12 best practices of technical manual translation
If you want to translate your technical manuals into diverse languages, you need a specialist translation service proficient in producing reliable quality for every audience.
It comes with unique trials that require specialist experience from the right kind of language experts, and this is a niche service within the technical manual translation category.
In this article, we provide some of the finest tips for technical manual translation to help you achieve the quality you need and choose the right language professionals.
What is technical manual translation & who needs it?
Technical manual translation translates user guides, instruction manuals, and technical manuals into multiple or other languages.
By describing the technical operation of the products and outlining any potential hazards and dangers, these documents are intended to assist customers in using products safely and effectively.
Largely speaking, technical manuals wish to achieve two core goals: to advise users on safe usage and help users enjoy the best experience of a product (this includes future purchases, satisfaction, engagement, and increasing product usage) – both to protect them and the creators that produce the products in question.
This contains manufacturers of a wide range of products and, gradually, designers of digital products, such as:
- Consumer electronics
- Motor vehicles
- Industrial machinery
- Medical equipment
- Construction materials
- Agricultural technology
- Flatpack furniture
- Toys
- Video games
- Software
- SaaS products
- AI technologies
The depth and format of technical documentation required for any given product depending on the potential danger and complexity of using it mistakenly. For instance, user manuals for motor vehicles tend to include far more guidance and safety information than documentation for consumer software products.
The gap is quickly closing as software plays a gradually vital role in everything from portable devices and homes to medical products and motor vehicles.
Consider associating with a translation service provider specializing in technical manual translation services. A language service provider has the expertise and resources.
Here are twelve practices for effective technical translation
1. Use translator who know the subject matter
For a technical translation project, using a translator who knows the subject matter is ideal. The translation will be great if you choose a translator familiar with the subject and industry because technical manuals are intricate and sophisticated.
2. Use a technical document translator with native language proficiency
Translation projects are difficult, particularly if a non-native speaker takes charge of the interpretation. Things become even more complex if a translator doesn’t recognize how to compose a technical document. Regarding technical translation, someone with native language fluency or using a native-speaking translator is the only ideal way.
3. Create a glossary of terms
Technical content generally has a lot of definite terminologies, whether it relates to service, product, or industry. Creating a dictionary with the most mutual technical words is useful for getting the right context translation.
The glossary should have illustrations, if necessary, examples of its use, its definition, have the term in each language. Future projects can reuse the language, improving quality and consistency while saving the translator’s time.
4. Stick to technical document translation best practices
To increase quality, translators must try for best practice standards in technical writing. Keep commands brief and easy to understand to translate content successfully. Active voice is useful. Bullet point structures and subheadings should also remain constant throughout the text. This makes it easier for the end-user to abstract the information in front of them.
It’s also vital to be regular when using industry-specific jargon. Some people who interpret technical documents have concerns with this. It’s appealing to get artistic with vocabulary choices, but artistic flair has no place in translating technical documents or technical writing.
A technical document translator should stick to the basics throughout the text and resolve on a single word for each term. Even the random synonym can puzzle.
5. Use the advanced features of Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) tools
A CAT tool helps translators store, manage and edit translations. There are many diverse CAT tools, but they all work similarly. A CAT tool helps to ensure quality and consistency among all the diverse text strings using a glossary to pre-populate a project and a translation memory (a repository of content strings).
Additionally, most of these tools back quality checks, which are very suitable when translating manual translation services.
6. High-quality source texts are essential
Precise results can only be reached if there is a top-notch source text to work from, even if you have teamed up with a native speaker skilled at writing a technical document. Source materials should strictly adhere to the key principles of technical writing and be easy to read.
Small sentences not only make technical documents more manageable, but they also make it simple to translate technical documents. As a rule, technical documents shouldn’t contain idioms, slang, or cultural references. Complex sentences should also be avoided. While there’s sometimes a place for them, they often lead to uncertainty.
7. Follow any country or international standards
If there are any country-specific standards or International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to follow, make sure to follow the guidelines and that the translator is aware before the start of the project.
For instance, ISO 3864 states global standards for safety signs in public facilities and markings. The standard provides rules on designing protection signs, including symbols, colors, and meanings. ANSI Z535 is a U.S.-based standard that also covers safety guidelines. Make sure these guidelines are followed during the translation process.
8. Understand the key pillars of technical document writing
Translating technical documents well requires definitive source texts that follow the basics of technical writing. The main aim of translating technical documents is to confirm that translated texts retain the same levels of detail and quality as the original.
In short, no negotiations should be made throughout the translation process. The same crucial message must be effectively conveyed while preserving the same clarity and simplicity for the end user. For best results, the way to go is to employ a qualified translator who knows how to write a technical document positively.
9. Translators should ask questions.
Translators should ask questions if they have any concerns and work with the clients on the content of the technical manual translation. Sometimes a translator may need further insight or needs to have some references to understand the concept, so asking the right questions to the client is always cheered.
The translator should be taught to the client before the start of the project.
10. Know the elements of good technical translation
Translating technical documents well involves a high level of precision. A technical document translator recognizes how to procure concise and clear content that’s easy to digest. Technical manual translations should be free of excessive and fluff content. This content should never be added during translation and has no place in technical documentation.
An expert technical document translator should also know when to take the edge. When translating technical documents, a translator may meet difficult sentences that won’t read well once altered to a new language. When confronting a legal translation or software technical document, a translator should look for ways to make things vibrant for the end-user.
To translate technical documents excellently, a translator should never work from estimates. If the original message is blurred, a worthy technical document translator will reach out to ask for an explanation to confirm the ending message is on point.
11. Use reference documentation
It is also useful to understand if some parallel technical information exists that the translators can use as reference content. Before the project begins, find out if anything that may be similar in content exists. You can contain preparation as part of the training if preparation is involved.
12. Review your process before sending documents to a translator
Before referring an assignment to a technical document translator, it’s worth examining the original documents for context and clarity. A qualified writer who knows how to write a technical document can look for any room for improvement or detect any major issues.
Any changes should be employed before work on translating technical documents starts. This step is essential to increase quality for the end-user. But it also eliminates any uncertainty that might cause translation delays.
Before someone starts keenly translating technical documents, they should make notes and read through the base text first. If any red flags need talking, it’s vital to respond to them before somebody begins to interpret technical documents.
All of this intensely speeds up the translation process. The procedure can be reduced to just a few hours for machine translations demanding human review. However, a simplified process can make same-day dispatches possible, even if the base text is difficult, like an in-depth user manual or technical software document.
Wrapping up
Acadestudio offers ISO certificate language translations for a series of manual translation services with speed. Our technical manual translation process starts with employing the best professional subject matter experts and linguists to deliver the most precise bilingual results.
Also, we support our technical translators with an in-context linguistic review, translation memory, and terminology in real-time so they can translate your technical manuals with speed and quality.
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