As part of our toolkit series on the MSC blog, we want to introduce you to: The Multilingual Glossary.
The Multilingual Glossary database is a professionally generated signage tool designed for libraries. It contains common library phrases in 49 languages. New South Wales State Library developed this tool to facilitate communication between library staff and patrons from diverse linguistic backgrounds.
What we love about this tool:
- All the phrases have been professionally translated. So let’s put Google Translate aside for now.
- The interface is easy to use. Follow the 4 numbered steps to get a translation.
- Have you ever cut and pasted characters of another language and it became this:
? Multilingual Glossary gives you a downloadable Word and image file to ensure the translated phrase is usable and displayed correctly.
Ideas for improvement:
- NSW Library welcomes requests for new phrases if you can’t find what you’re looking for. However, it’s not clear when they last updated their database. A ‘last updated’ statement would be a nice addition and would give users a sense that it is being maintained and refreshed — our requests will be heard.
- A ‘Recently Added Terms’ sidebar block would be an enhancement as well, with a list of 5-10 terms that have been most recently translated. This could also be a filter option under Display when you’re in the browse phrases mode. A user who has requested a phrase may easily see when theirs has been added.