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Method

We settle a Turkish equivalent from what a concept means, not from how its word sounds. Every decision weighs two factors, and every decision is recorded with its reasoning, so your team and any future translator can check it.

Our principle

Transliteration is not translation.

A Turkish word that sounds like your English term won’t always say what you mean, so we start from the meaning.

Two factors behind every equivalent

These are the first two things we weigh when we choose a Turkish word.

  1. Factor 1

    The web of meaning

    A word never stands alone. It sits in a web of meaning, woven from its etymology and from the explicit and implicit resonances it carries within its own language. We look at which Turkish words our equivalent is related to, what it brings to a reader’s mind, and what it might suggest without meaning to.

  2. Factor 2

    What the term really describes

    We take a critical look at what the term really describes in its source language. Many words don’t name their concept directly: they describe it by analogy to a different concept. So we first find the meaning behind the analogy.

A worked example

Here is how the two factors work in one of our approved records.

All term records

English: agentSound-alike, Turkish: ajan

eylemci

  • Factor 2

    What does it describe in its source language?

    An agent is whoever acts.

    From Latin agens, “one who acts”, from the verb agere: to do, to set in motion. An agent is whoever carries out the action.

  • Factor 1

    Which web of meaning does it enter in Turkish?

    In Turkish, “ajan” suggests a spy, while “eylemci”, from eylem (action), keeps the meaning.

    Built from eylem (action) + -ci, the suffix for the one who does something (iş, work → işçi, worker). Eylem itself comes from the old verb eylemek, “to do”. So eylemci carries the “doing” of Latin agere in a native Turkish root.

Four steps to a decision

Every record goes through the same steps. The two factors are at work while we research and decide.

  1. Research

    We study the source term in context, the Turkish equivalents already in use, and the reference sources for your field.

    Factor 1Factor 2

  2. Decide

    We compare the options, recommend one and explain why. If the term is still unsettled in Turkish, we say so.

    Factor 1Factor 2

  3. Apply

    Decisions go into your glossary and termbase, and every translation follows them.

  4. Review

    Each record carries a review date, and we update it as usage changes.

We say when Turkish isn’t settled yet

When a concept has no settled Turkish equivalent yet, we say so plainly and mark ours as a proposal, so you always know which words are established and which are our suggestion.

Tell us what you’re bringing into Turkish

Which content, which languages, what timeline? A few lines are enough. We’ll tell you plainly what we can do.

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