When you’re looking for translation services for a machinery manual, it’s always prudent to have a digitized copy of your technical document ready to send to your selected professional translation agency alongside your initial enquiry. If you need to translate a technical manual for any kind of machine (such as industrial machinery for your factory) you’re likely going to want a quick quote for a fully comprehensive and professional technical translation service and an electronic version of the document will speed up the process.
You may, for example, have a technical manual that you need translated from English to Russian or another popular trade language. When it comes to machinery manual translation, the accuracy of the translation is crucial, because someone else is going to use that translation to figure out how a machine works, and if it’s wrong, then there could easily be some consequences. For this to possible you require a professional translation service that offers native speakers of the target language(s), translators who specialise in engineering documents and who know when to clarify parts of your text. Which means you’re looking for a translation company you can trust. One that has great experience in serving engineering clients above all else.
There are several key points to consider when translating a technical manual:
Understanding
Whoever translates your document should be well-versed in technological terminology in both the source and target language. Your translator should have qualifications and experience that are relevant to the document that needs translating, experience that is up to date for the industry and similar documents. Their experience will help them to know the difference between terminology and ‘names’, as well as when to ask for clarifications. They should also only be translating into their mother language, to ensure accuracy.
Purpose
Good translators will need to take into account the purpose of the technical manual that you need translating. That means they will consider who is going to read it, what level of education or experience they should have, and what the manual will be used for. This clear understanding will help translators provide the best possible translation. It may also allow them to advise you of potential problems, such as a manual that is too technical for the intended user.
Document format and layout
Your chosen translation service should be able to handle several variations of document formats. Most documents are likely to be sent in either MS Word or as a PDF, but if you’re sending anything else, check that the company is able to receive the file type. Typically translation companies can work with a range of files, including Excel, InDesign, .XML, and HTML.
Finally, bear in mind that your document’s layout may need adjusting to provide the best possible translation service for you. In most cases, this means your document may end up longer than it originally was, simply due to the target language requiring more words to communicate the same thing.
Technical translations need to be understood clearly and extremely accurate. Unlike other translation services, there is a potential for accidents or injury if technical manuals are not correctly translated for the targeted users. Machine damage may be the least of a translator’s concerns, depending on the type of machine that they are translating the manual for.
When you initially make an enquiry for a machinery manual translation service, ensure that you include the following: A copy of the technical document in question (a confidentiality agreement might be required in advance), the language that the document is in, what language the document needs translating to, and how quickly you need it back. This will help a translating team respond to you in an informed manner.
