The most important characteristic of a typical technical translation project (if there is such a thing) is that the text to be translated is linked to a product or service, whereas a text in a literary translation project typically stands alone. The fact that there is a strong connection between the source text and a product or service has many implications. First, consistency within and across documents and versions is of the utmost importance throughout the entire process of any technical translation project. For instance, how do you make sure that multiple translators working on multiple text types within a large project (e.g., software strings, online help, tutorials, etc.) all use the same terms in the target language? How do you ensure stylistic consistency between translated documents in the current release and those in previous releases (think usability and corporate identity)?