The ability to provide “technical translation” services makes up an important sub-specialty of the translation industry. The volume of technical translation requirements continues to grow as the world economy and international corporations expand at a healthy clip in the new “post-COVID” era. In fact, localization and translation will be even more relevant in this even more digital and global future economy. This serves to underlie the importance of technical translation as the world economic recovery continues.
If you are in need of technical translation services, then please read on to learn more about the unique requirements of technical translation and how to find a technical translation provider who is right for you and your project.
What is “Technical Translation”?
There are many types of translations. From literature to public information notices, military & intelligence services, legal contracts and much more. “Technical translation” is a broader category and “catch-all” that can include a number of vertical industry niches, from industrial engineering and manufacturing to medical/healthcare, and international logistics supply chains, to name only a few.
How technical translation differs from, say, translation of more general materials, is that it requires highly-specialized technical and industry knowledge. While knowing specialized industry jargon is important, it goes beyond simply looking up unfamiliar words in a dictionary on the part of a technical translator. In these cases, a translator must also understand CONTEXT and CONCEPT.
For example, when translating a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), the translator needs to understand not only the words to be translated, but also what an MSDS is to be used for, standardized terminology and format, and specific rules and regulations pertaining to MSDS documents in the target market.
Or, to present an even more challenging example, a pharmaceutical patent written in Spanish that needs to be translated into English for submission to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO). In this case, the translator not only needs to understand the technical content related to chemistry and pharmaceuticals (i.e., the translator should be a subject matter expert in these fields), but they also need to understand the unique and standardized terminology, grammatical standards, and rules required by the USPTO for patent translations.
For example, in a Spanish patent application, one will likely come across the term estado de la técnica. A typical translator may translate this as “state of the technology.” Of course, many terms have multiple acceptable translation alternatives. However, this is not the case with patent translations. The only acceptable translation of “estado de la técnica” in English would be “prior art.” Conversely, if translating from English into Spanish, a translator not particularly well-versed in the unique language of patents may translate “prior art” quite literally as “arte previo.” Nevertheless, in Spanish, the only correct translation in the context of a patent application would be “estado de la técnica.”
How Can I Get My Technical Documents Translated?
Now that we have a better idea of what constitutes a “technical translation,” the next question would naturally be where to go to get your technical documents translated? Not to mention, how do I know if the provider I choose will be any good?
First and foremost, you want to make sure they have experience in both the language and the technical field you need (e.g., Chinese to English translation of military manuals). Once you have confirmed this, you should make sure that they have a documented, comprehensive, and multi-step quality control process that includes Translation-Editing-Proofreading (TEP). You will also want to ensure that the first two steps (Translation-Editing) are done by Subject Matter Expert (SME) translators.
This means that if you need a patent translation, as described above, the translator and editor should both be experienced in the field. Finally, you should make sure that their quality control process follows one of the recognized international standards for the providing quality translation services, which are the ASTM F2575 – 14 Standard Guide for Quality Assurance in Translation and/or ISO 17100:2015 Requirements for Translation Services.
Of course, you can also ask for references from similar clients they have served in the past and, in many cases, “blind” resumes (name and contact information redacted) of the translator(s) that would be used to translate your document(s) so that you can verify that they have the appropriate subject matter expertise and experience.
At Translation Source, we are experts in the field of technical translation, from engineering and manufacturing to geology, petrochemicals, life sciences, legal, and patent translations, to name just a few. If you have a technical translation need, feel free to send us your document(s) for a free consultation and quote.
If you would like to learn more about Translation Source’s technical translation services, please email us at info@translation-source.com or call us toll-free at (800) 413-7838.
