Terminology Starter Guide

Making terminology work smarter, so our content lands better everywhere.

❓Why it matters

Getting terms into our termbase early means fewer surprises later:

• Translators won’t have to guess or rework key terms later.
• We can ensure accurate, SEO-friendly translations aligned with market usage.

Products and content sound consistent, polished, and on-brand globally.

🕐 The earlier, the better. Adding terms before localization begins sets us up for success - especially for new features, product names, or campaign messaging.

💡 What makes a good term candidate ?

Not every word needs to be a term!

A good term candidate is:

• New or unique to Adobe (e.g., feature names, product names, branded terms)
• Likely to be reused across multiple touchpoints (UI, docs, marketing)
• Tricky to translate or easy to misunderstand if left without guidance
• Important for SEO, branding, legal accuracy, or consistency
• Definable—it refers to a clear concept that can be explained and contextualized

🚫 Skip:

• Generic words like "page," "button," or "user"
• Phrases that will already be reliably handled via Translation Memory (TM)
• Anything you can’t define or explain - if it’s not definable, it’s probably not a term

A good rule of thumb:

If it needs explanation or consistency across languages, it’s probably a candidate 👍🏼

If it’s general UI or body copy, Translation Memory (TM) and style guides will usually cover it - no need to add it to the termbase.

Standard phrases that appear across Adobe apps and documentation and are already handled through Translation Memory (TM) and linguistic style guides.

🛠 How to request a term in Quickterm

Now you know why it’s important and what a good term candidate is, let’s walk you through how to get it added.

1. Login to Quickterm and click Request new term.

2. Fill in the request form by providing the mandatory elements:

   • Category (General, Product, Legal) (Tell us what kind of term it is)
   • Definition (Explain what the term is and what it does)
   • Origin (Where is this term coming from? Product or page link)
   • Term (EN-US) (The term itself)
   • Context sentence (Show the term in action, ideally from the UI or a sentence it appears in)

3. You can also:

   • Add related term variations (e.g., Adobe Workfront & Workfront) using the T button
   • Provide a Secondary Language if you want to suggest a translation.
   • Attach files or screenshots for context.
   • For IEMs/IPMs: Specify if you want particular vendor(s) to handle translations in the comment box.

4. When done, click Send. You’ll see a green success message once it’s submitted!

✍ Tips for Great Definitions & Context Sentences

Definition: Explain what the term is and what it does - briefly and clearly. Avoid simply copying and pasting marketing copy without explaining what it is. Think "help a linguist who’s never seen or heard of it before understand what it is."

✅ A web-based dashboard that allows users to manage their Adobe product licenses.

❌ Part of the platform (Too vague)

❌ Adobe LLM Optimizer helps shape how your brand shows up in results, driving measurable visibility, qualified traffic, and influence (Doesn’t actually tell us what it is)

Context sentence: Show the term in action, ideally from the UI or a sentence it appears in.

✅ You can access Admin Console from the Tools menu

❌ Click the Admin Console (Not specific enough)

These help linguists choose the right word in their language and keep Adobe messaging sharp, clear, and global

⏳ Turnaround Time

After you submit your request, the terminology team reviews it and follows up if needed.
We then kick off translation with our vendor linguists.
Typical turnaround is ~1 week, sometimes faster.
You can mark the priority as High in your request if timelines are tight!

🌍 How Adobe Handles Localizability of Product Terms