Explain the audience
A first-time buyer, an experienced technician, and a new employee need different language. Add that distinction to the brief.
Built around meaning · Vitra TMS
The right translation starts before the first word.
Tell Vitra TMS what the content is for, who it speaks to, and what the product actually does. Contextual translation brings that brief together with approved memory, terminology, and style, so the output has a reason to use one phrasing instead of another.
Free to start · 120 languages · No credit card required
- Explain the audience
- Explain the product
- Explain where it will appear
See what context changes
One word. Three very different jobs.
Translation should know what you mean before it decides what to say.
Choose the context
The source · English
Charge before use.
AudiencePeople setting up a new device
Product & purposeAn instruction about battery power
Terminologycharge → cargar
Style guide
Clear wording. Natural Spanish. Preserve the meaning.
VVitra TMS
Power, not payment.
The product context tells the reviewer that this is an action: connect the device to power.
Website
Carga el dispositivo antes de usarlo.
Example wording · for reviewVideo script
Antes de usarlo, carga el dispositivo.
Example wording · for reviewCampaign design
Carga antes de usar.
Example wording · for reviewMeaning check · English
Charge the device before using it.
Illustrative English-to-Spanish examples, not a live translation tool. Context helps; qualified human review still matters.
Capabilities
What Contextual Translation does
Explain the product
Give the translator the facts, domain, and relevant product meaning. Short labels can be ambiguous without them.
Explain where it will appear
A button has a space constraint. A subtitle has a reading-time constraint. A document clause needs a careful review. The surface matters.
Bring the approved language
Connect memory, terms, glossaries, and style guidance so context and past decisions work together.
Keep the context reusable
Store the relevant audience, client, product, and domain information with your memory rather than writing the same brief for every task.
Let people judge the result
Review the translation in its finished format. Better context is helpful evidence, not a substitute for approval.
What changes for your team
A better brief makes a better translation possible.
The work it helps
Remove ambiguity before it spreads
Start with the jobs your team already needs to finish.
Short product labels
Clarify whether 'charge' means a payment, an electrical action, or something else before choosing the target wording.
Brand and campaign adaptation
Give a local reviewer the purpose behind a headline, not just the sentence to translate.
Technical and specialist content
Bring the right domain, terminology, and audience assumptions into review from the start.
Check the claim, vocabulary, tone, and format. Keep the approved decision for future work.
Inside Vitra Universe
Connect the brief to approved language
Add the audience, product, subject, and intended use—not a long list of vague instructions.
Explain the audience
A first-time buyer, an experienced technician, and a new employee need different language. Add that distinction to the brief.
Explain the product
Give the translator the facts, domain, and relevant product meaning. Short labels can be ambiguous without them.
Explain where it will appear
A button has a space constraint. A subtitle has a reading-time constraint. A document clause needs a careful review. The surface matters.
How it works
Four steps, one connected workflow
Keep the brief, language resources, and review decisions connected. Use the finished result in Universe or export it for the next step.
- 01
Describe the job
Add the audience, product, subject, and intended use—not a long list of vague instructions.
- 02
Connect the language resources
Select memory, terminology, glossary, and style guidance relevant to that job.
- 03
Translate in context
Create the target-language content for the surface where it will be used.
- 04
Review the meaning
Check the claim, vocabulary, tone, and format. Keep the approved decision for future work.
Who it is for
Teams using Contextual Translation
Short product labels
Clarify whether 'charge' means a payment, an electrical action, or something else before choosing the target wording.
Brand and campaign adaptation
Give a local reviewer the purpose behind a headline, not just the sentence to translate.
Technical and specialist content
Bring the right domain, terminology, and audience assumptions into review from the start.
FAQ
Questions people ask
What is contextual translation?
Contextual translation uses the audience, subject, product meaning, and intended use of content to choose suitable wording. It considers more than the source sentence on its own.
Can the same word need different translations?
Yes. For example, 'charge' can refer to a payment, a battery, or an instruction. Product and usage context help distinguish those meanings before the team reviews the translation.
Does adding context change old translations automatically?
Updating memory context guides new work and quality review. It does not mean every stored translation is automatically rewritten or re-approved. Review existing assets deliberately when the underlying meaning changes.
Explore next
Start with Contextual Translation. Grow into the whole platform.
Everything in Vitra Universe shares one translation memory, one brand kit, and one quality bar — so the work you do here makes everything you do next faster.