Translating complex technical documents requires specialist skills.Two recently completed projects from The Translation People demonstrate why it is essential to use translators who not only know the language but who also understand the sector or industry involved.

Our client is a global leader in the manufacture of hydraulic and electro-hydraulic controls for the off-highway and automotive industries; their high-performance valves increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.

Following an initial project in Russian, we recently completed the translation of a highly technical product brochure into French and German.

Alan White, branch manager of our Manchester office, said: “For a project like this, it is essential to work with translators who are experts in the field.

We have an extensive database of specialist translators – many of them people who had an initial career in say engineering or medicine and then moved into translation. Having the detailed technical knowledge is absolutely critical.”

The client commented on our services: “We were very pleased with the quality of The Translation People’s work. The technical knowledge of the team involved shone through, and gave us absolute confidence in the end result.”

Technical accuracy was also critical to the success of a six-language translation project for a design agency, on behalf of their client- a global pioneer in the speciality materials industry

Account manager Jo Clarke oversaw the translation of the employee brochure into French, German, Spanish, Italian, Swedish and Dutch.

She said: “This project required something of a balancing act. The company makes speciality chemicals, so the brochure contained a lot of complex and technical terms.

“However, it was also important that the magazine was an easy read, so employees would want to read it. That meant we had to work hard to transfer the style of the English version into the translations, while still maintaining the technical accuracy.”