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When Technical Translation could Mean the Difference Between Life and Death |
Article Submitted by: Armando Riquier
Sunday, 02 December 2007
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The title might sound overly dramatic, but consider what could happen if a document on medical equipment, or industrial machinery, was poorly translated. In all likelihood it would result in the tools in question being misused, possibly with very dangerous consequences. Technology and science in particular, lie in stark contrast to other fields of knowledge because of the precision of their vocabulary. An unclear or inaccurate translation of technical specifications in an operating manual could seriously undermine the brand image and customer loyalty to a company at best. At worst, it could be dangerous and may expose the company to all kinds of liabilities. From finance, computing, construction, law, agriculture, medicine, or any other specialist subject, technical translation must be nothing short of perfect. No company wants to be at the receiving end of legal action brought for negligence, or worse, to be responsible for injury or death. Some texts or documents contain technical terms that are related to specific industries or fields. These technical terms are called the jargon or terminology of the field, and are often understood only by those in that particular industry. To translate such documents requires the services of a technical translation professional, who maintains a glossary of specialized vocabulary, and a thorough understanding of that particular area of commerce. As it's essential that all the terms be translated correctly, it's vital that the translators working on your material have some valuable experience in your particular professional field. A translator can maintain excellent language skills in general, but have no idea what the terminology in a specialist technical field is. A document produced with a poor vocabulary will seriously compromise your business in terms of its reputation at best, and could cost your business at worst. In addition, it is absolutely necessary that your technical translation is carried out by someone who understands the terminology in both languages. Having knowledge of technical jargon in one language, as well as expertise in the field, is simply not enough: this kind of translator could genuinely end up at a loss for words unless they are familiar with technical vocabulary and phrasing in both languages. Besides this, as new technologies develop and new products appear on the market, standardized terminology may not yet have developed for these emerging areas. As a result, technical translation must qualify existing terms, and create, or verify, new terms. This may mean professional translators have to call on the expertise of academics and those from the specialized field in question. Fortunately there are now a number of firms that provide technical translation facilities to small businesses and large corporations alike. Such technical translation services provide quality technical translation, and can offer you experienced and well qualified technical translators at competitive prices. Their technical translation professionals use glossaries of industry-standard or client-approved specialist technical terms, and quality control is consistently maintained in whichever language they're working in. Employing the services of a technical translation professional is a worthwhile investment, considering the risks you take without one. Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com |
About The Author:
Armando Riquier has many years of experience as a writer and translator and works with TeknikaTrad, a company specialized in translating technical, scientific or industrial materials. Maintain excellent relations with your foreign customers or partners through quality technical translation services in French, Italian, German, Spanish and other European languages.
Armando Riquier has many years of experience as a writer and translator and works with TeknikaTrad, a company specialized in translating technical, scientific or industrial materials. Maintain excellent relations with your foreign customers or partners through quality technical translation services in French, Italian, German, Spanish and other European languages.
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