DENS H

Translation of Technical Brochures

Jens Hare Hansen

The University of Aalborg

Introduction
Through the last few decades translation studies have developed considerably. The theory of
translation has, like the research of language for specific purposes,1 obtained rich inspiration from many
disciplines, not least linguistics. For a number of years attention was specifically concentrated on
questions concerning structural linguistics. This has had great impact on the conception of equivalence
which has played a prominent part in many works about a theory of translation.2
Later linguistics and theory of translation have developed into a direction in which one works with
language in a social context. The most recent development of translation studies is turning to the
cognitive processes which take place in the act of translating.
In the field of translation, new scientific advances have received mixed reviews concerning their
importance and relevance. Among theorists this development is considered as a positive trend, while
practising translators have a pronounced scepticism concerning the use of these theories. Trosborg stresses
that practising translators "usually tend to be sceptical of any fund of theorizing" (1994: 9). The general
scepticism of theory of translation among practising translators is shared by many teachers at universities
and other educational establishments.3 Translation studies thus needs some sort of justification. In the
following I shall show that translation studies can definitely contribute to the improvement of concrete
translations. This concerns the translation of the LSP text type technical brochures.4 In opposition to Werner
Koller (1992: 21ff.) I state that there is reason to assert that practicians need translation studies, and that you
can actually improve translations if you command a methodological concept.
This article is based on Danish and German brochures and on the problems that arise when you
translate between these languages. However, the results are also very relevant to translations
between other languages. In this article attention is concentrated on pragmatic aspects, while
semantic and syntactical questions should be referred to the very detailed literature on the subject.

LSP and translation

In LSP-research it has long been an acknowledged point of view that the purpose of LSP was to
describe reality, and that LSP has an informative language function (cf. Hoffmann 1985). In
accordance with this, the point of view was reached that LSP-translation primarily is a question of
creating a denotative equivalence.
The above mentioned view of LSP is not least due to the fact that the work primarily concerned
technical-scientific texts, while other forms of LSP were largely ignored. Until the beginning of the
eighties the concentration was at the same time primarily concerned with technical terms and, to a
lesser degree, with the syntax of LSP, while pragmatic and epistemic conditions were generally not
examined (cf. Gopferich 1995: 1).
Since then pragmatics and text linguistics have gained ground in the re-search of LSP, which has
had a considerable influence on translation studies. This has resulted in the fact that LSP-translation
is not now just considered a matter of achieving denotative equivalence. This new insight into LSP
research implies that scientific attention has now also been stressed on the functional aspects of
text.
There is a pronounced increase in awareness of the fact that translation of different LSP text
types demand different kinds of translation strategies.
It is still a widespread view that technical translation concerns a precise description of the
objective world in the target-language.5 This has caused technical language to often be described as a
form of communication where the technical content is most important, and where the sender has
merely a limited concern for the receiver (cf. Fluck 1984).
Stolze, for example, quotes Zeugier's impression that the sender does not think of the receiver of the
message (1992: 79). In my opinion, however, such a view does not stand a closer examination, especially in
the case of the text type of technical brochures, where the consideration for the receiver has a very
important role.

