# Locale Terminology Glossary

Maintain approved local-language terms with definitions, grammatical behavior, context, prohibited alternatives, examples, evidence, and decision ownership.

## Usage note

Create one governed glossary for a defined product or subject and locale, not a loose two-column word list. A useful entry explains the concept, target-language behavior, valid contexts, and reasons behind restrictions. Ask qualified language and subject owners to approve consequential terms, and record uncertainty rather than forcing one translation across unrelated meanings.

## How to use this template

1. Identify a recurring concept with ambiguity, risk, or measurable inconsistency and assign a stable concept ID.
2. Define the source concept, exclusions, audience, product behavior, evidence, and contexts before choosing target wording.
3. Document approved target forms, grammar, examples, valid variants, prohibited alternatives, and reasons.
4. Obtain linguistic and subject approval, then distribute the decision to translation and content systems.
5. Monitor source or product changes, record usage feedback, and deprecate terms with an explicit migration path.

## Blank template

### Glossary scope and rules

- **Product, subject, or collection:** [Defined scope]
- **Source locale:** [Language and locale]
- **Target locale:** [Language, region, and script]
- **Primary audiences:** [Who encounters these terms]
- **Glossary owner:** [Person or team]
- **Language authority:** [Qualified reviewer]
- **Subject authority:** [Product or domain owner]
- **Status values:** [Proposed, approved, deprecated, retired]
- **Review schedule:** [Cadence and change triggers]
- **Distribution systems:** [TMS, CMS, repository, design, support, or other]

### Term entry

- **Concept ID:** [Stable identifier]
- **Source term:** [Preferred source label]
- **Source variants:** [Aliases, abbreviations, or older names]
- **Concept definition:** [What it means]
- **Exclusions:** [What it does not mean]
- **Target approved term:** [Preferred local form]
- **Part of speech:** [Noun, verb, adjective, phrase, or other]
- **Grammar and inflection:** [Gender/class, plural, case, agreement, or particles]
- **Capitalization and abbreviation:** [Rules]
- **Valid variants and conditions:** [Where each may appear]
- **Prohibited alternatives:** [Form and reason]
- **Natural target example:** [Complete sentence]
- **Interface or content context:** [Screen, action, document, or user state]
- **Related and contrasting concepts:** [Concept IDs]

### Evidence and governance

- **Source of truth:** [Specification, behavior, policy, or owner]
- **Language evidence:** [Current corpus, research, or audience observation]
- **Requester and reason:** [Who raised the need]
- **Decision record:** [Options considered and rationale]
- **Linguistic approval:** [Name and date]
- **Subject approval:** [Name and date]
- **Status and effective version:** [Enter]
- **Affected assets:** [Strings, pages, media, metadata, memory, or training]
- **Migration instructions:** [How to replace prior terms]
- **Next review trigger:** [Date, product change, or feedback threshold]
- [ ] Definition distinguishes this concept from close alternatives.
- [ ] Example demonstrates natural local grammar.
- [ ] Prohibited forms include reasons rather than preference alone.
- [ ] Systems and owners received the approved update.