Nothing breaks immersion faster than a character whose name changes spelling between chapters. “Ichigo” becomes “Strawberry” in chapter 15. “Bankai” turns into “Final Release” in chapter 22. A translation glossary prevents this entirely.
What Is a Translation Glossary?
A glossary is a list of terms and their approved translations. When translating manga, it typically includes:
- Character names — How to romanize and spell each name
- Attack and ability names — Consistent translations for recurring moves
- Honorifics policy — Keep -san/-kun or localize to Mr./Mrs.
- World-building terms — Factions, locations, titles unique to the series
- Style decisions — How to handle onomatopoeia, slang, and dialect
The Cost of Not Having One
Without a glossary, every translator on your team makes independent decisions. Over 100+ chapters:
- Names drift between transliterations
- New team members re-translate established terms differently
- Readers notice inconsistencies and lose trust in your group
- You spend hours fixing issues that should not exist
How MangaGloss Handles Glossaries
MangaGloss has a per-series glossary built directly into the translation tool. Here is how it works:
- Create a glossary for your series (e.g., “One Piece”)
- Add terms — source text and your preferred translation
- Attach it to jobs — when you translate a chapter, select the glossary
- AI respects your terms — the translation model receives your glossary as context and uses your preferred translations
This means “Gomu Gomu no Mi” stays “Gum-Gum Fruit” (or “Gomu Gomu Fruit” if that is your preference) across every single chapter.
Building a Good Glossary
Start with the basics
Add main character names first. Then add the 10–20 most common terms in the series. You do not need to add every word — just the ones that matter for consistency.
Be specific about formatting
Instead of just adding “Bankai → Bankai”, add context: “Bankai → Bankai (keep untranslated, capitalize)”. The more context you give, the better the AI handles edge cases.
Update as you go
New characters and terms appear as a series progresses. Add them to your glossary as they show up. It takes 10 seconds and saves hours of corrections later.
Get Started
If you are translating manga — whether solo or as part of a team — a glossary is the single biggest quality improvement you can make. Try MangaGloss and set up your first glossary today.