If you find yourself overseeing or working with translators during a technical communication project, here are a few pointers to ensure quality and smooth relations:
- Make sure the source text is clear of cultural references, idioms, and colloquialisms. The more neutral in tone you keep a document, the smoother the translation process will be.
- Know the language specifics of the target audience. The translation of a document is really the localization of a document. Languages are organic and have regional variations that differ in vocabulary, syntax, cultural references, etc. For example, if you’re translating a document into Chinese for Hong Kong or Macau, the document needs to be written in Traditional Chinese characters by a Cantonese speaker, unless otherwise requested. For Mainland China, you’ll want a Mandarin speaker who works with Simplified characters. For a local audience, you may want to employ translators of regional languages like Uyghur, Uzbek, Tibetan, Mongolian, Korean, or Xinjiang Kazakh.
- Remember that different languages (and countries) have their own standards of style, design, and writing systems that may not display properly if not correctly handled. Research, ask questions, and consult professionals!
- Do your translation team a favour and try to compile terminology lists where possible or point them to good resources and always be available when/if they have questions about the content in question. Many countries internationally use English as the lingua franca of science and technology, and often translators find themselves coining new vocabulary like a lexicographer in order to accommodate the needs of their own language and audience.
- Understand that not all translators are or need to be certified. While having a degree in translation and languages and being an accredited member of a federal, provincial, state, or academic translation association shows professionalism on the part of the translator, many translators are multilingual individuals with qualifications and backgrounds in subjects other than languages and translation, and their reputation is earned based on work experience and word of mouth. Many translators of literary, academic, or technical and scientific works may fall under this category. An accredited translator with just a general translation/languages background may not be the best candidate for translating a document on a highly specialized subject like robotics or astrophysics.
- Try not to use available on-staff translators to serve as multilingual meeting/conference interpreters between your project and project client unless the translator is also a qualified interpreter. Written translation and oral interpretation are two different skill sets with two different training paths–a translator can’t always interpret, and an interpreter can’t always translate.
Originally Published: 2011, BCIT
