Specialized Track · Career · Reference

Vocabulary Bank: Information Systems Engineering

120 words and 72 real workplace phrases for this specialization, organized by topic. Tap the speaker icon to hear the pronunciation. Use this as a reference alongside your lessons — it's not graded.

Hardware & Devices

Physical equipment and components.

laptop

a portable computer

laptop, computadora portátil

motherboard

the main circuit board of a computer

placa madre

processor / CPU

the chip that runs calculations

procesador (CPU)

RAM

short-term memory used while a program runs

memoria RAM

hard drive

storage where files are saved permanently

disco duro

SSD

a fast type of storage drive with no moving parts

disco de estado sólido (SSD)

monitor

the screen connected to a computer

monitor

keyboard

the device used to type

teclado

router

a device that connects a network to the internet

router, enrutador

firewall (device)

hardware that blocks unwanted network traffic

firewall (dispositivo)

server rack

a frame that holds multiple servers

gabinete de servidores

peripheral

any device connected to a computer, like a mouse

periférico

battery life

how long a device runs before recharging

duración de la batería

port

a connector used to plug in cables or devices

puerto

adapter

a device that connects incompatible plugs or ports

adaptador

charger

a device used to recharge a battery

cargador

docking station

a hub that connects a laptop to other devices

estación de acoplamiento

cooling fan

a fan that keeps components from overheating

ventilador de enfriamiento

overheat

to become too hot to function properly

sobrecalentarse

power supply

the component providing electricity to a computer

fuente de poder

Software & Applications

Programs, apps, and how they run.

application / app

a program used to perform tasks

aplicación

operating system

the main software that runs a device

sistema operativo

update

a new version of software with fixes or features

actualización

license

legal permission to use a piece of software

licencia

install

to set up software on a device

instalar

uninstall

to remove software from a device

desinstalar

compatibility

whether software works with a system or device

compatibilidad

crash

when a program stops working unexpectedly

fallar, colapsar

freeze

when a program stops responding

congelarse

plugin / extension

an add-on that adds features to software

complemento, extensión

interface (UI)

the part of software users see and interact with

interfaz (UI)

user experience (UX)

how easy and pleasant software is to use

experiencia de usuario (UX)

subscription

a recurring payment for ongoing software access

suscripción

open source

software with publicly available source code

código abierto

proprietary software

software owned and controlled by a company

software propietario

beta version

an early, test version of software

versión beta

patch

a small update that fixes a specific problem

parche

license key

a code used to activate software

clave de licencia

default settings

the original settings before any changes

configuración predeterminada

configuration

the way a system or software is set up

configuración

Programming & Development

Writing, testing, and shipping code.

function

a block of code that performs a task

función

variable

a name that stores a value in code

variable

loop

code that repeats an action

bucle

array

a list of values stored together

arreglo (array)

syntax

the rules for writing valid code

sintaxis

compile

to turn code into a program a computer can run

compilar

debug

to find and fix errors in code

depurar

version control

a system to track changes in code

control de versiones

repository

a storage location for a project's code

repositorio

commit

to save a set of code changes

confirmación de cambios (commit)

pull request

a request to merge code changes

solicitud de incorporación (pull request)

branch

a separate line of development in code

rama

framework

a set of tools that helps build software faster

marco de trabajo (framework)

API

a way for two programs to communicate

API (interfaz de programación)

front end

the part of an app users see and interact with

frontend

back end

the server-side part of an app users don't see

backend

database

a system that stores and organizes data

base de datos

query

a request for information from a database

consulta

algorithm

a set of steps to solve a problem

algoritmo

unit test

code written to check that a small piece works

prueba unitaria

Networking & Infrastructure

Connectivity, servers, and systems.

bandwidth

the amount of data that can be transferred at once

ancho de banda

IP address

a unique number identifying a device on a network

dirección IP

DNS

the system that turns website names into IP addresses

DNS

VPN

a secure private connection over the internet

VPN (red privada virtual)

cloud computing

using remote servers to store and process data

computación en la nube

uptime

the amount of time a system stays working

tiempo de actividad

downtime

the amount of time a system is unavailable

tiempo de inactividad

load balancer

a system that distributes traffic across servers

balanceador de carga

data center

a facility that houses servers and computing systems

centro de datos

bandwidth throttling

intentionally slowing down a connection

limitación de ancho de banda

Wi-Fi

a wireless way to connect to a network

Wi-Fi

Ethernet

a wired way to connect to a network

Ethernet

protocol

a set of rules for how data is transmitted

protocolo

packet

a small unit of data sent over a network

paquete (de datos)

subnet

a smaller network inside a larger network

subred

gateway

a device that connects two different networks

puerta de enlace

latency

the delay before data transfer begins

latencia

scalability

a system's ability to handle growth

escalabilidad

redundancy

having backup systems in case one fails

redundancia

failover

automatically switching to a backup system

conmutación por error

Security

Protecting systems and data.

