Technical translation is one of the most important fields of specialized Translations. Trying to target a certain audience or even just the general public can take some technical expertise and know how. Technical translators can keep you up to date with the latest products, including hardware, software, and other devices. These products assist you in helping your audience to understand how things should be done, operated, or prepared.
Technical translation is in a group all its own. The technical translator has to have expert knowledge in the field, subject, or business specialty. A perfect match, a translator who meets all the criteria, is crucial for the successful translation of your business documents. Here are a few examples of technical translations:
Manuals and patents
Automotive
Hydraulics
Optics
Engineering (civil, marine, mechanical, electrical)
Avionics
Medical (equipment, hardware)
Science and physics
Technical Translators
Technical knowledge alone is not enough; impeccable writing and language skills are of great importance when it comes to correctly being able to handle technical translating. It takes a person with strong skills to be able to handle this type of work. Usually it is a person who has been in the field and has hands on experience as well, such as a patent lawyer, engineer or scientist.
In order to be able to do a technical translation, they must have superior knowledge in the specific field related to the product description. The translator needs to be able to translate texts that include a high degree of technical or specialized terminology, for example, owner manuals or user guides.
Being consistent in terminology is crucial for many types of translation including computer-assisted translation because you do not want to have translation misunderstandings. Over half of technical translators use programs to assist them in the translation of your business or personal documents. These programs usually use terminology databases, which store words, sentences, or common phrasing, making the translation process a bit faster and more consistent.
It is extremely imperative that the translator you hire to work on your documents is not only a translation expert but is a proven expert in your field. It is often vital that the terminology be translated properly, since any minor misinterpretation of an instruction in an installation manual can have dire consequences for your merchandise. The last thing you want is for the instructions to have the customer connect a wire incorrectly and blow the entire system.