INSIGHT: Specialised technical translation

INSIGHT :专业技术翻译

2020-02-25 01:40 Star Transit NXT

本文共848个字,阅读需9分钟

阅读模式 切换至中文

It might seem like we are constantly banging on about this – but it really is important. When it comes to translation, you need to make sure you’re working with the experts. Specialised technical translation is one of the key areas of our business. Although our team are familiar with other specialist areas, the majority of what we do falls under the heading of specialised technical translation. So, I hope I can be allowed to say that we know what we are talking about. But what does it really mean in practise? You know the drill by now, I hate jargon and buzzwords. Specialised technical translation feels like exactly one of those phrases. All that it really means is the translation of the really nitty gritty technical stuff where the person on the street goes glassy eyed and starts shaking their head. It’s all relative, of course, but most of us could confidently pick a screwdriver out of a toolbox, though we might struggle a bit more to find the stork beak pliers from a bag that contains only pliers. As translators, we’ve all accepted that if we work on specialised technical translation, we’ve filled our heads with knowledge that we may never put into practise. Example: I can confidently explain the inner workings of a concrete pump, and yes, I am fun at parties… The EU Machinery Directive A lot of the work that we do for our clients falls under the requirements of the EU Machinery Directive (Directive 2006/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2006). We’ve actually written an entire blog post dedicated to the directive, seeing as it is linked to so many of the projects that we do day-to-day. The aim of the directive is to ensure that machinery placed into the EU market or put in service in EU states has a common safety level. A key part of this is ensuring that documentation for the machine is available in the correct languages. In fact, it is a requirement that machine documentation is translated into the official language of each country in which the machine will be used or sold. You can see why it therefore has such an effect on the number of translations that are commissioned. Yet, regulations aside, specialised technical translations can be a sound business investment as it enables you to place your product in front of new audiences. Not just technical manuals Although on initial consideration, specialised technical translation may lead you to think of technical manuals, there are many other document types that will also require a technical translation specialist to work on them. Regardless of whether the text is a product specification or a sales-focused marketing piece for the company website, the technical details in the translation must still be correctly translated. We’ve listed some common document types below that require specialised technical translation. Articles/journals Brochures Feasibility studies Internal communications Manufacturing and engineering articles Marketing communications Material safety data sheets Patents and patent applications Product labelling, packaging and catalogues Product specifications Regulatory documentation Service, maintenance and policy manuals Site surveys Software strings Technical reports Textbooks Training materials User and operating instructions Website translation Not just about heavy plant machinery