It can be easy to think of the translation of engineering and technical texts as cut and dry, with words pumped out by machine translation software like sweets out of a factory, each as perfect as the last, with no need for further thought.

But the precise translation of texts like these requires specialised training, prior experience and an understanding of the surrounding context, which can have a profound impact on how the end user interacts with your content and ultimately your brand.

Considering that the translation product can be an operating manual or even a safety manual, badly translated terms and unclear instructions can drastically alter the way the product or service is perceived. An otherwise satisfied customer will become frustrated, grappling with a piece of machinery or software product as they attempt to puzzle out the meaning of the text.

One and the same word form can have different meanings in different areas of science and engineering. A specific term will therefore be different depending on its context of use and may result in a nonsensical translation. At the very least, this can culminate in a lower NPS () and mean that instead of waxing lyrical about a product to friends and colleagues, the dissatisfied end user is likely to damage your brand’s reputation by negative word of mouth.

A clear example of the importance of accuracy in translated text is the , which was developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers to tackle the inaccurate translation of automotive documents. Incorrectly translated documentation can have large repercussions, such as higher warranty costs, damage to vehicles and even injury to those operating a machine. Just like we wouldn’t put a one-year-old behind the wheel, we wouldn’t ask a linguist with no understanding of automotive vehicles to translate a manual for a tractor.

Knowing your pocket from your elbow

Our Lead Finnish Translator, Antti, is convinced of the benefits of translators who are knowledgeable in their subject area. “The most important benefit you can draw from being familiar with the subject content is being able to spot if a phrase or term is incorrect, either in a reference text or a previous translation done by someone else. Any good translator should be able to handle several types of texts, so although in-depth knowledge doesn’t automatically guarantee better results in any given text, experience can sometimes help you put right something that may have been wrong in previous texts for years. It feels good when you can improve the quality of the client’s translations in this way.�

Senior Norwegian Translator ´³Ã¸°ù²Ô is particularly interested in diligently researching terminology. “Images are often very helpful for clarifying a term, as you can see exactly which part of the product a specific word or phrase refers to. Terminology is often the first thing you research when you translate a new technical text, because a good understanding of the terms will help you translate with a better flow.â€�

Considering how a term is used in the real world is therefore imperative. The translation of “pocket�, for example, is entirely dependent on context, as it can have several different meanings. “Pocket� can indicate an “air pocket� in aviation, “surroundings� in military use, a “dead zone� in radio, a “deposit� in geology and a “cable channel� in electrical engineering.

It’s easy to imagine that can arise if “a pocket of gold ore�, for example, is translated in a military context, where a pocket refers to isolated, surrounded pockets of combatants who are being attacked by an opposing force . Similarly, an air pocket in aviation simply refers to turbulence. Getting the term wrong here will baffle the end user who is attempting to access a particular product or service.

What’s the context?

Translation errors of this nature, where the translator has disregarded the context, can lead to confusing or misleading representations of the client product. This can happen when low-quality machine translation is used or when somebody translates without the proper training. An example from the German language is “Kraft�, which can be translated as “force�, “power�, “strength� or “thrust� .

The term “powerâ€� can have very different meanings depending on context in the Nordic languages as well, as Antti explains. “There are several Finnish translations for ‘power’, ranging from teho and voimakkuus to ²õä³ó°ìö±¹¾±°ù³Ù²¹. The first one is what you would use when describing the power output of an engine, for example. Voimakkuus could refer to the power or strength of a signal, and ²õä³ó°ìö±¹¾±°ù³Ù²¹ (or just virta) is what’s involved when you’re talking about electrical power.â€�

The same issue arises in Norwegian. “Power can be translated in several ways for technical applications depending on what kind of power the text refers to,â€� explains ´³Ã¸°ù²Ô. “Electrical power (²õ³Ù°ùø³¾, and there are different types of electrical power, such as sterk²õ³Ù°ùø³¾Â â€˜power current’ or ‘heavy current’ and nett²õ³Ù°ùø³¾ ‘mains current’ or ‘public currentâ€� or simply ‘power’), or mechanical power (arbeidÌý‘w´Ç°ù°ì’, energi ‘energy’ and kraftÌý‘f´Ç°ù³¦±ð’).â€�

But there are ways we can help our translators understand the context behind a term. For example, the original PDF of a user manual, containing images and diagrams relating to the product and its constituent parts, is often indispensable. Screenshots of single-word strings in help pages can also help the translator understand if the string refers either to a call to action framed as a button or to a menu item.