cybersecurity

protecting systems and data from attacks

ciberseguridad

malware

software designed to cause harm

malware, software malicioso

phishing

tricking someone into giving up private information

phishing (suplantación)

firewall

a system that blocks unauthorized network access

firewall

encryption

converting data into a secure code

cifrado

two-factor authentication

a second security step beyond a password

autenticación de dos factores

breach

an incident where data is accessed without permission

brecha (de seguridad)

vulnerability

a weakness that could be exploited by attackers

vulnerabilidad

penetration testing

authorized testing to find security weaknesses

pruebas de penetración

access control

rules about who can use a system or resource

control de acceso

data leak

sensitive information being exposed accidentally

fuga de datos

ransomware

malware that locks data until a payment is made

ransomware (secuestro de datos)

antivirus

software that detects and removes malware

antivirus

audit log

a record of actions taken in a system

registro de auditoría

zero-day

a vulnerability unknown to the software maker

vulnerabilidad de día cero

credentials

information used to prove identity, like a password

credenciales

token

a piece of data used to verify identity or access

token

compliance

meeting required security standards or regulations

cumplimiento normativo

threat actor

a person or group attempting an attack

actor de amenaza

incident response

the process of handling a security event

respuesta a incidentes

Work & Collaboration

Everyday IT team communication.

stand-up meeting

a short daily team update meeting

reunión diaria (stand-up)

sprint

a short, fixed period of focused work

sprint (ciclo de trabajo)

backlog

a list of tasks waiting to be done

lista pendiente (backlog)

stakeholder

a person interested in or affected by a project

parte interesada

deadline

the date something must be finished by

fecha límite

deliverable

something that must be produced or completed

entregable

onboarding

the process of getting a new employee started

incorporación (de personal)

remote work

working from a location outside the office

trabajo remoto

code review

checking someone else's code before merging it

revisión de código

documentation

written instructions or explanations of a system

documentación

Professional Self-Presentation

Vocabulary for interviews, self-presentation, and professional advocacy.

expertise

specialized knowledge and skill in a particular area

experiencia especializada, pericia

track record

a history of past achievements and performance

historial de logros

responsibilities

the duties and tasks someone is expected to handle

responsabilidades

qualifications

the skills, degrees, or experience that make someone suitable for a role

calificaciones, requisitos

strengths

the skills or qualities someone is particularly good at

fortalezas

professional growth

the ongoing development of one's skills and career

crecimiento profesional

career goals

the specific things someone wants to achieve professionally

metas profesionales

achievement

something successfully accomplished

logro

contribution

something someone adds or gives to a project or team

contribución, aporte

credentials

official qualifications or proof of expertise

credenciales

Troubleshooting

What people say when something goes wrong.

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

"Have you tried turning it off and on again?"

¿Ya intentaste apagarlo y encenderlo de nuevo?

It's not responding.

"The application isn't responding — I might need to force close it."

No está respondiendo.

I'm getting an error message.

"I'm getting an error message every time I try to save."

Me sale un mensaje de error.

It keeps crashing.

"The app keeps crashing whenever I open a large file."

Se sigue cayendo/fallando.

Let's run a diagnostic.

"Let's run a diagnostic before we call support."

Hagamos un diagnóstico.

Can you replicate the issue?

"Can you replicate the issue on your end?"

¿Puedes reproducir el problema?

It's a known issue.

"It's a known issue — a fix is coming next week."

Es un problema conocido.

I'll escalate this ticket.

"I'll escalate this ticket to the senior team."

Voy a escalar este ticket.

The system is down.

"The system is down for scheduled maintenance."

El sistema está caído.

It's back up and running.

"Good news — the server is back up and running."

Ya está funcionando de nuevo.

Meetings & Updates

Common phrases in stand-ups and status meetings.

give a quick update

"Can you give a quick update on the login feature?"

dar una actualización rápida

I'm blocked on

"I'm blocked on the API access — I need admin approval."

estoy bloqueado/detenido en

it's on track

"The migration is on track for Friday."

va según lo planeado

we're behind schedule

"We're a bit behind schedule on the redesign."

vamos atrasados

let's sync up

"Let's sync up after lunch about the release."

pongámonos de acuerdo, sincronicemos

I'll follow up with you

"I'll follow up with you once testing is done."

te voy a dar seguimiento

that's out of scope

"That feature request is out of scope for this sprint."

eso está fuera del alcance

let's table this

"Let's table this discussion for the next meeting."

