to make sure your glossary is comprehensive enough to contain all the necessary terms, but also concise enough to not be difficult to use. Remember, your glossaries should not just be a list of terms and their interpretations. You should also provide brief descriptions or explanations of the terms, as well as contextual usage examples. This will help you identify whether the interpretation you select is the closest equivalent to how the term is used in the source language. Be sure to include only the most relevant definitions and equivalents to keep your glossary manageable. As you build your glossaries, consider the value of online resources and applications. There is a wealth of these, and they can assist you with both creating and managing your glossaries. They can also be used for learning and reviewing terms and phrases, both in English and the non-English language, and may include online documents, news articles, and other media. When using online resources, it is best to look for materials in the original source language, meaning they haven't been translated from another language first. For example, if you want to learn more medical terms in your non-English language of expertise, you might want to look for medical journals, patient forms, and other related resources in that language. If you need to know terms related to technology, search for in-language articles and videos on the subject. The quality of your search is also key. Searching on Google, YouTube, and similar sites is a good way to find the media you need. However, be sure to look for reputable and well-established sources. Online dictionaries are another valuable resource. These can be monolingual dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, or a combination of both. Both can provide detailed definitions, examples, synonyms, antonyms, and usage of terms, while bilingual dictionaries can provide translations and examples of usage in the non-English language. As with other online resources, you should choose a reputable online publisher. For English, that may be the Oxford English Dictionary or the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. You can also find monolingual dictionaries for most non-English languages spoken in the courts. You can also find specialized dictionaries, such as dictionaries for law or medicine, online. You should try to have one of these in your languages of expertise, if possible, as they will serve as a wealth of highly specialized terminology and provide proper definitions of words that you may encounter in certain case types and that may have different meanings when used in those specific contexts. Examples include Black's Law Dictionary, Valentine's Legal Dictionary and Thesaurus, the Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary, and the Oxford Concise Medical Dictionary. There are even applications that can support interpreters in their review and study of words outside of their glossaries. For instance, some allow you to set up vocabulary lists and flashcards so that you can quiz yourself on terms and their equivalents. There are also several websites that are particularly useful for interpreters. These resources often include dictionaries and glossaries that can give you definitions, synonyms, grammar, conjugation, and even links to resources where the term is used in context. There are also online forums where other language professionals come together to ask questions and discuss possible solutions. Please see the resource document containing a list of online resources that was developed as companion to this module. Once you have built your personal glossaries, it is important to review and maintain them on an ongoing basis. Language is constantly evolving, new words are constantly created, and the meanings of words change. Your glossaries should be current to capture these changes. Updating your glossaries with new terms and changes in terminology, particularly with developments in technology, slang, and in the ways in which we communicate with each other, are key to ensuring they maintain their utility in your everyday work. For example, the evolution of cybercrimes and cryptocurrency have resulted in the creation of new laws surrounding criminal activity. Computer crimes, such as cyberstalking, have required definition to address specific offenses in the courts. Additionally, interpreters are constantly encountering new words and phrases in their work, as well as ways in which these words and phrases are used. They're also continuously developing their interpreting skills. Therefore, reviewing and maintaining your glossaries should be a continuous practice. Finally, do not overlook the value in your everyday interpreting experiences and the experiences of your interpreter colleagues. Consider ongoing collaboration with your peers to identify new terminology and to share different renditions with each other to enhance your glossaries. In conclusion, let's review the key takeaways from this module. 1. Glossaries are an indispensable tool for court interpreters. Glossaries that are well-developed and maintained help ensure that interpretations are more consistent and accurate. 2. Glossaries can and should be personalized for your individual needs. Glossaries are tools that should work best for you. Creating a glossary in a way that makes the most sense to you helps you to create stronger mental connections to the content so that you can more easily pull it to the forefront when you need it. 3. Glossaries can be formatted in many ways. Format your glossary in an organized and structured way that you also find to be the easiest to use. It can be formatted alphabetically, by subject area, or in the form of a spreadsheet or table. It can be a physical resource and or available electronically. 4. You can use online resources and applications to construct your glossaries. These allow you to create, format, and expand your glossaries. 5. You should regularly review and maintain your glossaries over time. Language is always changing and evolving. For your glossaries to be as useful as possible, you should review and maintain them on an ongoing basis. We hope this module has helped you learn more about building, maintaining, and using glossaries. We also hope that this information helps you be better prepared throughout your career as a court interpreter. For more information, be sure to review the Supplemental Resources document that accompanies this training.

court interpreters

terminology management

glossary creation

electronic tools

peer collaboration

language evolution