Technical Translation: Problems and Solutions

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What is Technical Translation?

In the world of European translation, a technical text is one that is subject-specific and lands outside of the literary genre. Often when we hear the words technical translation our minds might jump immediately to a user’s manual for a neutron microscope or an elevator service repair guide; but the term can just as easily pertain to an employment contract or the minutes of a judicial proceeding. For the purposes of this post however, we’re mostly referring technical fields (IT, environmental engineering, electronics etc.).

Three pitfalls to avoid when working on a technical translation

• Having an Engineer Write Directly into a Target Language
Technical manuals are often written directly into English in order to avoid translation costs. Engineers are engineers, not linguists; a Japanese engineer with a strong knowledge of English will not be as precise as they would be in their own language.

• Failing to Translate Neologisms
There can be an impulse (that many submit to) to keep specific words from the source language in order to avoid having to create jargon in the target language. If a word is sometimes accepted from English, it rarely works from Swedish, French and even less so from Japanese.

• Hashing out the Translation Internally
Specialized tech companies (nanotechnology or electrical or mechanical engineering firms) might hesitate to hire external translators in the belief that few people outside of their profession or even their company understand their terminology. This even more apparent when it comes to new and innovative technologies. Merely having a bilingual employee translate the document can be disastrous; translation is a profession unto itself with a unique and specific skill set.

Four Solutions for Suitable High Quality Translations

• Hire a Technical Translator
The vast majority of translators actually are technical translators. That doesn’t mean that each of them is an encyclopaedic genius. However, do we really need to have worked on an oilrig to translate a document about hydrocarbons? Or need we a degree in Pharmacology to translate a prescription? Of course those would be beneficial experiences, but a translator is first and foremost a linguist who possesses strong research skills in addition to their knowledge of two or more languages. As such, many translators tend to specialize in subject-fields that they are familiar with. Where LinguaSpirit excels is in our ability to hunt down those subject-field specialists if the request falls outside of our in-house capabilities and to find you the perfect translator for the job.

• In Cutting-Edge Fields, Hire a Translation Terminologist
Using any relevant documents a client is able to supply, terminologists work with technical engineers and concept designers (for example) to establish field-specific neologisms for the translation. The collaboration is an important step (facilitated by a face-to-face meeting) that allows the translation terminologist to understand the field and to clear up any questions they might have.

• Create a Glossary
This is exactly something terminologists can do very, very well. For clients, there are two advantages to creating a glossary:

1. It provides for consistency and saves time for all future translations, even when changing translation agencies.

2. The glossary can be forwarded to any partners, sub-contractors or clients in order to guarantee consistency throughout the working group.

• Employ a Bilingual Technical Reviser.
Bilingual technical revisers are also a great resource because they can serve as a language bridge.

A final word: Above all, demand in your translations the quality and the precision you expect in your own field.