Summary
The essential part of worldwide communication in sectors like manufacturing, engineering, and technology is the translation of technical documents. Precision is key, whether the materials in question are technical specifications, user manuals, or engineering blueprints. This blog, then, is a comprehensive “how-to” for communicating the essence of your technical documents in translation. It hand-holds you through the process of translation and lays down the standards you must know to ensure accuracy and clarity in your technical translations.
1. Why Technical Document Translations Matter
In our globalized world, companies and industries must interact effectively across national borders. One of the most vital parts of this interaction is the translation of technical documents. These are crucial to making certain that the intended user of a product or service comprehends what they’re supposed to understand, be it an engineering manual, the documentation for a piece of software, or a set of ‘technical specs.’
The Need for Precision in Technical Translations
Technical translations differ from other translation types because they demand precision, clarity, and a profound knowledge of the subject matter. Translating technical terms with even a slight error can lead to misunderstandings, safety hazards, or compliance problems. So, when it comes to translating the very essence of technical documents, their accuracy just can’t be questioned.
Several sectors where services for translating technical documents are particularly vital are:
Translation expertise is essential for engineering documents. They require more than simple word-for-word translation. Expert translators are necessary to deal with the very technical language and the specialized knowledge that is needed to fully comprehend the document and to understand the context that gives the document its full meaning.
Translation of assembly instructions or operational manuals in manufacturing requires a clear presentation of complex processes. Instructions must function at a high level of safety and must be understood by users unfamiliar with either the assembly process or the language in which the original documents were written.
Technology and Software: As innovation sweeps the globe, the accurate translation of software and tech manuals makes it possible for users everywhere to properly operate the systems we create—all while trusting that their functions will remain unfathomable to most of us who work on the leading edge.
Impact of Inaccurate Technical Translations
Product Failure: What can happen when user manuals or instructions are translated incorrectly? They can lead to the improper use of a product—a result that can sometimes lead to malfunctioning products and, in extreme cases, accidents.
Legal problems: Misunderstood legal clauses or technical details could contravene international regulations or safety standards, in which case plaintiffs would certainly sue or demand a product recall.
Trust Eroded: A brand can be harmed when technical translations are not accurate. Things can go wrong, and customers can be put in danger, all because of mistranslations. These discussions can apply to not only product safety but also the nonsafety aspects of a product. A brand, after all, is built on the perception that its products are consistently understandable and usable.
Ensuring accuracy in technical translation is essential because it can have major human and financial impacts if done poorly. The key to doing it well is having not just good translators, but also good subject-matter experts, who are vital for ensuring not just linguistic but also conceptual accuracy that is so essential for nearly any sort of document that might have even a technical or scientific aspect. Accurate translations of crucial documents—have no doubt about it—can save lives. Accurate translations can also save major amounts of money.
2. The Technical Translation Process
The process of translating technical documents is a series of steps that necessitates the special skills of an experienced translator and the use of several specialized tools. This is an overview of the steps that are usually taken in the translation of technical documents.
Step 1: Understanding the Source Material
A thorough understanding of the source document is essential before a translator can even think of beginning. This means not just reading it but analyzing it for all the things one might consider when trying to grasp the full meaning of a written work. The translator has to understand not just the document’s technical content but also its context and the audience it was intended for. Some documents may well require knowledge of specialized terminology to translate, while others might need research to guarantee that the precise and accurate wording is used.
Key Elements to Review:
The use of technical terms and acronyms.
Presentation of content (text, figures, tables, etc.)
Clarity of phrasing (sentence structure, word choice)
Clarity of the overall argument (main points, transitions)
Persuasiveness of the overall argument (attention to counterarguments, reliance on evidence to support claims, etc.)
Target audience: engineers, who understand the technical details; technicians, who perform maintenance and support tasks; general users, who may have some understanding of how systems work at a basic level.
Step 2: Translation and Adaptation
After the document is comprehended, the next step is to render the content into another language. For engineering translation, this means converting words and expressions that have a unique meaning in a technical context into the target language. It also means maintaining the integrity of the technical details.
Challenges:
Some technical vocabulary may not have direct counterparts in the target language. For these instances, the translator must either identify an equivalent term used by the industry or, if necessary, concoct a neologism that accurately represents the semantics of the original.
Step 3: Quality Assurance and Proofreading
Once the document has been translated, it goes through a quality process. This acts as a final review of the translated text and serves to catch any missed errors. More importantly, it ensures that the technical content is accurate.
