Health and safety are integral parts of an organization. Significant efforts are made on prevention, because human lives must not be endangered unnecessarily. The field of health and safety is therefore a need for any business. If your company is multilingual, many documents in this field will need to be translated each year. Health and safety translation is a specialization with its own terminology and specific issues. In this article, we will first take a look at what health and safety is, the reasons why it is essential in a company, and the issues related to health and safety translation.
What is health and safety?
Health and safety include different approaches or programs aimed at reducing or completely eliminating the hazards in a workplace. These hazards can be physical or mental in nature. In Quebec, the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité au travail (CNESST) is the organization responsible for ensuring respect for rights and obligations in the workplace.
Why must health and safety translation have an important place in your company?
Within a company where the employees speak multiple languages, the translated health and safety texts must have the same clarity and awareness-raising effect as the original texts. The employees must be able to enjoy a safe working environment, where the culture of accident and occupational disease prevention has the same impact in one language as in the other. Language barriers have repercussions on safety. Health and safety translation may affect several types of documents: prevention programs, employee assistance programs (EAPs), safety analyses, training manuals, material safety data sheets, inspection reports, internal policies, procedures, etc. These often-lengthy texts must be placed in the hands of an HR translation firm, because the translators who work there are in the best position to understand your needs and ensure an accurate translation. They will know how to use the right terminology and can meet very tight deadlines. Above all, they will be able to write a text that is similar in every respect to the original text, without giving rise to misunderstandings or incorrect interpretations.
What are the issues related to health and safety translation?
Poorly translated texts can have serious consequences, and this is particularly true in the field of health and safety translation, where lives can be endangered if information crucial to safety within the organization is communicated poorly. A bad translation can also have legal consequences if a text leads to complications within the company. An organization is directed by the CNESST to protect its employees. If it fails to do so, it could be prosecuted. This can have serious consequences on a company and lead to significant costs, in addition to a loss of credibility and trust. This is why it is essential to do business with an HR translation firm in order to protect your business and your employees.
An HR translation firm like SLRR Translation Firm can be an ally in health and safety translation. Don’t hesitate to call on us!