1
Technical brochures seen from linguistics and marketing theory
As already mentioned, technical brochures are among the least examined text types. This is the
case from a linguistical as well as from a marketing-related view. The German marketing theorist
Axel Bansch writes about informative advertising - of which the brochures are a part - that it seeks
to win the customer for the product by help of factual information. According to Bartsch informative
advertising is often just giving pure facts. And yet such form of advertising can also hold suggestive
elements (1991: 215).
Berhard Sowinski, the linguist, arrives at a similar result from another basis, and writes that
informative advertising contains a technical description of the product and an account of its factual
qualities. This makes the message of the advertising seem reliable, and the producer more
trustworthy. Sowinski writes that often the advertisement only has its objective character on the
surface. He does not explain more concerning such advertisements' language.
According to Katharina Reiss, certain types of advertising can be so factual that they, in her
classification, must be characterized as informative. This applies to the sort of advertising that does
not appeal emotionally, but factually to the receiver (1983: 57f.). In contrast to Reiss, Gopferich
(1992) suggests that all advertising is operative, because it serves an economic purpose. It is typical
of technical advertisements, Gopferich asserts, that they contain "operative elements". She omits,
however, to explain more precisely what she understands by this concept. When it comes to
translation it would certainly be an advantage if it was possible to identify the elements that
Gopferich and others mention, whether they use the term operative elements or something else.6
There is a general agreement among translation scholars that it is necessary for translation to
analyse the source language text (cf. Nord 1991). However, there is disagreement about what is
relevant in that sort of analysis. In the following chapter I shall concentrate on selected aspects
which are especially important to the translation of technical brochures.

Speech acts and text functions in technical brochures

It is to be supposed that texts are produced with the purpose of achieving a communicative
purpose (cf. Hatim and Mason 1993). To use language, in other words, is to act. The question is: How
can these aspects best be described and analysed?
Here there are clear divergencies in the different concepts. For lack of space I shall refrain from
discussing the subject in detail, instead I refer to Heinemann and Viehweger (1991: 50ff).
Speech act theory seems to me to be suited to explain important aspects of action, but because of
the enormous complexity of the subject the theory is not unproblematic, and it would be necessary
first to discuss parts of that. This article is far too short to hope for such comprehensive discussion.
From the above, it follows that representatives and directives are especially of interest in an
analysis of technical brochures. Various attempts have been made to classify speech acts. The most
famous classification - and according to Brinker (1992: 100) also the best - has been proposed by
Searle. His classification is here to be used as the starting point of a discussion of illocutionary as-
pects in technical brochures.
Searle defines representatives as follows:

The point or purpose of the members of the representative class is to commit the speaker (in
varying degrees) to something's being the case, to the truth of the expressed proposition. Al1 of
the members of the representative class are assessable on the dimension of assessment which
includes true or false (1976: 10).

In technical brochures there are many examples of this type of speech act. An example from a
brochure: Die 500er verfiigen fiber 4 Zrtpfivellengeschwindigkeiten mit 540/750/1000/1400 U/min (= The 500 C
range tractor is fitted with a 4-speed PTO of 540/750/1000 and 1400 rpm). This statement can easily
be proved as regards truth or falseness. The same thing goes for the following sentence: Ein
Druckbehalter mit 15 Liter Inhalt speichert die Druckluft. (= Air is stored in a 15-litre capacity tank).

Statements as the ones here quoted correspond to what has traditionally been understood by LSP.
Technical language especially has often been described as a usage characterized by extensive usage of
representative speech acts. Add to this a pronounced use of terminology such as Zapfivellengesch-
windigkeit, Druckbehälter and Druckluft. Furthermore, 3rd person is used.7 It turns out, however, that it

2
is not always possible to discern representatives from other types of speech acts. I shall return to this
fact later.
Directives are defined by Searle in the following manner:

The illocutionary point of these consists in the fact that they are attempts (of varying degrees,
and hence, more precisely they are determinates of the determinable which includes
attempting) by the speaker to get the hearer to do something (1976: 11).

