Termbase Basics

Termbases help ensure consistent terminology across your translations.

What is a Termbase?

A termbase is a database of terms with their translations:

Source (EN)	Target (NL)	Domain	Notes
software	software	IT	Don’t translate
click	klikken	IT	Verb
machine learning	machinaal leren	AI	Official term

Why Use Termbases?

Consistency: Same term = same translation every time
Efficiency: Don’t look up the same term twice
Quality: Use approved terminology
Client requirements: Follow style guides

Termbase Features in Supervertaler

Automatic Highlighting

Terms from termbases with Read ticked are highlighted in the source text:

Semibold green text by default (a pastel green background or a dotted underline are the alternatives)
Hover to see the translation
Terms from the project termbase are a darker green than those from background termbases
Forbidden terms are marked differently (dark red text in the default style)

Multiple Termbases

Maintain separate termbases for:

Different clients
Different domains (legal, medical, IT)
Different projects

Project and Background Termbases

Each project has one Project termbase – the highest-priority one, marked 📌 Project and shown in pink in the Termbases tab and in TermLens. Tick the Project column in the 🏷️ Termbases tab to make a termbase the project termbase. All other termbases with Read ticked are Background termbases.

The two quick-add shortcuts follow the same split: Alt+Up adds the selected term pair to the project termbase, Alt+Down to the first background termbase with Write ticked.

Forbidden and Non-Translatable Terms

Tick Forbidden on a term to flag a translation that must not be used. Forbidden terms are marked in the grid and in TermLens, and the AI is told not to use them.
To keep a word untranslated (a brand or product name, say), tick Non-translatable (keep source text in target) in the term entry editor instead, or use 🚫 Add to Non-Translatables (Ctrl+Alt+N) from the right-click menu.

Creating Your First Termbase

Go to the 🏷️ Termbases tab
Click + Create New
Enter a name (e.g., “Client ABC Terminology”)
Enter the source and target language codes (e.g. en, nl)
Choose the scope: Global (all projects) or Project-specific
Click Create

The Terms Window

The 🏷️ Termbases tab lists your termbases. To see a termbase’s terms, right-click it and choose 📝 Edit Terms… (from v1.10.376). The terms open in a window of their own, titled with the termbase’s name (Terms – Client ABC Terminology, say). If you open another termbase, its terms replace them in the same window.

In the terms window you can:

type in Filter terms… to show only the terms whose source or target contains what you typed
choose how many terms a page shows (Show:) and the order (Sort:, or click a column header), and move between pages with the arrow buttons
double-click a cell to change the source or target term, Domain, Notes, Project or Client. The change is saved as soon as you leave the cell.
tick Forbidden
delete a term with 🗑
add a term with + Add Term (see below)

The source and target columns take up the spare width but never shrink so far that the terms can’t be read. In a narrow window, the list scrolls sideways instead.

The Synonyms column lists each term’s source and target synonyms, for example MEKO → MEKO. It is read-only: edit synonyms in the term entry editor (right-click the term in TermLens → Edit Termbase Entry…).

Adding Terms

Manually

In the 🏷️ Termbases tab, right-click the termbase and choose 📝 Edit Terms…
In the terms window, click + Add Term. The Add Term to Termbase dialog opens.
Type the term in both languages. The two boxes are labelled with the termbase’s own languages, for example English (source) and Dutch (target), so each term goes in the right column even when your project translates the other way.
Optionally add abbreviations, synonyms, a definition, domain, notes, URL, client or project, or tick Non-translatable or Forbidden term
Click 💾 Save

The terms window then opens the page that holds the new term, in your sort order, with the term selected. If the filter would hide the term, it is cleared.

While either term is empty, Save asks you to type it, and the dialog stays open with what you typed. For a non-translatable term, the target is filled in from the source.
A term that is already in the termbase (the same source and target, ignoring capitals) is not added again. Workbench tells you so and selects the existing entry.
If the database is locked by another program, or is read-only, Workbench says so and nothing is saved.

From Selection

Select the term in the source cell
Select its translation in the target cell
Right-click → 📖 Add to Termbase (or press Ctrl+Alt+T)
In the dialog, choose which termbase(s) to add to and add any details

See Creating Termbases for the quick-add shortcuts.

Import from File

Go to the 🏷️ Termbases tab and select the termbase to import into
Click 📥 Import
Select a TSV file (tab-separated, with a header row – see Importing Terms)
Choose whether duplicates are skipped or updated
Watch the progress dialog

Termbase Settings

Activation

Termbases must be activated to show matches. Each termbase has a row of tick boxes in the 🏷️ Termbases tab:

✅ Read: Terms are highlighted and shown in lookups
✅ Write: New terms can be added during translation
✅ Project: This is the project termbase (see above)
✅ AI: Matching terms are sent to the AI – see Sending Terms to the AI
✅ 🔍 SuperLookup: The termbase is searched by SuperLookup

Highlight Style

Choose how terms appear in the grid:

Semibold Text (default): Slightly bolder text in a green tint
Background Color: Pastel green background
Dotted Underline: Subtle dotted line below the term, in a colour you choose

Go to Settings → 🔍 View Settings → 🏷️ Termbase Highlight Style.