dejemos esto pendiente por ahora

circle back on this

"Let's circle back on this once we have more data."

retomar esto más tarde

bring everyone up to speed

"Can you bring everyone up to speed before the demo?"

poner a todos al día

Development & Code

Everyday developer talk.

push a fix

"I'll push a fix for that later today."

subir una corrección

merge a branch

"Can you merge my branch once the tests pass?"

fusionar una rama

break the build

"That change broke the build for everyone."

romper la compilación (build)

ship a feature

"We're shipping this feature by Thursday."

lanzar una función

roll back a change

"We had to roll back the change after the outage."

revertir un cambio

write a test

"Always write a test before merging new code."

escribir una prueba

refactor the code

"We should refactor this code before adding more features."

refactorizar el código

spin up an environment

"Can you spin up a test environment for me?"

levantar un entorno

run the pipeline

"The deployment pipeline runs automatically after each commit."

ejecutar el pipeline

open a pull request

"I opened a pull request for the login fix."

abrir un pull request

Security & Support

Reporting problems and protecting systems.

raise a ticket

"Please raise a ticket if the issue continues."

levantar un ticket

patch a vulnerability

"We patched the vulnerability within a few hours."

parchear una vulnerabilidad

flag suspicious activity

"The system flagged suspicious activity overnight."

marcar actividad sospechosa

reset your password

"You'll need to reset your password every 90 days."

restablecer tu contraseña

lock an account

"We locked the account after several failed attempts."

bloquear una cuenta

verify your identity

"Please verify your identity before continuing."

verificar tu identidad

grant access

"Can you grant access to the shared drive?"

otorgar acceso

revoke permissions

"We revoked her permissions after she left the team."

revocar permisos

back up your data

"Always back up your data before an update."

respaldar tus datos

restore from backup

"We restored the files from last night's backup."

restaurar desde una copia de seguridad

General Workplace

Everyday expressions in an IT workplace.

work remotely

"I work remotely on Fridays."

trabajar de forma remota

touch base

"Let's touch base before the client call."

ponerse en contacto brevemente

loop someone in

"Can you loop in the design team on this?"

incluir a alguien (en la conversación)

get up to speed

"It took a week to get up to speed on the codebase."

ponerse al día

take ownership of

"She took ownership of the migration project."

hacerse responsable de

hand something off

"I'll hand this off to the next shift."

traspasar algo (a otra persona)

keep someone posted

"I'll keep you posted on the release schedule."

mantener a alguien informado

iron out the details

"Let's iron out the details before the demo."

resolver los detalles

hit a snag

"We hit a snag during testing, but it's fixed now."

toparse con un contratiempo

wrap up a project

"We're wrapping up the project this week."

cerrar/concluir un proyecto

AI & Data

Emerging vocabulary for modern IT roles.

train a model

"We trained the model on last year's sales data."

entrenar un modelo

fine-tune a model

"We fine-tuned the model for better accuracy."

ajustar finamente un modelo

clean the data

"The team spent a week cleaning the data."

limpiar los datos

label the dataset

"Interns helped label the dataset for training."

etiquetar el conjunto de datos

run inference

"The app runs inference in under a second."

ejecutar inferencia

overfit a model

"The model overfit the training data."

sobreajustar un modelo

automate a task

"We automated the reporting task with a script."

automatizar una tarea

analyze the results

"Let's analyze the results before deciding."

analizar los resultados

visualize the data

"We visualized the data in a simple dashboard."

visualizar los datos

integrate an API

"We integrated a weather API into the app."

integrar una API

Talking About Your Career

Common expressions to describe your role, strengths, and goals.

I'm responsible for

"I'm responsible for system design, development, and support across the software development and IT support department."

soy responsable de

My main strength is

"My main strength is problem-solving under pressure."

mi mayor fortaleza es

I specialize in

"I specialize in software development and IT support."

me especializo en

What I bring to the table is

"What I bring to the table is years of hands-on experience."

lo que aporto es

I've had a lot of success with

"I've had a lot of success with cross-team projects."

he tenido mucho éxito con

One of my proudest achievements was

"One of my proudest achievements was leading that project to completion."

uno de mis logros más importantes fue

I'm passionate about

"I'm passionate about software development and IT support."

me apasiona

I'd like to grow into

"I'd like to grow into a leadership role."

me gustaría crecer hacia

I stay up to date by

"I stay up to date by reading industry publications."

me mantengo actualizado/a

In my experience,

"In my experience, clear communication solves most problems."

en mi experiencia,

I work well under pressure

"I work well under pressure and tight deadlines."

trabajo bien bajo presión

I'm a quick learner

"I'm a quick learner and adapt easily to new systems."

aprendo rápido