What if the real reason interpreting sounds seamless isn’t magic, but preparation? Behind every fluent speech, there’s an interpreting glossary that holds it all together. In fact, effective interpreting glossaries are what make multilingual events accurate, natural, and stress-free for everyone involved.
Interpreting without a glossary is like walking on stage without knowing the script. You can improvise for a while, but the risk of missing nuance, acronyms or cultural references grows with every sentence. Especially in fields like finance, healthcare, or tech, where a single term can make or break meaning.
So how do you make interpreting glossaries that work, not just for interpreters, but for everyone involved?
Start with collaboration, not perfection
Clients don’t need to prepare glossaries themselves — that’s our job. What helps most is sharing any available materials: speaker slides, agendas, reports, or terminology lists used within the organisation. From these, our interpreters extract and prepare event-specific glossaries in all required languages.
We focus on clarity, not complexity: each glossary includes terms, translations, and short context notes or examples. Before the event, interpreters review the materials, study previous talks or recordings, and align on phrasing and tone. This preparation ensures that on the day, interpreting sounds effortless, accurate, and natural.
What to include (and what to skip) For interpreters to prepare effectively, it all starts with what the client provides. The glossary itself is built by our team — but it depends on having the right input materials. The more complete and structured those are, the stronger and more accurate the final glossary will be.
Clients don’t need to prepare a terminology list on their own. Instead, we ask for all available reference materials: presentations, agendas, speaker notes, previous reports, studies, or internal documents that reflect the event’s subject matter. These sources allow our translators and interpreters to extract relevant terms and create a focused, multilingual glossary tailored to the event.
From these materials, we prioritise:
- recurring terminology, acronyms, and proper names (organisations, projects, brands)
- field-specific jargon and technical terms relevant to the event’s theme
- slogans, taglines, or branded wording that carry a specific tone or message
- names and designations of speakers, institutions, or locations
We then add short context notes or examples to clarify meaning and ensure consistent use across all languages.
What we deliberately skip are general or everyday words — interpreters already know them. The glossary must stay practical, not encyclopaedic. A concise, well-structured list helps interpreters recall terms instantly and stay fully focused on delivering smooth, natural speech throughout the event.
From our booth: our experience
At Translators Family, we create detailed glossaries before every interpreting event — no matter the size or subject. Our project managers and interpreters collaborate directly with clients to collect terminology, review speaker materials, and align on key concepts and acronyms in all working languages.
Each glossary is tailored to the event’s field — whether it’s technology, business, culture or sustainability. We refine every term with context and examples to ensure consistency and accuracy. This preparation allows our interpreters to work with confidence and deliver speech that sounds natural and precise, while speakers can stay spontaneous without worrying about being misunderstood.
Our pre-event checklist: the glossary essentials
Before every interpreting assignment, we ask clients to share:
• event agenda or session titles
• speaker bios and slides
• company or industry-specific terms
• acronyms and abbreviations
• official translations or branding guidelines (if any)
It takes 20 minutes to prepare, but saves hours of stress later.
Final thought
A strong glossary is more than a reference list, it’s a bridge between the subject experts and the interpreters. It keeps language precise, tone consistent, and communication authentic. When everyone shares the same terminology, the audience doesn’t just understand – they stay connected.
If you’re planning a multilingual event, let’s make your words travel right. Translators Family can help design your interpreting setup, build your event glossary, and ensure every term lands exactly where it should.
by Oleg Semerikov, CEO of Translators Family
