After hosting a multilingual event with attendees from across Europe, the organizing team sat down to review the event materials one last time before sending out the post-event report. That’s when they noticed it.
In the French version of the agenda, “breakout session” had been translated as “évasion”—a word more commonly used for “prison escape.” The Dutch version listed “uitbraak”, typically used for viral outbreaks or system malfunctions. What was meant to describe small group discussions had accidentally taken on meanings completely out of place.
No one had flagged it before or during the event. But looking back, it explained some of the confusion among non-English-speaking attendees.
This is not a real story, but it could be.
Because traditional translation tools rely on broad statistical models to make educated guesses about what a word or phrase means. These tools are great for everyday language, but when it comes to specialized terms, especially in the context of an industry event, AI-powered tools that use custom glossaries are a better choice.
What are Custom Glossaries?
The simplest way to explain what custom glossaries are, is through a couple of analogies:
A Cheat Sheet: A glossary is the translator’s cheat sheet. It tells the AI, “When you see this word, translate it exactly like this.”
Ratatouille’s Recipe Book: Imagine each technical term as a recipe ingredient. The glossary is the recipe that specifies how to “cook” that ingredient (word) every time. The AI follows this recipe to produce a perfect translation.
A Shared Dictionary: It’s also like creating a mini-dictionary just for your event. Everyone (including the AI) uses the same specialized dictionary, so the message stays consistent and clear.
But by definition, a custom glossary is a curated list of domain-specific terms paired with their preferred translations, created to guide AI systems during translation tasks. It prevents ambiguity by defining exactly how each key term should be translated in context, ensuring accuracy and consistency.
How AI Translation Tools Use Custom Glossaries
Modern AI translation tools don’t really “learn” new terms from a glossary – they use it on-the-fly during translation. In practice, the step-by-step system works like this:
Listen or read the source text: The AI does its usual translation of spoken words or captions.
Check the glossary: As soon as the translator generates a draft, it scans for any words or phrases in the glossary.
Apply preferred terms: If a glossary term is found, the AI swaps in your specified translation from the list.
Deliver final output: The result is a translated sentence that uses your exact terms for technical words.
In short, the AI adds a hidden step – it translates, then “searches and replaces” with your glossary terms.
Taming Technical Terminology with Glossaries
Technical words and scientific terms are the ones that trip up AI most. A single term can have multiple meanings. For example, does “lead” mean the metal (Pb) or the action of guiding? In a live event with specific jargon (chemistry, law, IT, etc.), you need precision.
So, the glossaries let you pre-define ambiguous or specialized terms tailored to your field. By doing this AI output becomes far more accurate than a general translation would be
How Translingo Uses On-Demand Custom Glossaries to Elevate Your Industry Event
Our system doesn't rely on generic language packs or pre-set terms. Instead, it creates on-demand, context-sensitive glossaries behind the scenes, based on your event’s industry.
With Translingo:
You tell us your industry and event type, and we handle the rest. We generate a glossary tailored to your needs, and your team has access to the glossary for further adjustments (if required).
The glossary is automatically applied during translation, working silently behind the scenes. Whether it's live captions, simultaneous interpretation, or post-event materials, your terminology stays consistent and accurate throughout.
Your content stays clear, your message intact. From technical terms to brand-specific language, everything is treated with the precision your event deserves.
No overcomplication, no extra effort. You focus on running your event—we ensure every participant understands it exactly as intended.
More Than Translation
We go beyond word-by-word translation - we communicate and encode the translation with the meaning you intended. And the impact doesn’t stop at real-time interpretation or captions. The more accurate and context-aware your translations are, the more polished your post-event reports, session recaps, and follow-up materials will be. That level of clarity and care doesn't go unnoticed—it directly enhances how international attendees perceive your event.
The process of implementing glossary translation sounds more complicated than it actually is. Here's how to get started quickly and smoothly with Translingo:
Implementing Translingo’s Translation Services at Your Event
Ready to break language barriers and make your events truly global? Here's how to get started with Translingo's professional translation services:
Venue Assessment: We’ll evaluate your venue and suggest the best translation setup, ensuring clear and effective communication across all languages.
Service Packages: Choose from our variety of translation services—from real-time translations during events to post-event transcript processing, available as standalone options or bundled to suit your event’s needs.
Speaker Management: We provide templates for speaker agreements that include content usage permissions, ensuring smooth communication across multilingual platforms.
By incorporating AI translation services into your event strategy, you create a global connection: enhanced attendee experience leads to higher satisfaction, which attracts more diverse audiences, and prestigious international events to your venue.
Translingo offers specialized translation services for event venues and organizers, including real-time translations, post-event multilingual processing, and content strategy consultation. Contact us today to learn how we can help maximize your venue's international reach and engagement through professional translation services.
