Most translation is quite technical in nature, that is, it requires specialized knowledge in a scientific or technical field.
Technical translation is everywhere
Patents, health & safety documentation, prospectuses, user manuals, software, product descriptions, assembly instructions—the list goes on and on. Even some things that don’t appear technical on the surface are in fact technical, such as job postings, or fashion descriptions in a magazine. The important thing to remember is that nobody can translate everything. Nobody is an expert in every field.
First things first: Who?
Start by having a close look at what you need to have translated. Is it all the same? Can a single person do it all? Or do different parts bring different knowledge into play? Annual reports are a good example—one part is always marketing related and should be translated by someone known for their writing skill, and the other is financial in nature and requires detailed knowledge of accounting standards and financial terminology.
Even if you have a favourite translator whose work you admire, chances are they won’t be right for every job.
Next things next: How?
There are three ways you can translate something: give it to a human, give it to a machine, or give it to both. Let’s have a look:
Human translation is clearly the best way to go if you’re doing anything creative, such as a slogan, a sales pitch, a novel, or an ad campaign. Despite recent strides, machines struggle with this kind of work—successfully connecting with an audience, eliciting emotion, surprising the reader with a unique turn of phrase. Luckily, most of what you need translated is probably not creative.
Straight machine translation is helpful if it’s for an internal audience at work, you’re looking to get the gist of a text, and you have budget constraints. It will contain mistakes and awkward wording, and some parts may be hard to follow. Use it guardedly.