In German technical brochures, speech acts which can be classified as obvious directives are
pretty rare. Directives as: Es lohnt rich, Fendt zu wählen (=It pays to choose Fendt) or Wählen Sie X
(=Choose X) may be found, but normally it is preferred to let the directive aspect appear indirectly. 8
In German brochures great value is put on making the text seem most informative and factual.9 Under
the informative surface, however, is hidden an extensive implicit content.
An example from a brochure about a feeding machine is: Nach beendeter Futterfahrt kehrt der Wagen in
seine Ausgangsposition zurück and wind automatisch wieder aufgefüllt. The example describes how a feeding
machine after carrying out its job returns to its starting position, and is automatically refilled. At first
glance this sentence is obviously representative, as it is possible to verify it. At the same time, it has a
directive aspect, because of an implicit content. Indirectly it is said that the farmer's work is made
easier if he chooses the machine referred to in the brochure. The machine performs a certain function
automatically, so that he does not have to worry about that job.
Brandt et. al. (1983) distinguish in their analytical model between the expressed propositional
structure (=APS) and the total propositional structure (=PS). Because of the inferencing it is claimed
that it is profitable to choose the machine in question. This implies that even though the sentence
superficially is a representative speech act, a directive speech act will prevail when you take the
implicit contents into account. You may say that APS to a pronounced degree is representative, while
the directive aspect is mainly expressed through PS.
An example of referential speech use which becomes directive when inferencing is the information
that the brakes of the machine has asbestos-free linings. The receiver himself can infer that by
choosing the machine in question he can avoid exposing himself to the health damage that asbestos
presents. At the same time it is an appeal to the farmers' wish to spare the environment. Statements,
which at first seem to be purely referential, may also have another function by serving as subsidiary
illocutions in relation to other illocutions.t0 An example of this from a Fendt-brochure:

Die Axialkolbenpumpe mit gleichzeitiger Druck- and Mengensteuerung arbeitet mit einem Mindestdruck von
our 20 bar. Resultat: Kraftstoffeinsparung im Vergleich zu herkömmlichen Systemen (= The axial piston
pump with simultaneous pressure and volume control operates at a minimum pressure of 20
bar. Fuel savings are much greater than with other, conventional systems).

If the author had only written that the Fendt-machine was fuel-saving compared to the tractors of
the competitors it would, to a marked degree, have had the character of a postulate, to which the
receiver would have been sceptical. The technical character of the subsidiary illocution contributes to
making the assertion far more trustworthy.11 That is to say that the apparently purely referential
illocution also has a direct aspect, as it serves as a sort of documentation of the fact that it is indeed
possible to save fuel by choosing Fendt.12
Atelsek (1981) suggests another speech act type, namely opinions. Her suggestion is based on a
type of speech act related to Searle's representatives. Opinions are, however, characterized by not
being verifiable or falsifiable like representatives, rather, they are expression of an evaluation.
It must be asserted that the use of opinions is a dominant constituent characteristic of technical
brochures. In many cases they express an evaluation, and rot a fact. This is true of sentences like Die
verschleiβfreie Turbokupplung bietet höchsten Fahrkomfort (=The wear-resistant turbo clutch offers
maximum driving comfort). This is clearly a subjective estimation, for what does maximum driving
comfort mean?
Also the following example expresses an opinion Nadi Abnehmen des Frontgrills lafit Bich der
grofßdimensionierte Trockenlufifilter werkzeuglos, schnell and leicht Ilberprufen (=After removing the front
grille, the large dry-air filter is checked quickly and easily, and without need of tools). It is not
possible to verify whether this statement is correct. For what does it mean that you can do something
quickly and easily? Certainly this can only be illustrated through a comparison, and that is not

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shown.
According to the theory of illocutionary structure it may be said that the total text function is
operative, as it is possible to infer a dominant directive illocution in the brochures, which says It pays
to choose this machine. The other illocutions are subsidiary compared to the dominating illocution. This
means that apparently representative speech acts acquire a directive aspect at the same time as they
support the dominating illocution. It follows that from a total evaluation it is hardly possible to
distinguish between operative elements and non-operative elements.
Based on the above considerations, it may be said that brochures are argumentative texts, for they
belong to the category of texts that are "utilized to promote the acceptance of evaluation of certain
beliefs or ideas as true vs. false, or positive vs. negative" (Beaugrande and Dressler 1992: 184). This is
true, even if the texts superficially seem to be descriptive.

