Published in Technical translations on 21/04/2021

Just like with technical texts in general, working accurately and keeping a keen eye on detail are essential requirements for translating technical documentation. If translators want to ensure translations of technical documentation are correct and user-friendly, they cannot rely on creativity. In this regard, technical documentation differs vastly from texts such as marketing and advertising translation. Rather, technical documentation requires precise terminological research, uniformity and terminological consistency.

Technical Documentation: Definitions

In the context of technical documentation, a distinction is made between internal technical documentation and external technical documentation.

• Internal technical documentation refers to documents and texts that are intended exclusively for internal use within the company, such as design drawings, parts lists and quality management manuals.
• External technical documentation, which includes sales documents, operating instructions and manuals, on the other hand, is directed at customers and users. In other words, these two types of technical documentation differ in terms of their target audience and purpose; however, translators have to exercise great care in both cases to ensure translations of technical documentation are both correct and user-friendly.

Special Types of Technical Documentation

One special type of technical documentation are Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) as their content is strictly regulated under the REACH Regulation (EC) no. 1907/2006. As a consequence, translations of this special type of technical documentation also have to meet the specific requirements stated in the templates of Annex II of the regulation. Additionally, new machines placed on the market in all member states of the European Economic Area as well as in Switzerland and Turkey are regulated under the Machinery Directive. This directive contains detailed information on how technical documentation, and consequently also its translation, has to be designed.

Technical Documentation: Consistency Is Key!

In order to ensure the high level of terminological consistency required for the translation of technical documentation, the use of so-called CAT tools can be of great advantage. These highly specialised tools, which were developed specifically for the translation industry, make it possible to create and upload terminological databases and to save finished translations. Thanks to these features, translators can make use of established solutions when they are working on translations treating similar topics. For a translator who wants to ensure translations of technical documentation are correct and user-friendly, CAT tools can offer considerable support for maintaining consistency. As an additional benefit, using CAT tools when working on projects on the same topic can save an immense amount of time for the client. The use of CAT tools for the translation of technical texts also offers the significant advantage of being able to edit the text directly in the original format.

Translation Agency Vienna | Connect Translations not only has the relevant expertise for translating technical documentation but also the human resources to ensure that translations of technical documentation are both correct and user-friendly. We are happy to help you with translating your technical documentation into more than 20 languages (Dutch, English, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Chinese, Russian, French, etc.).