The process of documentation
Documentation is a necessary process in translation, and it involves the 
search for parallel texts, as well as the advice of natives and/or professionals, 
and the use, if possible, of translation memories.When we talk about 
documentation, we can distinguish between textual and the lexical levels:
-- The TEXTUAL level includes multilingual texts (including texts in the 
SL) and parallel texts in the TL (both authentic and translated ones).A UNIVERSITY HANDBOOK ON TERMINOLOGY AND SPECIALIZED TRANSLATION
-- The LEXICAL level includes multilingual, bilingual or monolingual 
(with or without definitions) dictionaries, glossaries, specialized 
terminological databases, etc.Nevertheless, a great amount of the information that translators need 
cannot be found in books or other edited works but in other types of 
documents, and when we deal with specialized languages, sometimes, 
translators may even need the advice of oral informants (native speakers, 
specialists in the field or other translators).-- Corpus: reference works (lexicographic, terminographic, etc.) are 
more reliable, useful, and trustworthy if they come from real and 
authentic corpora.-- Specificity: dealing with specialized languages, this criterion is of 
utmost importance.This level also includes legislation, 
leaflets, manuals, and human informants.