Actional aspects in translation

Until now I have stressed the actional aspects of source-language texts (ST). It is however, not
sufficient to only take the results of this analyses into consideration. In translations the purpose of
the target-language text (TT) should be the dominant critcrion.13 The following considerations are
based on the condition that the texts should fill the same function in ST as in TT.
Most of the time brochures are translated on the assumption that the important thing is
reproducing the denotative contents. The translation of technical brochures, however, demands far
more from the translator than is usually sup-posed. I aim to show that a long series of conditions
must be taken into consideration. The main thing is that the source text is tied to a certain culture or
socioculture, and that, consequently, one must take into account that the cultural conditions and
relevant marketing conditions are different in the target-language culture.

a) Even though the Danish and German languages are closely related, and even if the Danish and
German cultures arc equally closely related, there are differences in the way that brochures arc
linguistically formulated.
There is a tendency to express illocutions differently in the two languages. Things arc often said
more directly in Danish brochures. This means, for exam-plc, that the directive aspect is clearer to be
seen. This can be illustrated by the following examples:

Der er klogt at vælge Agrometer fra starten (= It is wise to choose Agrometer from the beginning)
Den næste roeoptager bør ogsa være en Tim (= The next beet digger should also be a Tim)
Derfor er Hydrema det sikre valg (= That's why Hydrema is the right choice)
Tim er de bedste (= Tim machines are best)
Køh dank, nor det er bedst! (= Buy Danish - when it is best)

That sort of very direct speech acts can also be found in German brochures, but here they are much
rarer. The German producers are to a certain degree more modest, as they normally do not explicitly
assert that they produce the best machines, neither do they talk directly about the right choice. When
German concerns want to throw themselves into relief compared to the competitors, this is normally
done in relation to certain technical conditions/problems, which may be seen in the following
example:
Heute wissen wir, daß die Bodenbearbeitung Häufig übermechanisiert ist. Pfügen oder Grubbern, Bearbeiten und
Säen verlangen sowohl bodenbiologisch wie betriebswertschaftlich einen hohen, oft zu hohen Preis. Die vernünftige
Alternative isr die Komplett-Bodenbearbeitung mit der DUTZI.

In the English translation of the brochure the quotation is translated into:

Today, agricultural specialists are aware of the overmechanisation of soil cultivation. Ploughing or
conventional cultivation, tillage and sowing have their price, in many cases a high one. Not least
as far as soil biology and economy are concerned. All-in-one soil cultivation by using the DUTZI
is the sensible alternative.

