Terminology Best Practices and Tips
TeaNovel's terminology system is automatic: the engine extracts and maintains the term list for each novel, so you don't build a glossary by hand. These tips help you get consistent, high-quality translations by reviewing what the engine produced and catching drift early. If you are new, start with the Quickstart guide and Terminology Basics.
The terminology list is view-only on every plan — entries are extracted and maintained by the engine.
Start with character names
Character names are the most visible part of any translation — inconsistent names break immersion and confuse readers. Before batch translating a long stretch, open the novel's Terminology tab and check the main cast:
- Full names (姓 + 名)
- Nicknames and titles
- Courtesy names or titles (字, 号) if used frequently
The engine anchors all of these to the same entity, so variants of one character should resolve to one consistent rendering.
Watch the status signals
Each entry carries a status. Use it to judge how settled the novel's names are:
- Verified entries are stable mappings the engine reuses across chapters
- Needs-review entries are still being reconciled — expect them to settle as more chapters translate
- The issue-focused view surfaces entries the system is least confident about
A novel with mostly verified entries after the first few chapters is a good sign for long-run consistency.
Add place names to your reading routine
Fictional locations, sect names, and realm names appear frequently in xianxia and xuanhuan novels. Glance at the terminology tab for these after the first few chapters so you recognize the engine's chosen renderings while reading. A quick pass through Terminology Basics explains the list's fields.
Review after the first few chapters
Translate 2–3 chapters first, then read through them carefully. Note any terms that:
- Read differently across chapters
- Don't match your preferred romanization style
- Are key terms readers need to recognize
The terminology view shows how the system is handling each one. Consistency usually stabilizes as the entity records build up; chapters translated later follow the settled mappings.
Report drift through feedback
If a name reads wrong or drifts between chapters, use the feedback button in the reader (category + details) to report it. Feedback feeds the quality loop, and chapters that fail quality checks are retranslated automatically at the platform's cost — you are not charged twice.
Re-translation and terminology
The engine's glossary settles as a novel translates, and later chapters follow the settled mappings. Already-translated chapters are not rewritten merely because the glossary changes. Report terminology problems through the reader feedback flow; qualifying automatic quality retries are paid for by the platform.
For how terms are applied during translation, see Terminology Basics.