Terminological variability in localization projects

This article deals with terminological variability and terminology usage inconsistency in localization projects focusing on software localization. The theoretical part of the article aims to compare local and foreign studies discussing the processes of globalization, internalization, localization, and translation, and it primarily discusses theoretical knowledge about terminological variability and inconsistency connected with the new phenomena of corporate language and corporate identity and their enforcement by software companies. The practical part of the article stems from thorough research across the terminology databases of three software companies (Microsoft, Google, and Apple) and the isolation of variable terms. Based on a survey of 376 respondents, this article tries to determine users’ preferences of variable terms put in context. It also tries to highlight terminology variability in software terminology, determine its impact on localization, and explain its presence in terminology databases and the glossaries of software companies.