The same source word needs different translations in different placements

What it is

Context-dependent UI translation means that an identical source word may need different target words according to control, referent, part of speech, speech act, or interaction stage. English “open” may command opening a file, describe a shop's status, or classify an unresolved ticket. Source-text identity cannot establish target-text identity, even when one target language happens to allow the same expression.

Why it happens

A source language may collapse several senses, parts of speech, or pragmatic functions into one surface form, while the target needs a different lexeme, voice, or politeness expression. Placement supplies information absent from the string: a button issues a command, a status label describes a condition, and a menu heading may name an object. Translation memory matched only on source text can suggest or propagate a candidate from a semantically different key. String identity is not translation-unit identity.

Where it stops holding

Every occurrence does not need novel wording. Shared terminology improves consistency when sense, part of speech, object, tone, and space constraint agree. Conversely, varying merely because coordinates differ fragments the vocabulary. The test is the linguistic act the string performs in context, not its file path or position. Controlled brand and command names may intentionally remain invariant.

Applying it

• Give every message a stable semantic key; use separate keys and descriptions for identical text with different meanings.
• Create separate translation units for different senses, parts of speech, and speech acts; disambiguation review should identify referent and intended interpretation for each.
• Show the semantic key with translation-memory matches; never equate a 100% source-text match with an in-context match.
• Inventory frequent homographs and ask native reviewers to explain each within its task sentence; actions must be predictable, states distinguishable, and genuinely shared terminology consistent.

Related

• Same group: S1.05.2 Reusing strings freezes the translation's grammatical form · S1.05.3 Strings need usage-context descriptions · S1.05.4 Interface screenshots provide the most effective context
• Adjacent: S1.04 Plural, gender, and grammatical variation · T1.04 Terminology consistency and glossaries
• Search terms: context-dependent translation · word-sense disambiguation · translation memory context