• Home
  • News
  • 2026
  • What Gets Lost in Translation? Building a multi-lingual Homosaurus

What Gets Lost in Translation? Building a multi-lingual Homosaurus

Bri Watson pictured with Western University in the background

June 19, 2026
By Becky Horst, FIMS Communications

Access to knowledge starts with language.

And when knowledge is organized by language, language determines what gets found — and what gets lost in translation.

For B.M Watson, PhD, assistant professor in Library and Information Science, this challenge of discoverability and translation is at the heart of newly funded research supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and Western University.

Often invisible to the general public, language is as important as roads are to a city when thinking about infrastructure in libraries, archives and digital systems. The terms used to catalogue and describe materials (like books, movies or art) shape how information is indexed, searched and ultimately understood. “These systems operate quietly in the background, but they have real consequences when they break down or are never in place to begin with,” explains Watson. “If people cannot search in the language that reflects their identity or experience, they may never find the histories, stories or resources that belong to them.”

When that infrastructure is further limited to one dominant language, entire communities and histories risk being overlooked or inaccurately described. The Homosaurus, a data vocabulary of LGBTQ+ terms, is working to help address these issues.

"The most common vocabulary term in catalogues for 2SLGBTQ+ people is ‘sexual minorities’ which I don't think anyone has ever called themselves — or searched! So, the Homosaurus serves people who are queer, asexual, aromantic, polyamorous, and so on."

B.M Watson, PhD

Assistant Professor, Library and Information Science, Faculty of Information and Media Studies.

Used by more than 100 institutions across nearly 20 countries, including many in Canada, the Homosaurus provides a shared, community-informed vocabulary that improves the visibility, discoverability, and long-term preservation of LGBTQ+ materials. The original version of the Homosaurus was created in 1997 and only existed as an offline resource. Today, the Homosaurus website is international and hosts Version 4 of the vocabulary, with Version 5 set to release at the end of June 2026.

With the support of the granted funds, Watson — who sits on the Organizing Board of the Homosaurus Collective, and their collaborative team are working to further expand the linguistic reach of the Homosaurus. Currently, it is available partially or entirely in English, French, Dutch, German, Japanese, Spanish, and Swedish, with additional languages on the way.

The additional translation process is being kickstarted by the two SSHRC funded projects. The first focuses on developing a regionally specific Québécois French translation of the Homosaurus, facilitated through partnerships with the Archives gaies du Québec (ACQ) and academic collaborators including Nicolas· Longtin-Martel, Mylène Larivière-Langlois, and other members of the Quebec Term Development Board. The goal — addressing longstanding gaps in culturally relevant terminology for Francophone communities in Canada. The second builds upon the existing network of European partners, including Queerlit, IHLIA, QueerSearch, among others, to support broader multilingual expansion, laying the groundwork for sustained, community-driven global translation efforts.

In both cases, the work is guided by ongoing consultation with community members, ensuring that the terms reflect lived experience, cultural nuance and local knowledge. By building coordinated infrastructure rooted in community expertise, the project aims to close representation gaps while amplifying voices that have historically been overlooked.

“We can’t rely on direct one-to-one translations when it comes to context-specific and culturally sensitive terminology for the LGBTQ+ community. A term might carry different meanings in different countries. Some concepts may not exist in another language at all, and literal translations can sometimes erase context entirely. This is why the community expertise is crucial.”

The broader impact is clear: more inclusive terminology improves how materials are described, found and preserved. It strengthens access for both researchers and the public, and ensures that marginalized stories are not only safeguarded, but also meaningfully connected.

“We’re building something that will continue to evolve long after these projects end,” said Watson. “At its core, this work is about building infrastructure to ensure people can find themselves in the systems that organize knowledge. When we get the language right, we open the door to deeper understanding, connection and belonging.”