Terminology Best Practices and Tips

These tips help you get consistent, high-quality translations by making the most of NovelHub's terminology system. If you are new to setting up a project, start with the Quickstart guide and then review Terminology Basics before building a larger term list.

Prioritize character names

Character names are the most visible part of any translation. Inconsistent names break immersion and confuse readers. Add all main characters to your terminology list before batch-translating chapters with Batch Translation.

Include:

• Full names (姓 + 名)
• Nicknames and titles
• Courtesy names or titles (字, 号) if used frequently

Use consistent romanization

Pick one romanization style and stick with it. Common approaches:

• Pinyin — Lin Ruo, Zhang Wei
• Adapted — Adjusting for English readability (e.g., "Xiao Yu" instead of "Xiǎo Yǔ")

Whichever you choose, apply it consistently across all character names.

Add place names early

Fictional locations, sect names, and realm names appear frequently in xianxia and xuanhuan novels. Add them to your terminology list alongside character names to avoid variations across chapters. A strong foundation in Terminology Basics makes these entries easier to manage consistently.

Review after the first few chapters

Translate 2-3 chapters first, then read through them carefully. Note any terms that:

• Translate differently across chapters
• Don't match your preferred style
• Are key terms readers need to recognize

Add or update these in the terminology list, then re-translate those chapters to apply the changes.

Keep entries focused

Each terminology entry should map one specific source term to one translation. Avoid:

• Overly broad entries that match too many things.
• Duplicate entries for the same term.
• Entries for common words that do not need special handling.

Update as you read

As you progress through a novel, new characters and locations appear. Keep your terminology list updated:

1. Read a batch of translated chapters
2. Note new recurring terms
3. Add them to the terminology list
4. Re-translate if needed for consistency

Terminology and re-translation

Editing terminology doesn't retroactively update existing translations. To apply changes:

1. Update the terminology entry
2. Go to the affected chapter
3. Click Re-translate

This ensures the chapter uses the latest terminology definitions.