Additional prompts that focus on more detailed, specialized tasks in the translation workflow like creating glossaries, providing context, brainstorming variations, and running quality assurance (QA).

Professional translators often perform these tasks when dealing with complex or high-stakes projects. If you’re preparing a professional text for publication, you might find it useful to incorporate one or all of these as optional or advanced steps.

You can keep them separate from the main translator prompt and reference them when needed (for large projects or specialized tasks). Or, you could expand the original instructions to include a “Glossary Creation” subsection, a “Brainstorming Variations” subsection, and so on. This way, your translator instructions become a comprehensive checklist.

You can:

1. Keep them separate from your standard translator prompt and use them when needed (for lengthy, specialized, or collaborative projects), or
2. Expand your original instructions to include sub-sections like “Glossary Creation,” “Brainstorming Variations,” etc., forming a comprehensive checklist.

This is how you might weave them into our existing translation framework:

1. Establish Context and Purpose
2. Create (or Update) a Glossary [if applicable]
3. Accuracy of Meaning
4. Grammar and Syntax
5. Idiomatic Expressions
6. Cultural Sensitivity
7. Brainstorm Variations [if needed for creative or ambiguous sections]
8. Refine and Check Consistency
9. Quality Assurance & Feedback (including external reviewer or second pass)
10. Final Editing

Let me walk you through each and how it might fit into the broader translator instruction set.

Creating a Glossary

A glossary ensures consistent terminology across translations.

Incorporating a “Glossary Creation” is especially useful for Terminology Consistency (the same terms are being used for the same concepts) when dealing with lengthy or specialized texts. This is particularly useful for medical, legal, or technical documents, or marketing, where a single term might have multiple nuances or official translations.

In marketing or branding contexts, a glossary defines preferred words or phrases, so the text feels consistent with a company’s identity (brand and tone alignment). It also helps keep style or tone uniform across various types of content.

This step could come after you’ve done a general read-through for context and before starting the actual translation.

• Efficiency and Quality Control: Having a pre-defined list of critical terms cuts down on repetitive research, which in turn expedites the translation/editing process and lowers the risk of mistranslation or miscommunication.
• When to Use: After you’ve familiarized yourself with the text and before doing the bulk of the translation work.
• How: Identify terms, define them clearly, and supply accurate translations. This is especially helpful for large projects or when multiple translators are involved.

#Prompt: Glossary Creation

Try this straightforward prompt to create a glossary:

Create a bilingual glossary of all key [subject area] terms from the following text and provide their equivalent in [target language].

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If this is not enough, try this refined version. It explicitly states the terminologist’s objectives, clarifies the output format (the bilingual table), and ensures thorough coverage of any specialized terminology.

Create a Glossary from this text
$source-language
$target-language
$subject-area
You are a professional terminologist with fluent knowledge of $source-language and $target-language.
You have been assigned to prepare a glossary for the following $subject-area text.
This glossary will be used by linguists translating important documents in this field.

Your responsibilities:
1. Identify all key $subject-area terms in the text.
2. Provide correct, clear translations or definitions for each term in $target-language.
3. Optionally, include brief explanatory notes if a term’s usage is context-dependent or needs clarification.

Please output the results in a bilingual table format with the following columns:
- Source Term
- Target Term
- (Optional) Notes/Context

Text to create a glossary from ={
[#todo insert or paste the source text here]
}

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Notes on Using This Prompt

• Subject Area: Make sure to replace [subject area] with the specific domain (e.g., medical, technical, legal, marketing, etc.). This helps the terminologist or AI know what kind of specialized vocabulary to look for.
• Target Language(s): If you need a glossary in multiple target languages (e.g., French, Spanish, German), you can request separate columns for each, or keep it bilingual if it’s just one target language.
• Optional Explanatory Notes: Terms often come with context-specific usage. A quick line explaining why you chose a particular translation can prevent misinterpretation down the road.