Singing from the same style sheet

Although understanding the context of a term and the concept behind it in the target language and culture is vital, there might sometimes be other necessary requirements. Some manufacturers may simply prefer one term over another. This can be down to stylistic preferences or there may be a technical reason for a particular usage.

Termbases, which are databases containing preferred terminology and other information such as meanings and examples of usage, can be incredibly useful for linguists to keep your content consistent and accurate across different languages. They can be maintained and built upon over time, for specific domains, products and customers, meaning that linguists can find out preferred terms with a few clicks of the mouse.

The value of termbases cannot be underestimated.

“Termbases are particularly helpful if entries have definitions explaining the terms so that we know it is right in the context. Sometimes terms can have several synonyms, and the termbase is then good for showing which term our clients prefer,â€� says ´³Ã¸°ù²Ô.

Our translators and project managers have extensive experience in using termbases created using specialist software. Instead of a translator having to search through a large, convoluted Excel spreadsheet full of preferred terms and definitions, the software efficiently identifies the entries that are most useful for the translation of a particular word or phrase. The value of termbases can therefore not be underestimated. As your colleagues supporting you in the launch of your products in new markets, there’s only one thought in our mind: that we use all the resources at our disposal to represent your product in the best light possible.

In summary, the importance of employing a translator with subject matter knowledge and experience cannot be underestimated. Not only will the translator provide high quality translations, they may also spot past errors or be able to contribute towards improving the termbases and translation memories.

But a good linguist does not translate in a vacuum. They require the original source text or helpful screenshots to allow them to comprehend the full context of a term in its original context of use. Termbases are also incredibly useful in maintaining consistency in style and terminology. When all these conditions are met, you will be well on your way to producing a translation of a high standard.

If this article wasn’t convincing enough, I’ll leave you with a few inspiring real-world examples. reading “Blasting In Progressâ€� in Wales was translated as “Gweithwyr yn ffrwydro”, which literally means “workers explodingâ€�. Although not very accurate, it’s probably enough to keep people away! But it doesn’t always have to be so dramatic. When I was in a restaurant in Portugal on holiday a couple of years ago, I sat down and started leafing through the English menu, only to find that I could order “a wild ox running over the hot coalsâ€�. It didn’t sound particularly appetising, but points for creativity.

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As soon as the quality of the output is brought into question, though, the focus turns to the input. Was the service provider qualified? Were they properly vetted? What processes were applied? How did they demonstrate their expertise? What tools and resources did they use? Suddenly, everyone is keen to understand the correlation between the quality of what goes in and the quality of what comes out.

I am a member of the Professional Development Committee (pictured below) of the , a UK-based professional membership association for practising translators, interpreters and language services businesses.

For four years, I have worked with my volunteer peers to support the institute’s members in maintaining the highest possible standards within their profession. The committee contributes to this by devising an annual programme of training events and webinars, and by facilitating the record-keeping of members’ participation in these activities. In other words, it caters for continuing professional development (CPD) in the translation industry.

What is CPD?

It is hard to imagine that anyone in the modern workplace would still consider full-time education the sole training ground that prepares us for our careers.

However significant that initial learning period may be, it doesn’t take us all the way to specialisation. Nor does it equip us to cope with the fact that we end up changing careers three to four times over the course of our lives. And even if we don’t, the pace of change now makes most skills and technical knowledge in the workplace obsolete within five to ten years.

Sometimes continuing professional development is mandated by professional organisations or required by codes of ethics – this is the case in regulated fields such as medicine, engineering and law. But at its core, it is the personal responsibility of professionals to keep their knowledge and skills current so that they can deliver the high quality of service that meets the clients’ expectations and the requirements of their profession.

