Understanding Technical Translations
Posted by admin , on Mar, 2018
Translations aren’t a one-size-fits-all scenario. Translators’ skills and expertise vary widely. Working with a translator who specializes in industrial sectors such as automotive isn’t going to have the same type of knowledge as someone dealing with business jargon. Here are a few differences in technical translations you’ll find based on industry type.
1. Functional Versus Polished
Translation companies often distinguish between highly polished translations versus rudimentary, functional in-house translations. While this doesn’t mean that the latter is a poor product, it’s more about getting to the heart of the matter upfront than being pretty to read. Depending on your industry, if you’re looking for a polished up translation of an instruction manual or process documentation for foreign colleagues or customers, then the translation is going to be slightly different. Functional translations tend to be marginally cheaper, but will serve as a solid guide. Think of the difference as being a post-it with important information on it, versus nicely embosses stationery with the same notes on it, only massaged to make them easier to read.
2. Translations that Go Both Ways
Translations can be content that is distributed to both workers as well as your customers. A good example is a product instruction manual. While the key aspect of an instruction manual is to complete a real-world task, the professionalism of the language used and ease of reading makes a huge impression. If you’re using shoddy translations for customers, it’s obvious right away. Your staff, on the other hand, may not mind as much.
3. Finding the Experts for Your Industry
The key to finding translators who can properly adapt the text you need translated specific to your industry is to identify companies that offer services in those particular areas. Many translation businesses, because they’re small, tend to focus on only particular areas in their translations. Match your needs with the translation experts in your field.
Translations aren’t just straightforward, but truly a wide and varied field. As long as you’re working with a service that is familiar with your industry and understands your needs, though, you’ll be good to go.
