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A Few Abbreviations Every Technical Translator Should Know
08 May 2026
Useful information for technical translators
Here is are a few abbreviations you will encounter regularly if you work in technical translation:
- TM — Translation Memory (it is sometimes referred to as a Translation Database)
- TB — Termbase (terminology base)
- CAT — Computer-Aided Translation
- TEP — Translation, Editing, Proofreading
- TO — Translation Only (without editing and proofreading)
- DNT — Do Not Translate
- QA — Quality Assurance (ensuring translation quality)
- AT — Automatic Translation (same as MT)
- MT — Machine Translation
- PEMT — Post-Edited Machine Translation
- MTPE — Machine Translation Post Editing
- EOB — End of Business (also EOD — End of Day) — end of the working day
- SOB — Start of Business (also SOD — Start of Day) — start of the working day
- HO — Hand-Off (all resources provided by the client for the project like translation files, source files, glossaries, samples of previous translations, etc.)
- HB — Hand-Back (all deliverables returned to the client after the project is completed)
- TAT — Turnaround Time (deadline for completion of work)
- PO — Purchase Order
- WC — Word Count (number of words)
- WWC — Weighted Word Count (number of weighted or effort words)
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