2020 is upon us, and with it comes a wide array of giant strides in the software development industry.
Recently software development has been increasingly becoming part and parcel of almost all industries all over the world. Continuous advances in software development are having an impressive impact on our lives.
Although we might not be able now to predict what is going to happen in the sphere of software development either shortly or in the long run, we can easily see many trends in the offing that we expect to continue into the new decade.
First, Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to take over. Second, 5G is strongly entering our lives in 2020 and the years to come. 5G is expected to transform the world — from powering smart cities to improving traffic systems, to increased capacity for network expansion, thus paving the way for developers to work on more robust applications and augmented reality features.
Third, and more importantly, with the rise of software companies and their consistent expansion into every market all over the world, a new pertinent sector is gaining ground and becoming more important ─ Technical Documentation Translation.
So what?
When and Why is Technical Documentation Translation Important?
Both software vendors and software buyers need technical documentation translation. When software development businesses expand into overseas markets to sell their products to multilingual audiences, they should provide their customers with technical documentation in local languages. This is where technical documentation translation’s role becomes vital.
Also, companies that buy from foreign suppliers are required to document internal processes for compliance. Therefore, they have to rely on professional technical documentation translation providers whenever they’re doing business with global partners.
This kind of translation is needed for many technical content types, from operation instructions to specialized websites, software strings, patents, and user manuals. That’s why it’s becoming very important for software developers ─ startups and giants ─ to choose the right technical translation service provider. So, how come?
Tips for Preparing Technical Content for Translation
At AfroLingo, we have a few tips for you on how to prepare your technical documentation for translation so that you may finally get high-quality translated documents that meet your business requirements.
1) Specify Your Target Audience
Like all text types, you need to start by considering and telling your translation agency about your product’s target group. Professional translators will appreciate it if you tell them whether your end-user is just a layperson or an engineer who is versed in the technical area and thus knows the specific technical jargon.
2) Manage Your Terminology
Since most software development companies would like their translation partner to use their abbreviations and terminology, they should include their term lists when they send the technical content for translation.
At AfroLingo, the project manager always ensures that the translators understand the client’s specific needs and use the specific jargon and style they wish.
Moreover, we may sometimes have some discussions with the client about expanding their term lists or creating new ones as per the project’s requirement. In all cases, with this effort, you’ll easily get consistent translations each time.
3) Text Usually Expands!
You have to consider the possibility of text expansion when you design or create your original printed piece, including charts, artwork and graphics. Further, it would help if you remembered that your documents might need to be resized.
4) Technical Writing is Special
When you write technical documentation, you need to follow several best practices, including:
A. Write short, simple sentences.
B. Avoid idioms as they’re often taken the wrong way.
C. Also, avoid cultural references, as they may lose their original meaning or get misinterpreted across borders.
D. Remember that symbols may carry different meanings in different cultures.
E. Write consistently. You can do so by being consistent in formatting, sentence structure, capitalization, spacing, etc. Remember that CAT tools and translation memories can help you with this.
Importance of Choosing a Professional Translation Partner
After all, it is said and done; it’s time for all of us to admit the importance of choosing a professional technical translation service provider. Otherwise, the entire technical translation project might end up going astray!
Therefore, we need to understand the specific features of this professional translation partner and how one translation agency is different from another. What shall you find in a translation agency that gives you the sense of trust that you’ve found the right partner? Let’s dive deeper, with a typical example.
Why AfroLingo?
Over the past 12 years, AfroLingo has had an impressive, proven track record in delivering professional technical document translation services to the biggest companies in Africa and the world.
Since technical documentation translation requires a mix of technical and linguistic competence, AfroLingo depends on a highly qualified team of experts comprising linguists, engineers and industry specialists.
Moreover, AfroLingo offers the most competitive prices in the translation industry and can quickly translate any large amounts of technical documentation.
Also, at AfroLingo, we use the most sophisticated CAT tools, the latest Translation Management System TMS in addition to the best translation memories.
With this, we consistently deliver the highest quality translation in the market for a wide diversity of technical documents including patents, user guides, material data safety sheets (MSDS), processes, engineering texts, standard operating procedures (SOPS), manuals for machine tools, technical drawings, in addition to installation, operator, maintenance and user manuals, descriptions, technical datasheets, specifications and technical instructions.
Are you looking for technical documentation translation, or do you need good advice? Contact us today so that our experts may discuss how to help your business thrive or get a free quote.
