It’s important for any translation company to build a team of technical translators who have the necessary skills and knowledge to translate texts in different specialized fields. But what is technical translation? What sets it apart? And what fields is it associated with? Read this article to discover the answers.
What exactly do we mean by “technical translation?”
Let’s begin with a little clarification. Broadly speaking, “technical translation” is a term that includes all the specialized fields of translation, such as legal, administrative, financial, medical, and scientific translation. In this sense, technical translation is quite unlike literary translation. However, in a stricter sense, the expression refers to translation in fields related to technology and applied techniques. It’s this second meaning that we’ll stick to in this article.
In which fields can a technical translation company be called on to work?
A translation company may offer its technical translation services to clients who work in the following fields, among others:
IT and telecommunications
Automotive industry and transportation
Electricity and electronics
Manufacturing industry
Aviation and aerospace
Natural resources and mines
Energy and the environment
Building and construction
Metalworking
Chemistry and petrochemistry
Agri-food
Biotechnology
What are the biggest challenges associated with translation in these technical fields?
Without a doubt, one of the biggest challenges for technical translators is terminology. With any luck, translators will be able to find a specialized glossary that will help them in their work. However, as technical fields evolve very quickly, we constantly see new terms being created. The technical translators at a translation company therefore have to spend a lot of time researching terminology. Sometimes, they even have to use their creativity to create new ones when there aren’t yet equivalent terms in the language of the translation.
Furthermore, the translators at a technical translation company need to know how to tailor their approach to the target audience. A technical text intended for the general public (such as a user manual for a device) must be made accessible so that the Average Joe (or Jane) can understand it, while a text intended for technical specialists requires more advanced research to find the terms and expressions used in the field in question.
What skills must the technical translators at a translation company possess?
The translators at a translation company who work in these fields must possess a double knowledge. On one hand, they must have a perfect mastery of the language of the translation in order to produce idiomatic translations. On the other hand, they must also have sufficient knowledge of the technical field in question to understand the concepts, processes, terminology, how the devices work, etc.
It should be noted, however, that a technical translator who is familiar with nuclear energy, for example, won’t necessarily also be an IT specialist. That’s why it’s important to find a technical translation company that can offer you the services of translators who are familiar with your particular field.
Contact SLRR Translation Agency to learn more about technical translation and the preferred fields of the members of our team.