DUTZI describes their own product as a machine which is well suited to solve the problems that
might arise. As it is clear from the texts, DUTZI also says that it is wise to choose especially their
4
machine, and that DUTZI machines are best, but the message is less directly formulated than in the
Danish examples, which have been quoted above.
Danish brochures have more direct statements than the German ones. 14 In Danish sales brochures
you will often find directive speech acts like Save man-power, Save fodder and Try Us. Obviously German
brochures want to say the same things, but here they normally do so in a sort of language which is
typical for technical language. In German, for example, they mention that the machine implies
Verminderungen des personellen Aufwander, which means that it reduces man-power requirements. Instead of
writing Save fodder the German brochures typically have Es wird Kraftf utter gespart (= Fodder is saved),
Das Kraftfutter wird optimal ausgenutzt (= Concentrates are utilized to an optimal degree), or Die
Futterkosten werden gesenkt (= Fodder costs are reduced). The superficially representative German
sentences will, as is shown above, become directive through inferencing.
Danish brochures tend to use more informal language, including many colloquial expressions and
puns.15 Direct address is more often used in Danish brochures than in German ones. They say, e.g. You
will not have to leave your driver's seat; The well-being of your cows is important, if ...; You will reduce your fuel
consumption to about 1/3 and Did you know that...?
German brochures are normally kept in a more impersonal style, where the third person singular
or plural is used. Therefore they mostly describe technical aspects, and hereby they may point to the
fact that certain functions can be performed directly from the driver's seat. Instead of writing The well-being of
your cows is important, if ,.., the German brochures tend to stress that a certain technique will lead to a
greater output. While the Danish texts can quite well use You save fuel, the German expression will more
often be that the use of the machine will result in the saving of fuel, or that it has a low energy dissipation. In
Danish brochures it will be all right to write Did you know that ... Such a use would be uncommon in
German, where a technical thing is described without questioning whether the receiver knew of it.
Both in Danish and German brochures a series of positive words and expressions are used. Generally the
Danish brochures use a more superlative style than the German ones. In Danish brochures, for example, it is
often mentioned that the products are ideal or optimal, that they are very sturdy, very easy to service, or that they are
extremely professional. You may also get the information that it is sheer joy to work with the machines.
In German brochures you may find similar expressions, but here they are far less frequent. In
German, for example, they relatively seldom use adverbs such as sehr (= very). They would rather
choose the somewhat weaker besonders. Instead of writing very easy to service, the German brochures
will more often use wartungsarm (low-maintenance) or wartungsfreundlich (= easy to service). In Danish
professional is used far more often than professionell in German. In German brochures you do not
actually find sentences that mention something as being sheer joy. The style of the Danish brochures is
much more talkative than that of the German ones.
Soellner, a German translator, writes that, the realisation of technical language depends on the
mentality of a people (1980: 176). Even though it may be problematic to talk about the mentality of a
people, it must be said that the language of brochures seems to affirm the fact that Danes have a
tendency to be rather informal, while Germans are more formal and thorough.16
According to the science of marketing it is very important that the language of advertising is well
adapted to the target group you address. This means that Danish brochures, with their more informal
style, should not be directly translated into German. Because, if you do not choose a (superficially)
more business-like style, the text will not seem trustworthy.17 Therefore, it will be advisable to adapt
to the linguistic conventions of German brochures. This often demands considerable changes
compared to the source text.18
Generally brochures are very literally translated. They are often translated sentence by sentence,
and the information is very similar in source text and target text. This means that interferences are
definitely a risk. Both in texts translated into Danish, and in texts translated into German, the
influence of the source text can normally be clearly felt. In other words, it is easily recognizable as a
translation.
The language of brochures translated from German into Danish will often turn out to be formal and
too rigid. Certainly, Danish words are used, but this is done in a way that would not have been the
case if a Dane had worked out the text without looking at the German source. For example, there will
be too many substantives, and the language will be very rigid, compared to normal Danish language.
Examples of this: Generende griben efter flere andre gearstænger, sorts afleder koncentrationen, bortfalder and
Sparekraftudtagenes udveksling er gearet til 75% motoromdrejninger, her i konstantydelsesmotorens maximale
drejningsmoment star faktisk den fulde motoreffekt til radighed ved lavere brændstofforbrug.
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 This form of language seems unnatural to a Dane. The first sentence would in a Danish text very often
be changed into direct address, or: Føreren behøverikke at ... or Føreren er fri for at ... The sentence with
Sparekraftudtagene should contain several subordinate clauses or several main clauses.
In order to improve translation it is necessary to translate more freely. The risk of an artificial
language is much greater, when you try to translate sentence by sentence more or less slavishly. The
question for the translator is to regard the text as an instrument which can be used to obtain certain
aims. From this point of view it will be possible to make the prevailing actional aspects the basis of
translation. That is, instead of translating sentences, you must translate a message or a text. The
translator can benefit by first noting the central information as key-words and then start to formulate
the target text. This implies that he is far more independent of the surface structure of the source
text, so the risk of interference errors will be diminished.19 In this way it will be possible to obtain
translations that function.20

