Subject knowledge is vital when it comes to technical translations. Documents such as instruction manuals or product information sheets have to be accurate, and easily understood by the user.
A technical translator therefore has to have an in-depth knowledge of their industry or field, and this often requires experience of working directly with the type of machine or technology they are writing about. Having identified the correct terminology, they then have to render it in a way that is clear and easily comprehensible to the target readership: unfortunately we have all read user guides that were poorly translated or made no sense, and this is where expert, professional input is essential, to avoid the pitfalls, and even the legal risks that can result from badly-rendered text or inaccurate product descriptions.
This is where professional technical translators can be invaluable, and by using Transcloud they can also ensure consistency across all your business communications, avoiding confusion and getting your message across clearly.
Technical translation is a complex and specialised area. Precision, an accurate and consistent use of terminology and a thorough understanding of the subject matter are some of the main qualities required for technical texts such as user manuals, instructions for use and product data sheets or specifications. The translator or technical writer may also have industry-specific conventions or formatting requirements to take into account, as well as rendering the text in a way that is culturally appropriate immediately comprehensible to the target readership.
Global communications are now more important than ever before, and the volume of technical documents now being produced has never been higher. Technical translation projects may involve teams of translators, and this is where a translation management platform such as TransCloud becomes invaluable. Key terminology can be stored for future use in all manuals and data sheets, avoiding the risk of confusion or errors, which can be expensive in terms of money and also customers, not to mention the legal risks that mistranslations can sometimes pose.
Translation is most successful when it is a collaborative process. By working together with your translators, providing them with glossaries and reference materials, you can be sure of an accurate translation.
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