CPD activities can range from formal educational activities such as instructor-led training courses, workshops or seminars to more informal approaches such as work-based learning or mentoring. CPD can also include self-study such as e-learning courses and structured reading. It can be provided by commercial training companies, independent coaches and professional associations, or internally by colleagues and mentors.

CPD in the translation industry

What does continuing professional development look like in the global language industry? It should enable language professionals to keep up to date with new working methods and tools, and to specialise, diversify and stay abreast of the latest developments in their field of expertise.

The , a partnership project between the European Commission and master’s level translation programmes at European higher education institutions, published their first translation competence framework in 2009. This for translator training defines fives areas of competence which can also be applied to translators’ life-long learning:

• Language and culture – This encompasses all the general or language-specific linguistic, sociolinguistic, cultural and transcultural skills that constitute the basis for advanced translation competence.

• Translation – This refers to the transfer of meaning between two languages. It includes the analysis of the source document, implementation of instructions, style guides and conventions, assessment of what is fit for purpose, and justification of solutions and choices.

• Technology – This consists of the skills required to use translation technology in the translation process, but also the use of any workflow management software, search engines, corpus-based tools and other standard office software.

• Personal and interpersonal – This includes all the “soft skillsâ€� from time and stress management to teamwork, from the use of virtual communication methods to ergonomics, and from self-assessment to collaborative learning.

• Service provision – This covers the skills related to the provision of language services in a professional context – from client awareness and negotiation through to project management, quality assurance and invoicing.

I would add to these a sixth competence: the domain expertise translation professionals need in order to understand the subject matter of the text they work with. In my experience, this is the competence clients are most interested in.

According to the ITI’s records, most of their members partake in training that focuses on language development and maintenance, translation skills or subject-specific knowledge. However, many are also seeking high-quality, applicable and quick training sessions on business and technical skills.

CPD opportunities for translators and translation project managers

The CPD training currently available for language industry professionals varies in quality and relevance.

Language technology developers organise training for their own products. Membership associations try to provide opportunities, but the content is ad hoc and difficult for them to curate when the contributors are volunteers who mainly share their personal experience. Many translation companies offer webinars, usually to their own freelancer pool, and often in connection with training their own in-house linguists.

All these CPD offerings lack external moderation and evaluation. For domain-specific expertise, translators have to seek training and learning within the industry verticals they work with.

For the members of the translation industry, continuing professional development may therefore call for persistence and even creativity, but above all it requires a critical approach, a bit of research and simple planning ahead.

Write a CPD plan

CPD is most useful when it is planned. List the main areas of your work, articulate your long-term aspirations, identify your goals for the next few years, define what you need to learn in order to achieve your goals and determine which specific activities will meet your needs. Consider your immediate career prospects and think beyond them to the limits of your ambition and ability.

Write a . List the things you do well, where you need to improve, what new opportunities there are for you and what challenges you must face. And recognise where CPD fits in with other demands on your time.

Keep a CPD record

Once you engage in continuing professional development, keep a record of your efforts. CPD records must be managed in a format that can be easily extracted for presentation. The extracts should show when you did the training (date), how long you spent on it (hours), what exactly you did (description) and what you learned that you can apply to your work (learning outcomes).

The international translation services standard ISO 17100 paves the way for a systematic approach to recording CPD. It asks certified language service providers (LSPs) for assurance that everyone involved in their translation production process (project managers as well as freelance and in-house translators) undertakes CPD every year. It does not state how many hours of development are required – that is for each LSP to determine for their own staff and partners.

Ask for CPD evidence

Clients and employers should ask for translation professionals’ CPD records at least as often as they ask to see their CVs.

Translators are aware of their need for continuing professional development, and many are already structuring their CPD activities and keeping records. What is needed now is for clients to take an interest.

Checking on translation providers’ CPD efforts does not feature in the translation service requests for proposal, as far as I know. Nor is it part of translation companies’ vetting process for their freelance translators, let alone the hiring process for in-house linguists or translation project managers.

But it should be. The CV of a good, experienced freelance translator may not have changed much in the past ten years, but their CPD record for the past three years will speak volumes for their professional pride, how engaged they are with the industry and how proactive they would be as a collaboration partner.

So in the interest of the best possible output, let’s take notice of the translators’ input – and support them in their efforts.

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