b) Many facts have different meanings in different countries. Most Danes regard Danish products as
quality products. This fact is used by Danish machine producers when they often stress that the
machines have been produced in Denmark. They speak of a Danish quality product or mention that
the firm is owned totally by Danish investors. In some cases they write a Danish product and a Danish
reader will infer that this is a good product.
This positive evaluation of Danish products is not to the same degree shared by Germans, when it
concerns technical products. In the view of the Germans, German firms produce the technically best
products, followed by the United States and Japan (Schwenzer and Schwenzer 1984). They do not have the
same confidence in the ability of the Danish industry to produce technical quality products (List and
Wagner 1992: 214). This implies that Danish firms will generally find it inexpedient to emphasize the
Danish origin,21 though this is extensively done on the home market. An example of the fact that the quality
of products are valued differently in Denmark and Germany may be found in combine harvesters. Danish
farmers regard the Dronningborg combine which is produced in Denmark, to be the best combine, while
Germans prefer CLAAS, which is produced in Germany.
A Danish producer informs in a brochure that the firm is placed at Lem near Ringkøbing in the west of
Jutland. Such a piece of information would be of no use to a German. Equally sentences like Denmark's first
producer of manure spreaders would hardly impress the German addressee. Some brochures point out that it is
possible to obtain tax benefits and finances benefits if you choose certain types of machines. As the same
conditions are not the case in the German market, it would be meaningless to translate this information.
Some firms seek to obtain greater trustworthiness by writing that their products have been tested at the
Danish Technological Institute, which does not, however, give the same impression to a German reader, for
whom a Danish institute does not have the same credibility as it has to a Dane.
For minor firms in Germany it can be a selling point in their brochures that they are suppliers to
major firms that are well-known for their good products, e.g. the tractor factory of Fendt. The reader
will then draw the conclusion that when the market leader (Fendt) wants to make use of the
products of the firm, it must be because the products are good. To the Danish reader the argument
that the firm is a supplier of Fendt's will not have the same effect, as Fendt has not nearly the same
reputation in Denmark.
Even though the socio-cultural conditions are different, texts are often translated as if they were
just presenting information. An example of this is found in a Danish brochure where it is said that
the dimensions of the machine are made according to Scandinavian directives. Even though it is to be
doubled that this information can be used by a German reader, it is directly translated into German.
This sentence will hardly impress a German reader, while it will be a guarantee of quality to a Danish
recipient.

c) In many cases it will not be sufficient just to make use of parallel texts to become familiar with
target language conventions. It can be problematic to imitate the style of a certain text. This is due
to the fact that brochures present considerable variations. In Germany, great and well-known firms,
e.g. CLAAS and Fendt, use a more informal style with many positive adjectives and a lot of colloquial
language. In some brochures direct speech is strongly to be seen; likewise they have a great deal of
colloquial features. The following sentence from a CLAAS brochure is an example of this:
Wenn Sie dos Schneidwerk maf zugefahren haben, dann werden Sie froh sein, daf3 CL4AS an eine
Reversiereinrichtung gedacht hat.

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 When great firms like CLAAS can use such a colloquial style, it is due to the fact that the firm is
among the greatest in the world. Any German farmer knows that the CLAAS machines are among the
very best. Therefore the credibility of the firm is not weakened by the use of an informal style. If a
Danish firm, which is unknown in Germany, wants to penetrate into the German market, it should
choose a much more neutral style. Otherwise the brochure would seem untrustworthy to a German
reader.

