Technical translation can be defined as one of the variants of specialized translation, that is, the translation of a specific sector, in this case: engineering, automotive, electronics, mining, telecommunications, metallurgy, construction and sectors related to these.

These types of translations stand out for the language used in the text we are dealing with, which is usually quite specific and with terminology that is not usual in common language.


Among the types of technical texts that are usually translated, we find user manuals and instructions, patents, technical sheets of product specifications, user guides, assembly manuals, construction procedures, etc.

In this sense, it is important to highlight the importance of this work being carried out by professional translators, since there is no room for terminological errors that could cause a completely different understanding of the entire text and, consequently, of the object to which it refers. For example, in an assembly manual, a misunderstanding in one of the parts would cause the user not to find the right one for assembly.

Technical translation covers the translation of many kinds of specialized texts that require a high level of skill and knowledge on the part of the person of the terminology involved.

In other words, not any person or even any translator is able to perform a technical translation correctly.

Quality of technical translations: the importance of a team specialized in the subject
The professional who is dedicated to carrying out this type of translation must have a perfect command of the field he translates, be an expert in the field and, if possible, work closely to a specialist in the sector to ensure the quality of his translations.

Another factor to take into account is that developments in the technological field advance rapidly, and this means that translators must always be up to date.

If when looking for a translator or a translation agency they offer you the same prices for non-specialized translations as for technical translations, you should be careful. For this reason, it is important to contrast the experience of the translator, since an error in a technical translation could have important consequences.

A specialized translator is fluent in at least two languages: the source language of the document and the language into which the document will be translated. This knowledge is essential to avoid concordance errors, inaccuracies and loss of meaning during the translation process.

Therefore, in addition to being fluent in a couple of languages, it is very important that the professional also has knowledge about the subject of the article.

However, do you know why it is important that technical translations be carried out not only by a translator but by a team of specialists? The concept is simple: a specialist translator is one who, in addition to mastering at least two languages (the native language and a foreign language), also has extensive knowledge in a specific area, which is what differentiates him or her from a generalist translator.

There are specialized translators in the most diverse fields of knowledge, from legal to information technology, health, marketing and many others. It is important to know in which of these fields the source document is located and to hire the most appropriate professional translation service.

In addition to the translator work itself, there is a whole team focused on guaranteeing the quality of the final delivery to the client, from the project manager and quality specialists, to diagrammers (when necessary), among other support professionals.

Translating is meticulous and delicate work, which requires a high degree of specialization from its professionals so that the final work does not modify the meaning of the original text, both linguistically and specifically for each area.

One of the biggest problems that this type of work presents is the automatic translation services provided by software, which translate literally and often do not reflect the content.

Another problem is that, as mentioned above, translators who do not have much knowledge on a certain topic can make translations that are not natural for the target audience of the text, or they can even make mistakes.

In this sense, a team of translation specialists will be able to adapt the translations of the technical terms in this area without losing the meaning of the phrases, as well as knowing how to differentiate the terms that should or should not be translated.

It is very difficult to know how many translation services currently exist on the Internet, be it a machine translation, generalist translators or companies.

In this context, the work done by a different team has the advantage of being faithful to the content and that is reviewed in order to avoid errors, in addition to having planning and quality control. In all cases, it is the client's decision to select the service that best meets their demand.