Technical

translation
Lecture 10
07.11.2020
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Who performs technical translation better?

A specialist with a good command of a language or

a professional translator?
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• What is technical translation?
• Written or oral?
• What should a translator know when translating
technical texts?
• Are technical text only instructions and manuals?
What other documents can you name?
The translator must

1) know at least the basics of the theme / field of

translation;
2) Select most motivated and the least ambiguous
terms to provide good translation outcome.
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• Do people read technical texts in full? Why?

• What is the purpose of a technical text?

• Is structure important for technical texts?

• Do technical texts interact with each other?

 Key text formats
• Technical and accompanying documents
(specifications, requirements, proposals, bids…)
• Design documents, drawings, estimates, feasibility
studies…
• Instructions, manuals, guidelines…
• Regulations and rules, standards, forms…
 Key text formats
(continued)
• Correspondence, catalogues,
advertising/marketing texts (product or service
presentations etc.)
• Procedures, process flow charts
• Descriptions, explanatory notes, summaries…
• Patents, certificates, datasheets
• Maps, layouts, plans and other schematic
documents
• Scientific texts (documents, papers, abstracts,
monographs, coursebooks etc.)
• Technologies: localization…
 Challenges of technical
translation
• Polysemy of terms
• Selection of adequate equivalents
• Specifics of general (neutral) vocabulary use
• Restrictions in transformations (omission? Addition?)
• Translation of neologisms, abbreviations…
 Challenges of technical
translation. Grammar
Typical patterns, structures, traditions of language use
in technical texts.

Formality
Morphology (full vs shortened, compounds,
abbreviations)
Syntax
Passive vs active
Imperative
 Challenges of technical
translation. Grammar

Displays
keyboards
control panels

What are the features of the text there?

 Challenges of technical
translation. Vocabulary
• Repetitiveness (vocabulary and text style)
• Accuracy in terminology
- Term meaning in a specific text/field/context
e.g. a driver (compare meanings in
transport/computers/psychology/marketing…)
Challenges of technical translation.
Vocabulary (continued)
A term is “a word or a word combination of a
specialized discourse (scientific, technical etc.), which
is formed, received or borrowed for the accurate
expression of special concepts and objects”
(O.S.Akhmanova, 1957, p.95-96)

Cambridge dictionary defines a term as a word

or expression used in relation to a particular subject,
often to describe something official or technical.
Terms are understood as special lexical units
manifesting their meaning in specialized
communication
(M.D.Stepanova and I.I.Chernyshova, p. 154)
 Term features
1. Systemic
2. Defined
3. Accurate (precise)
4. Concise
5. Monosemantic
6. Independent of context
7. Absence of synonyms
8. Conforming to language rules
9. Neutral (stylistically)
10. Euphonic
(Білозерська, Возненко, Радецька, 2010, p. 19-20)
Challenges of technical translation.
Vocabulary (continued)
- Search for its equivalent or another way of its
translation in case there is no equivalent in the target
language.
- Term equivalent stability – variation (incl. avoidance
of terminological synonymy)
- Translator’s equivalent
 Challenges of technical
translation. Media
• Special forms
• Drawings, diagrams and graphs
• Figures and photos
• Maps (and legends)
• Audio and video files
• Software
 Translator’s working
procedure
• Receiving the source document
• Receiving requirements to translation
• Overview of the information provided
• Work planning
• Translation process
• Formatting
• Editing
• Proofreading and correction
 Technical translation tips
• Standardized terminology;
• Technical field focus;
• Term equivalent selection (otherwise description);
• No synonymic terms – all units, incl. symbols and
abbreviations must be unified;
• Errors – correction (footnotes);
• Foreign terms are given in brackets;
• Latin terms stay unchanged;
• Item numbers and names mainly stay unchanged;
• Physical values and special symbols and marks –
standardized.
Thank you for your attention!