d) Frequently the source texts are defective. There can be language mistakes and clumsy
formulations.22 Another, and much greater problem is the fact that the source texts often leaves a
great deal to be desired in pragmatic respect. This subject is dealt with by Davidow (1987). Here the
author writes that good marketing campaigns start by the marketing people clearly stressing the
advantages that the customer will get by choosing the product in question.
In practice, this mainly happens in the consumer market. The same thing is certainly not always
the case in the producer market. According to Davidow this is because people in the high-tech
industry are often interested in the product itself rather than in the benefit that the customer
derives from it.23 It is advisable, in connection with such texts, of which there are some inside the
sector of agricultural machines, to make considerable text improvements of the source texts. 24
When you translate texts that are pragmatically deficient, the translator faces considerable
problems. First of all he must make himself familiar with the technical aspects of the machine, and
find out what characteristics can be emphasized as advantages. In order best to obtain this it is also
necessary for the translator to know the products of the competitors, so that he can stress the
advantages of his " own " machine.25 In this respect, the same requirements principally applies to the
presentation of the target text as to the preparation of source texts.
In addition to this, the translator has to get familiar with the mentality of the market segment in
question. Then the text must be formulated in accordance with the way that this group regards the
world, that is to say, the values, norms and expectations of the target group. The demands that are
made on the translator in connection with defect source texts, are considerable.26
In order better to make impact it can be expedient for the sender to use what Große (1976) calls
"
gruppenindizierende Sprache". That is to say a kind of language use in which you emphasize, for
example, common qualities or aims in life. If the receiver regards the sender as belonging to the
same group, the possibility for influencing the receiver is increased. As. farmers regard them-selves
as practical men, and as they are very sceptical to theorists, many machine producers stress that
they, too, are practical men. Also the use of colloquial language in many brochures can be regarded
as "gruppenindizierende Sprache".

e) Brochures are only part of the total communication-mix. Probably some firms will stress the use of
brochures on the export market more than they will on the home market. This can imply that it is
necessary to include more information in the translation than in the source text. It can, for example,
be advantageous to present the firm in the translated brochure, even though such a presentation is
not to be found in the source edition.27

Conclusion
It follows from the above mentioned that the division into specialized and non-specialized texts
does not show very much about how the text type of technical brochures should be translated.
Though technical brochures are LSP-texts it is very clear that the denotative equivalence cannot be
regarded as the dominant criterion.
Technical brochures demand a certain technical knowledge of the translator. Furthermore, the
translator must have a certain knowledge of text type conventions. It is also necessary that he has
marketing qualifications and intercultural competence.
Different cultures and different marketing aspects between language areas play a greater part
than generally supposed. In many brochures there is information, which is completely or partly
irrelevant in the target language area; this information should at least be adjusted to other target
language conditions. 28
It is decisive for the quality of the translation that the translator takes into consideration that
people express themselves differently in Danish and German. German brochures emphasize a factual
and technical style, while Danes express things in a less "technical" manner, e.g. with fewer
substantives. Furthermore Danish brochures also use far more subordinate clauses than German

7
ones.
There are many inadequate translations of brochures where it is immediately realized that "this is
a translation".29 Business concerns are usually very cost-conscious when it comes to translations. This
is strange when you take into consideration that brochures constitute an important part of the
external communication of the firm, and that it is often the first contact with the customer. And of
course a bad impression can have unfortunate consequences."
In order to improve bad translations, one must abandon the strategy of translating sentence by
sentence. If one chooses a very direct form of translation it is actually only suitable as a starting point
for an advertising agency, which will then change the text in order to adapt it to the target language
style.
When translating the text type of technical brochures it is necessary to take into account the
receiver much more than is generally done today. Under present conditions too much importance is
attached to the source text. The semantic aspect is stressed too much, at the expense of pragmatic
consideration.
Heinemann and Viehweger write about the sender of source texts that he makes a series of linguistic
decisions considering the superior communicative targets in order to acquire the maximum effect on the
receiver. This concerns the choice of propositions, for example. When it comes to brochures, the purpose is
to further the sale of the products; this is the main purpose for the texts.
There is e ve r y reason for the translation of brochures to use the same criteria. The ch oi ce of
linguistic means in translations should also be made so that the m e s s a g e can obtain the goal that is
desired. This means that the importance of the source texts is considerably decreased.
The dominant criterion of the target text is, in other words, to consider the aim of the brochure. It
is clear that this implies a very free translation which is not least determined by sales psychology,
though of course also by purely technical aspects.

