Why translate technical documents?
Translations of technical documents can bridge the gap in language among international resellers, thus providing enhanced opportunities for global markets.
This is achieved by ensuring efficient communication of quality information across cultural and linguistic boundaries via a standardized global catalogue.
Efficient communication in global markets: Translated documentation allows resellers, manufacturers, and end users to communicate technical details about complex machinery.
Enhancing international opportunities: Translated documentation allows resellers to import and export machinery from another country.
It enhances international opportunities for trade and exchange and contributes to ensuring the quality of global sales catalogues.
Industry-specific translations: the translation of technical documentation with industry-specific terminology requires a translator to ensure homogenous terminology.
Types of technical documents translated
- machine user interfaces
- machine tools manuals
- training material
- brochures and catalogues
- product specifications and descriptions
- contracts and legal documents
Documents translated are important for resellers, manufacturers, and end users to communicate effectively and to ensure that machinery is used correctly and maintained according to manufacturer specifications.
Technical manuals are essential for communication between manufacturers, resellers, and end-user customers. Our experience in technical translation ensures precise translations to ensure that the detail of source documentation is reflected in the target, and understandable by end users.
Timely, quality delivery
We guarantee the confidentiality of all the documents we translate, and use industry-leading security protocols to protect sensitive data.
We ensure timely delivery and deadline management of translated documents. We have a defined process that helps us guarantee adherence to deadlines, accuracy, and quality. See our next post on how we prepare PDF documents for translation with Trados.
Specialized Terminology: Our technical background and experience in managing a corpus of industry-specific technical terms in our machine tools database help ensure precise translations.
Machine tools database
We built a machine tools database to catalogue partners who distribute or manufacture machine tools. It includes a catalogue of examples of machines from these partners, descriptions of the machines’ functions, and related technical terms. It is a vital and growing resource for the technical terms specific to machine tools.
Please note that this video is in English, with subtitles in both English and French.
Technical Translation Database
And we use our Technical Translation Database to manage specialized terms.
Accuracy and attention to detail: We are committed to delivering translations that reflect the context of the original content.
Timely Delivery: We understand the importance of meeting deadlines and are known for promptness and efficient project management, ensuring that your translated materials are delivered on time.
Confidentiality: Your documents and information are treated with the utmost confidentiality. We adhere to strict privacy protocols to protect your sensitive data.
Technical documents translation projects
Instruction manual for Durma Flatbed Laser: General Information, Machine Features, User Safety Considerations, Hand and Body Protection, Laser Hazards, Safe Use of the Machine, Notes on Installation, Power Supply, Features of the Control Unit including button programming, Laser User Interface, HMI, Instructions for Nozzle Change, Laser Cutting Monitoring, and Maintenance Schedules.
Instruction manual for Bekamek fully automatic Horizontal bandsaw machine BMSO 350.
Chapters translated include: general information user warnings, standards and directives, safety instructions, meaning of safety symbols, prohibited applications, residual mechanical risks, noise statement, connection to the electrical system, technical details, transportation and carrying of the machine, the control panel, instructions on various cutting processes, balancing and installation, indication of switch functions, troubleshooting, detailed description of the control panel and menus, auto, manual and maintenance control modes, described operation programming (recipes), alarm and statistics screens, setting machine parameters, I/O monitoring, physical outputs, frequently asked questions, weekly, monthly and annual machine maintenance schedules and instructions, lubrication oil types, instructions for changing parts such as the saw blade, filling up coolant, material safety data file, spare parts list
Hazard Warning Symbols:
Caution, danger, high voltage, danger of crushing by pressing, danger of crushing hands on conveyor, danger of crushing hands on pulley belt, danger of cutting hands with saw blade, danger of crushing hands on rotating components.
Control software program:
This is a translation of a software control programme for a machine-tool and was the subject of one of our translation projects.
Instruction manual for Deep Drilling Simple NC Variable Frequency Vertical Drilling Machine
We accept PDF documents for translation with Trados.
We have carried out translations of technical documents for machine tool resellers such as FMO, LMO and PLI.
Process to translate technical documents
Being able to systematically process PDFs is an opportunity to translate technical documentation for any company which handles complex documents with diagrams where automated systems (AI) cannot handle complex documents.
Technical PDFs are engineering type documents with a high proportion of technical drawings, diagrams, plans, layouts or tables. These document objects require specific processing (as opposed to standard text, word documents etc which feed directly into the CAT tool).
Specifically, PDF documents must be scanned with OCR software. But this is not usually enough to process them through the CAT tool.
Images with no translatable text do not necessarily need to be OCR’d, they can often be copied over to the new source as image files. Others with some translatable text may need to be annotated with text boxes, depending on the clarity of the content after running through OCR.
Checking images
The objective is to prepare a clean Word document from a technical PDF for processing in Trados.
- First pass the document through an OCR scanner like Wondershare.
- Paste this text into a clean Word document remove double carriage returns, make clean paragraphs without images or tables.
- Start pasting in the images. If the image has embedded text to translate, fetch the OCR version of the image and paste it into the right location using the original PDF as a guide. If there is nothing to translate on the image, paste as is.
- Then start on tables. Go back up to the top and using the OCR to Word version of the source, paste in recognized tables.
- Spell check
For word documents without technical diagrams, see [[Translation Process with Trados]]
Other document elements
- Paste tables as tables of text if recognition is possible, otherwise paste the table as an image.
- Recreate headings and table of contents
- Update table of contents