Glossaries are useful beyond translation. Copy editors can refer to the glossary to maintain style and terminology across various documents (product manuals, web content, internal policies, etc.). If you expand into new markets, a well-structured glossary is the foundation of localized marketing materials, user interfaces, or documentation.

A glossary is a centralized reference for all essential terms, maintaining consistency and clarity across translations and other content types. It’s a foundational tool for quality assurance, collaboration, and brand alignment—whether you’re translating a clinical trial protocol, localizing marketing copy, or standardizing language for internal documentation.

Translating with Additional Context

Adding extra context—like what the text will be used for, the target audience, and any special instructions—sets clear expectations for the translator. This improves accuracy, consistency and helps the final translation sound natural and engaging, especially when it’s meant to be heard rather than just read. It has broader value in content creation, marketing, and any text-based projects where tone, style, and cultural considerations are important.

This is an extension of the “Establish Context and Purpose” step.

If you have a custom glossary, or if there are very specific guidelines (such as reading level, style, or client branding), it’s best to feed that information into the translation process up front.

Emphasize in your prompt that you have references like glossaries, style guides, or brand tone that must be adhered to. Specify the text type (podcast transcript, marketing copy, etc.) and highlight any requirements (like oral fluency or brand guidelines).

• When to Use: Anytime you need to ensure the translation aligns with brand guidelines, reading level, or medium (e.g., marketing copy vs. podcast script).
• How: Specify whether the text will be read out loud, the intended audience, or other constraints like brand voice or legal requirements.

#Prompt: Translation with Additional Context

The most basic version of a Contextual Translation Prompt would look something like this:

Translate the following text into [target language], using the attached glossary. It’s a podcast transcript, so keep the tone conversational and easy to follow when spoken out loud.

If you’re looking to refine the prompt to directly address specific requirements, like using a glossary and making the translation sound fluent for oral speech.

for example especially relevant when the text is meant for spoken format (like a podcast transcript), or when you need to adhere to certain style or vocabulary guidelines.

Translate this text but take close account of the additional context provided.

You are a professional translator specializing in [subject area].

1. Please translate the following text into [target language].
2. Use the specified glossary:
3. Keep in mind that this text is a podcast transcript and will be read out loud.
   - Ensure your translation flows naturally when spoken.
   - Maintain an appropriate tone for a listening audience (e.g., conversational, engaging).
4. If any cultural references, idioms, or jokes appear, provide an equivalent that resonates with speakers of the target language or briefly explain any untranslatable elements.

Glossary = {
[Insert your Glossary here]
}

Text for Translation = {
[Insert your text here]
}

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How to Refine the Prompt to Your Use-Case:

• The explicit instructions tells the translator GPT to use a specific glossary (promoting consistency in key terminology) and to pay attention to the text’s function—spoken language in a podcast. Context like “it’s a podcast transcript” or “this is marketing copy” tells the translator (human or AI) what style to aim for.
• Consider styles, like emphasizing fluency for oral delivery, because it often differs from written style (shorter, more direct sentences, conversational tone). A text meant for reading aloud to a general audience will sound different from one intended for a highly technical manual or formal legal document.
• If the text involves cultural references, humor, or idiomatic expressions, it often needs careful adaptation so the target audience understands the meaning without confusion. Invite the translator GPT to adapt cultural references, idioms, or jokes by providing contextual clues and guiding the translator in making those decisions. So the final text maintains a similar impact in the target culture.

Upfront context means fewer back-and-forth edits and reduced revisions. Translators can anticipate issues (e.g., brand-specific style, reading level, cultural references) right away. Context helps ensure your message resonates with local customs and avoids cultural faux pas.

You can also use it later to cross-check in the editing phase because Editors or you editing AI can verify if the tone or style is correct for the target audience before final approval.

It’s basically orchestrating team collaboration across AIs with your writers, translators, and designers being all aligned on the style, terminology, and voice when they can reference the same contextual guidelines.

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