Notes
1. Cf. Gopferich (1995) and Bungarten (1993).
2. Cf. e.g. Koller (1992: 90ff. and 214ff).
3. This scepticism of theory is surprising, as educations that only stress practical skills cannot be
called academic. - Rut universities now also need to provide professional training. The
problem is that theory and practice need to be linked.
4. This article is mainly based on the examination of technical brochures concerning agri-
cultural machines, but the predominant results should also imply when it comes to similar
texts from other technical sub-languages.
5. Cf. for example Stolze (1992: 97) "Der Ubersetzer im Dienste der Technik ... hat keine
welterschließende Aufgabe wie im Bereich der Dichtung, sondern die demonstrative Funk-
lion der prazisen Darstellung der Objektwelt".
6. Ramer (1976) for example, speaks of semantische Aufwertung, and Mohn and Pelka (1984) of
aufwertende Adjekrive, but they do not define the conception so that it can be made operative.
7. Further features typical for LSP-texts are dealt with by Fuck (1984: 73ff.).
8. Obviously directive speech acts seem to be more frequent in technical advertisements than in
brochures. Glaser (1990: 252) briefly deals with directives in English advertisements of technical
products.
9. In the theory of persuasive communication it is often stressed that it can be advantageous to
hide the aim of influencing the receiver (cf. e.g. Breuer 1974: 56ff.).
10. The question of the relation of sentences to illocutions is not yet finally decided. Here, I
regard sentences as illocutions, even though this approach may be far from unproblematical,
11. The author of the text has clearly tried to anticipate possible objections from the receiver.
Anticipation of reaction from the receiver, as a fundamental element, is extensively dealt
with in Zimmermann (1984).
12. Cf. Stolze (1992: 199), who writes that the description of technical details can give the
impression of precision, efficiency, and competence.
13. This is stressed by Honig and KuLmaul (1982), Reiss and Vermeer (1991) and Trosborg
(1994).
14. The corpus consists of fifty Danish and fifty German brochures.
15. Examples are: Fa der perfekte indeklima m e d line besparelser, Os imellem er der kun varmt vend (about a
heat pump); Agrometer gøder jorden for et effektivt landbrug.

8
16. This is dealt with by List and Wagner (1992).
17. Credibility is one of the most important concepts in marketing theory (cf. Schifko 1982).
18. As mentioned above, the greater objectivity in German brochures is a surface phenomenon. As
is the case of the Danish brochures, the German ones are also clearly evaluative.
19. The problem of interference is dealt with in Stolze (1992: 76ff.).
20. Also Soellner (1980) comes to the conclusion that direct translations are artificial.
21. On the other hand, the marketing of Danish foodstuffs benefit by stressing that the products are
Danish, as such products are regarded as high quality products (cf. Bansch 1991).
22. Göpferich mentions that in her five years as a translator, she has not come upon texts that had
not at least small mistakes.
23. Pomplitz (1990) draws the attention to the fact that many films are unwilling to invest much
money in advertising for industrial products, and that there is no special prestige for copy
writers in making such texts.
24. Also Kuhn (1990) mentions the problem of bad industrial advertising, which is not based on
the knowledge and interests of the receiver, but on purely technical facts.
25. Cf. Bansch (1991: 26) about USP.
26. Actually, there can be many things that prevent the translator from living up to the demands
that have been mentioned in this article (cf. Sager 1986), but this does not change the fact that
good translations must take these into account.
27. Pomplitz (1990a) deals with relations between brochures and other forms of market com-
munications.
28. Therefore it can be said about the translation of technical brochures that it is far from being "a
mere transcoding process, but ... a cross-cultural event" (Trosborg 1994: 25).
29. Lykke Jacobsen states that industrial translators must produce texts that seem natural. "So
natural, in fact, that translations are indistinguishable from originals" (1993: 67). Relatively
few translations of brochures meet this demand.
30. There are, however, some translations which are so good that it is only possible to realize that
it is a translation, because you know that this is the case.