# Jargon Replacement Log

Decide when to define, retain, pair, replace, or remove specialist terminology for a particular audience without sacrificing technical accuracy.

## Usage note

Use the log to make an audience- and context-specific terminology decision. Do not remove a formal term when readers need it to complete a task, search a system, understand a right, or communicate with an expert. Verify every alternative with a subject owner and localize the concept rather than replacing words mechanically.

## How to use this template

1. Capture the term, source, formal meaning, audience, task, current context, and observed confusion.
2. Assess whether readers must recognize or reuse it and what precision a replacement could lose.
3. Compare retain, define, pair, replace, and remove options with subject and localization input.
4. Draft contextual examples, obtain approval, and map affected content and systems.
5. Test comprehension, migrate carefully, and review the decision when the concept or audience changes.

## Blank template

### Term context

- **Entry ID:** [Durable identifier]
- **Term or abbreviation:** [Candidate]
- **Formal definition:** [Authoritative meaning]
- **Source:** [Policy, standard, product, profession, or internal habit]
- **Audience:** [Prior knowledge]
- **Reader task:** [What they must understand or do]
- **Current sentence:** [Context]
- **Observed problem:** [Confusion, avoidance, error, or none]
- **Consequence of misunderstanding:** [Risk]

### Treatment decision

- **Options considered:** [Retain / Define / Pair / Replace / Remove]
- **Chosen treatment:** [One option]
- **Plain-language candidate:** [Wording]
- **Precision preserved:** [How]
- **Precision at risk:** [What may be lost]
- **First-use treatment:** [Draft]
- **Later-use treatment:** [Draft]
- **Search or interface requirement:** [Formal label readers encounter]
- **Rationale:** [Audience and task evidence]

### Examples and checks

- **Before:** [Original sentence]
- **After:** [Revised sentence]
- **Boundary example:** [Where treatment does not apply]
- [ ] The revision preserves actor, action, scope, and certainty.
- [ ] The official term remains where readers must recognize it.
- [ ] An expert confirmed technical meaning.
- [ ] The alternative was checked for another domain meaning.

### Implementation

- **Subject owner:** [Name or role]
- **Localization note:** [Concept and language-specific decision]
- **Affected locations:** [Pages, UI, forms, scripts, and training]
- **Test method and result:** [Comprehension or task]
- **Migration owner:** [Role and date]
- **Review trigger:** [Term, policy, product, or audience change]