Technical Proofreading
Translations will be checked by proofreaders who have expertise in the relevant subject matter. They will ensure that all terms and instructions are not only correct but also clear.
Consistency Checks
The consistency of terminology and formatting in the document is checked, which is basic in technical documents to prevent misunderstanding.
Step 4: Final Review and Delivery
The process concludes with a thorough final review. After the translation has been properly proofread, it’s scrutinized for formatting to guarantee that the document appears and reads like the original. It’s equally vital to check that all graphical elements, such as diagrams or charts, are properly labeled in the target language. If the translation process started with a source document that was only partially comprehensible, there’s a good chance that the translation itself will also be less than fully comprehensible.
Document Formatting
Often, when translating a technical document, one must also modify the layout for the target language. This can involve, for instance, changing the direction of the text (from right-to-left instead of left-to-right), or adjusting the spacing for layout and typographical reasons (to accommodate longer words or sentences).
Delivery
The document’s last form is then sent in the chosen design, be it a Word document, PDF, or some other digital format, primed for print or pixels.
3. The Importance of Using Specialized Technical Translators
Technical translations are not suited for all translators. They need not only linguistic but also extensive technical knowledge of the subject matter of the documents being translated.
Key Qualities of a Professional Technical Translator
Subject Matter Expertise: A translator working on an engineering translation project must have knowledge of not just the languages involved, but also the concepts and terminology of the engineering world. A degree in (or at least a few classes in) engineering is helpful; direct experience is even more valuable.
Accuracy: Translating technical documents calls for a sharp eye and a meticulous approach. Understandings can go awry when little mistakes creep in, so it is essential that translators spend the necessary time to ensure that the language they use—and the languages into which they are working—are as clear, direct, and as unambiguous as possible.
In technical translations, it is essential that terminology is used consistently to ensure that meaning does not vary across different sections and documents. Consistency is especially important in certain fields, like computer programming, where the slightest alteration in a command can produce significantly different (or damaging) results.
Guaranteeing that the translation is precise, uniform, and of superior quality, professional technical translation services are used. These services have at their disposal translation tools, glossaries, and industry specialists, which help render translations more reliable, more quickly, and with greater accuracy.
4. Key Standards for Technical Document Translations
Numerous international standards and best practices exist that steer the translation of technical documents. These standards guarantee the translation’s requisite accuracy and useful functionality in the target language.
ISO Standards for Translation Services
One crucial benchmark that dictates the caliber of technical translation is the ISO 17100 standard for translation services. This benchmark specifies the necessities for the methodologies, supplies, and qualifications that are required for the translation of technical documents.
ISO 17100 is all about making certain that every translation project is managed and executed with the highest quality. It pays a lot of attention to the qualifications of the translator. In our next section, we will pay these same respects to the managing and executing of a TMS so that these translating projects can keep on happening with the same quality. The ISO standard also carries a lot of weight and respect with it.
Many translation companies also adhere to the ISO 9001 quality management standards, which ensures that these companies follow strict directives for service quality and customer satisfaction.
Industry-Specific Guidelines
In certain sectors, very specific rules must be adhered to in order to guarantee that the translation is both precise and legally binding:
Translation of engineering: Translations of engineering documents often rely on industry standards such as ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) or IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) to govern them. These standards dictate the kind of terminology and formatting that should be used in the documents.
Medications and Pharmaceuticals: The FDA and EMA insist on detailed, reliable translation in the medication and pharmaceuticals sectors. Strict quality assurance programs are mandated for translated documents. As a result, much clear guidance is available regarding what constitutes a quality translation.
Translation providers who follow these standards ensure that the technical document translations not only fulfill the client’s requirements but also conform to the expectations of regulatory agencies.
Conclusion
In today’s interconnected world, moving technical documents across borders effectively is more vital than ever. The engineering, manufacturing, and technology sectors work with precise international standards too. So much so that a Quantity Surveyor I once worked with in New Zealand
used the term “translation” to describe the most basic part of his work: converting the different measurement systems of the world’s building codes into something we Civil Engineers could understand and work with. He built the bridge with a bulldozer. I built it with an accurate hammer. Whether I was working with global standards, using an international team, or linguistically and cross-culturally building a bridge for a northern team to understand and effectively use, I maintained a precise English diction and, in impromptu talks, an understandable English accent. Whether your technical documents are understood in the global marketplace depends on my — and your — work.
