“Arbeitsvertrag” in the seventh project this month - and you can’t remember how you translated it last time. “Employment contract”? “Work agreement”? “Labour contract”? Ctrl+F through old files, then a TM search, then another 10 minutes trying to recall. If this sounds familiar - you need a termbase. And MultiTerm from RWS is still the most popular tool for this among Trados Studio users.
Let’s figure out how to build a terminology database from scratch - even if you’ve been storing terms in Excel or just in your head until now.
What Is MultiTerm and Why Should You Care¶
MultiTerm is a terminology management application by RWS (formerly SDL). Think of it as a database for terms, but way smarter than a regular Excel spreadsheet.
The key difference: MultiTerm integrates directly into Trados Studio. You’re translating text, you see a segment with “Arbeitsvertrag” - and MultiTerm automatically shows you the approved translation right in the term recognition panel. No switching between windows, no manual searching. If you accidentally translate it differently - Trados QA will flag the inconsistency.
Termbase vs glossary: what’s the difference¶
A glossary is a simple “term - translation” list in two columns. A termbase is the same list, but with extra information: term definition, usage context, part of speech, grammatical gender, notes, and even prohibitions (“do not translate as…”). When a simple glossary grows these details - it becomes a termbase.
The price tag¶
MultiTerm is included with every Trados Studio Freelance subscription. If you’re already paying ~€420/year for Trados - you already have MultiTerm, no extra payment needed. MultiTerm isn’t sold separately - it’s part of the Trados ecosystem.
Creating a Termbase from Scratch: Step-by-Step¶
Open MultiTerm Desktop - it installs alongside Trados Studio and sits in the same Start menu folder.
Step 1: Create a new termbase¶
Open MultiTerm Desktop. Go to Termbase > Create Termbase. Pick a folder and filename - something like “Legal_DE_EN”. After saving, the Termbase Wizard launches automatically.
Pro tip: create a separate termbase for each specialization or major client. “Medical_DE_EN” for medical translations, “Finance_FR_EN” for financial. One massive termbase with everything dumped together becomes chaos within a year.
Step 2: Termbase Wizard - 5 steps in 2 minutes¶
The Wizard looks scarier than it actually is:
Step 1 of 5 - don’t change anything, just hit Next. This is an option to load an existing termbase template - you don’t need it when starting fresh.
Step 2 of 5 - enter a Friendly Name. This is the name you’ll see in the termbase list inside Trados Studio. Something like “Legal DE-EN” or “Medical German-English”.
Step 3 of 5 - language selection. Find your languages on the left (German, English), click Add - they appear in the right column “Selected index fields”. This is the most important step - it defines your language pairs.
Step 4 of 5 - additional fields (descriptive fields). For a simple termbase you can skip this. If you want fields like “Definition” or “Context” - now’s the time. More on this below.
Step 5 of 5 - final review. Click Finish - your termbase is ready.
Step 3: Adding your first terms¶
Now you’ve got an empty termbase. Time to fill it up.
Go to the Terms tab (bottom left). Press F3 or click the Add New Entry button (the plus icon under the Edit menu). A form appears for a new entry - double-click the field next to the pencil icon and type your term in the first language. Then do the same for the second language. Hit F12 to save the entry.
Entering the first 10-20 terms manually is fine. But if you already have a glossary in Excel with hundreds of entries - don’t suffer through it, import automatically (see the section below).
Termbase Structure: Which Fields to Add¶
MultiTerm lets you build complex structures with dozens of fields. But as a freelance translator, you don’t need most of them. Here’s what’s actually useful versus unnecessary complexity.
Minimal structure (enough for 90% of translators)¶
| Level | Field | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Entry level | Subject (topic area) | Filter terms by domain: “legal”, “medical”, “finance” |
| Language level | Definition | Explanation of the term - will save you a year from now when you’ve forgotten the context |
| Term level | Usage note | “Use in contracts”, “Avoid in correspondence” |
Advanced structure (for power users)¶
| Level | Field | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Entry level | Client | When terms are tied to a specific client |
| Language level | Part of speech | Noun, verb, adjective - helpful for morphologically rich languages |
| Language level | Gender | Grammatical gender - relevant for German, Ukrainian, Russian |
| Term level | Status | Approved / Deprecated / Proposed - which translation is the official one |
| Term level | Forbidden translation | “Do NOT translate as…” - incredibly handy |
MultiTerm’s structure has three levels: Entry level (applies to the whole record), Language level (applies to a specific language), and Term level (applies to a specific translation). Don’t overcomplicate things at the start. Begin with the minimal structure and add fields when there’s a real need.
On a translation forum, one user shared their experience: “I originally created a termbase with 15 fields - definition, context, source, date, status, grammatical gender, part of speech… After a month, only two were ever filled in: the term itself and the translation. The rest just ate up time every time I added an entry.” Start simple - you can always add complexity later.
Importing a Glossary from Excel - The Fastest Way to Fill Your Termbase¶
Already have a glossary in Excel? Then manual entry is a waste of time. There are two ways to import terms automatically.
