Dictionaries serve two main purposes. They codify and reinforce common theory and practices. They also allow clear communication within the discipline and with other disciplines. The existing ICA glossaries and dictionaries are now out of date and their approach is questioned as being not sufficiently sensitive to cultural diversity within the various cultures sharing common languages. In the context of current efforts to promote better cross-cultural understanding, the archival community needs tools that take into account linguistic and cultural diversity within and across individual languages. Should ICA language tools be prescriptive or descriptive; how should they relate to the standards developed by ICA and globally accepted by the profession?