This thesis looks at the working methods and approaches to terminology of the Translation Bureau’s Terminology Standardization Division and the Swiss Federal Chancellery’s Terminology Section and how these are shaped by three factors: the terminology services’ working languages, the nature and the degrees of collaboration they engage in, and their balancing of quality with the resources at hand. The thesis takes a descriptive approach, drawing on a wide range of sources, ranging from traditional academic sources to interactions with individuals at the terminology units themselves.