The pattern everyone copied from machine translation
Open a glossary feature in most AI video tools today and you'll meet the same shape: "Create dictionary → pick source language → pick target language → add pairs." One dictionary governs exactly one language pair. It's inherited from classical statistical MT, where phrase tables genuinely were pair-scoped — but it forces a human cost the architecture no longer deserves:
| Per-pair dictionaries | Voxtakes term rules | |
|---|---|---|
| Entries for 50 terms → 7 languages | 350 — or lazily, only the pairs you happened to fill | 50 + overrides only where a language genuinely differs |
| New language added next quarter | Re-enter your whole list for that pair | Zero — existing rules already govern it |
| "Never translate this" (brand verbatim) | Repeat it in every dictionary | One keep verbatim flag, all languages |
| Did the dub actually obey? | Spot-check by eye | Per-line ✓ locked / ⚠ slipped badges on the review line itself |
What a term rule actually is here
Each entry is one record: the source term, an optional global default rendering, an optional per-language override map, or a keep-verbatim flag. When a job renders, the translator is constrained by your current table — and every finished line is machine re-checked against it. A green ✓ badge on the review page means "this line demonstrably locked your term"; an amber ⚠ means it slipped, and you fix that one line instead of re-rendering the video and hoping.
Why the proof badge matters more than the table
A glossary that "probably" steers the model is a placebo with an import button. The enforcement loop is the product: constrain → render → check every line → surface misses where you'll actually see them. Protection isn't a policy you trust — it's a status you read, line by line.
And when your brand evolves
Every job records the exact count of terms that guarded that render. When your library has moved since, the 📘 chip on the finished video offers a one-click re-render with current terms (billed like any job — Economy delivery still halves it). No silent staleness: just the option, where you'd look for it.
Try it with your own brand terms: open a free account — verified emails get 5 free credit minutes, no card.