Specialised technical translation relates to any documentation concerning machinery or tools in the engineering field. This could be heavy plant machinery such as a concrete pump, or it could be something small like a cordless screwdriver. In the last year or so, we’ve worked on many specialised technical translation projects and some of them may be for machines you didn’t realise existed: A machine for peeling potatoes A machine to print, fold and glue cardboard boxes for packaging A 3D laser scanner to detect concrete thickness during tunnel construction High-end coffee machines Injection-moulding machines Tool-dispensing vending machine that can automatically reorder stock as it gets low Central lubrication systems for use in extreme manufacturing conditions Smaller isn’t always simpler As you can see, we work with many clients who work on a far smaller scale than agricultural machinery, for example, but this does not make the translations any simpler. In recent years, there has been increased use of computers and robots in production lines – it has enabled technology to make significant jumps forward, but the documentation linked to these machines is increasingly complex and it all requires specialised technical translation. How do we make sure that we deliver top quality? To quote another recurring theme of the blog, quality comes from using qualified, native-speaker translators working in pairs to deliver translation and review. When it comes to specialised technical translation, however, a key element is specialist knowledge. Our translators all work on their CPD to develop their personal knowledge bases, and some of have even completed Open University courses in engineering topics that are relevant to their translation work. So, if you have a specialised technical translation project in the pipeline, and you’d like to discuss it with us, talk to a member of our team.
这似乎是我们在不断地强调这一点——但这确实很重要。在翻译方面,你需要确保与专家们合作。 专业技术翻译是我们业务的关键领域之一。尽管我们的团队熟悉其他专业领域,但我们所做的大部分工作都属于专业技术翻译的范畴。 所以,我希望可以允许我说我们知道我们在说什么。 但在实践中,这究竟意味着什么? 你知道现在的练习,我讨厌行话和流行语。专业的技术翻译就像是其中一个短语。 所有这一切的真正意思是翻译的真正的本质的坚韧不拔的技术材料,在那里的人在街上走着光洁的眼睛,并开始摇头。当然,这都是相对的,但我们大多数人都可以自信地从工具箱里挑出螺丝刀,尽管我们可能还要费些力气才能从一个只有钳子的袋子里找到鹳嘴。 作为翻译员,我们都承认,如果我们致力于专业技术翻译,我们就会充满我们永远不会实践的知识。我可以自信地解释混凝土泵的内部工作原理,是的,我在聚会上很有趣… 欧盟机械指令 我们为客户所做的许多工作都符合欧盟机械指令(2006年5月17日欧洲议会和理事会第2006/42/ EC 号指令)的要求。 实际上,我们已经写了一篇完整的博文,专门针对指令,因为它链接到了我们每天都要做的很多项目。 该指令的目的是确保进入欧盟市场或在欧盟国家服役的机器具有共同的安全水平。这方面的一个关键部分是确保以正确的语言提供文档的计算机。 事实上,这是要求将文档机器翻译成将使用或销售该机器的每个国家的官方语言。因此,您可以看到为什么它会影响委托翻译的数量。 然而,除了法规之外,专业技术翻译可能是一项良好的商业投资,因为它使您能够将您的产品置于新的受众面前。 不仅仅是技术手册 尽管在最初的考虑中,专业技术翻译可能会让你想到技术手册,但还有许多其他的文档类型也需要技术翻译专家来处理它们。 无论文本是产品规范还是面向公司网站的销售营销文章,翻译中的技术细节仍必须正确翻译。下面我们列出了一些需要专业技术翻译的常见文档类型。 文章/期刊 小册子 可行性研究 内部沟通 制造和工程文章 营销传播 材料安全数据表 专利及专利申请 产品标签、 packaging 及目录 产品规格 法规文档 服务、维护和政策手册 网站调查 软件字符串 技术报告 教科书 训练材料 用户和操作说明 网站翻译 不仅仅是关于重型机械 专业技术翻译涉及工程领域中涉及机械或工具的任何文档。这可以是重型机械,如混凝土泵,也可以是像无绳螺丝刀一样小的东西。 在过去一年左右的时间里,我们已经在许多专业的技术翻译项目上工作过,其中一些可能是为那些你没有意识到存在的机器而设计的: 一种脱皮马铃薯的机器 一种用于 packaging 打印、折叠和粘贴纸箱的机器 一种用于隧道施工中混凝土厚度检测的三维激光扫描仪 高端咖啡机 注塑机 一种能在库存降低时自动重新订购的工具配售机 用于极端制造条件的中央润滑系统 Smaller 并不总是简单 如你所见,我们与许多客户合作,他们的规模比农业机械小得多,但这并不能使翻译变得简单。 近年来,在生产线上越来越多地使用计算机和机器人——这使得技术有了显著的进步,但与这些机器相连的文档越来越复杂,而且都需要专门的技术翻译。 我们如何确保提供最高质量的产品? 为了引用博客的另一个反复出现的主题,质量来自于使用合格的、母语为英语的翻译人员,他们两人一组地进行翻译和评论。然而,在专业技术翻译方面,关键因素是专业知识。 我们的翻译人员都在他们的 CPD 工作,以发展他们的个人知识基础,有些甚至已经完成了开放大学的工程课程与他们的翻译工作相关。 因此,如果你有一个专门的技术翻译项目正在进行中,并且你想和我们讨论,请和我们团队的一位成员谈谈。

以上中文文本为机器翻译,存在不同程度偏差和错误,请理解并参考英文原文阅读。

阅读原文