Method 1: Glossary Converter (the easy way)¶
Glossary Converter is a free app from RWS that you can download from the RWS AppStore. The process is dead simple:
- Prepare your Excel file: column A has source-language terms, column B has translations. First row should be headers with language names (e.g., “German” and “English”)
- Drag the file onto the Glossary Converter icon
- The app automatically creates an .sdltb file - that’s your MultiTerm termbase
- Open this file in MultiTerm Desktop or connect it in Trados Studio
Glossary Converter handles .xls, .xlsx, .csv, .txt, .tbx, and even .tmx formats. Whatever format your glossary is in - the converter can deal with it.
Method 2: MultiTerm Convert (for complex structures)¶
If your Excel file has more than two columns (say, definitions, context, subject area) - use MultiTerm Convert. It comes bundled with MultiTerm Desktop.
- Open MultiTerm Convert and select New conversion session
- Choose Spreadsheet or database exchange format
- Select your Excel file and specify which columns are language fields (terms) and which are descriptive fields
- MultiTerm Convert creates a conversion file that you can then import into an existing or new termbase
This method is more involved, but gives you full control over the structure. If you’re migrating a large glossary with 500+ terms and want to preserve all the extra data - MultiTerm Convert handles it properly.
MultiTerm Alternatives¶
MultiTerm isn’t the only game in town. If you don’t use Trados, or you’re looking for something simpler - here’s what’s out there.
| Tool | Price | Who it’s for | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MultiTerm | Included with Trados (~€420/yr) | Trados translators | Full Trados integration, powerful structure | Windows only, steep learning curve |
| memoQ QTerm | Included with memoQ (~€185/yr) | memoQ translators | Intuitive, web version available | memoQ ecosystem only |
| OmegaT glossary | Free | Beginners, zero budget | Free, cross-platform | Plain text format, limited features |
| Gloss It | From $0 (free plan) | Freelancers | Web interface, collaboration | Free plan limits |
| Excel / Google Sheets | Free | Everyone | Simple, accessible, familiar | No CAT integration, manual search |
If you’re on Smartcat or another cloud CAT - they have built-in glossaries that work fine for basic needs. Not as powerful as MultiTerm, but for 200-300 terms they’ll do.
Honestly, for most freelancers a well-structured Excel file works just as well as MultiTerm - as long as you have fewer than 500 terms and aren’t working on large Trados projects. MultiTerm starts paying for itself when you hit 1,000+ terms and you’re doing 20+ projects a month in the same specialization.
5 Tips for Effective Termbase Management¶
1. Add terms while you’re working¶
Don’t save it “for later” - later never comes. Found a new term, figured out the right translation - add it to your termbase immediately. In Trados Studio you can do this right from the editor without switching to MultiTerm Desktop: select the term, hit Ctrl+F2, enter the translation, save. 30 seconds.
2. One term - one approved translation¶
Avoid a situation where your termbase has three translation variants with no indication which one is “correct”. One should have Approved status, the rest should be Deprecated or at least have a note saying “variant, use only in context X”.
3. Clean your termbase every quarter¶
Terms go stale. A client changed their style guide, a regulation was updated, you found a more accurate translation yourself. Every 3 months, open your termbase, go through the entries, and delete or update what’s outdated. It’s like cleaning your Translation Memory - painful but necessary.
4. Don’t duplicate what’s in your TM¶
A termbase is for terms and short phrases (1-3 words). Full sentences or paragraphs - that’s what Translation Memory is for. If you’re adding “In accordance with the applicable legislation of the Federal Republic of Germany” to your termbase - you’re using the tool wrong.
5. Back it up¶
Your .sdltb file represents months or years of terminology work. Copy it regularly to an external drive, cloud storage, or at least another folder. One translator on ProZ shared how they lost a termbase with 3,000+ entries after a hard drive crash. Three years of work - just gone.
FAQ¶
Do I need to buy MultiTerm separately from Trados Studio?¶
No. MultiTerm is included in every Trados Studio Freelance subscription - monthly and annual. After subscribing, download MultiTerm Desktop from your Trados account. No separate license or extra payment required.
Can I use a MultiTerm termbase in memoQ?¶
Yes, but you’ll need to convert it. memoQ supports importing MultiTerm XML files and the TBX (TermBase eXchange) format. Export your termbase from MultiTerm as XML or TBX, then import it into memoQ. Some field structure may be lost, but the terms and translations will carry over.
What’s the maximum number of terms in a MultiTerm termbase?¶
There’s practically no technical limit - MultiTerm handles databases with 100,000+ entries without issues. From a practical standpoint though, if you’ve got more than 10,000 terms in a single termbase - consider splitting by specialization for faster lookups.
How do I connect a termbase to a project in Trados Studio?¶
Open your project in Trados Studio, go to Project Settings > Language Pairs > [your pair] > Termbases. Click Add and select your .sdltb file. Once connected, MultiTerm will automatically display matching terms as you translate each segment.
Are there free alternatives to MultiTerm?¶
Yes. OmegaT has built-in glossary support using a simple tab-separated text format. Gloss It offers a free plan with basic features. And the simplest option - Google Sheets with two columns and Ctrl+F. For a beginner translator with zero budget - that’s enough to get started.