Scientific and technical translation
Areas of specialisation
I work in fields where a poorly chosen term, an incorrect unit or an ambiguity can affect understanding, safety or reputation. Here you will find my main areas and examples of the documents I work with.
Technical translation in science
In the scientific field, technical translation focuses on texts containing complex concepts and highly specialised terminology, such as research articles, laboratory protocols, clinical trials or academic publications. It is essential to maintain precision and terminological coherence,, respect scientific notation and have scientific knowledge in order to avoid conceptual errors.
For example, in science it is common to translate temperature units such as degrees Celsius or centigrade, degrees Fahrenheit or Kelvin. However, it should be noted that the Kelvin unit is not preceded by the word “degree”, nor does it take the degree symbol (“°”). And, of course, the degree symbol should not be confused with the raised ordinal indicator. Other common errors in scientific notation include adding full stops to units, such as “min.” or “kg.”, inventing units that do not exist, such as “1 seg” or “2 kgs”, or using different precision in an expression such as 5 ± 0.1 mm, which, strictly speaking, should also include the unit mm next to both figures: 5.0 mm ± 0.1 mm.
Another very common error in the field of science is translating direction (from English) or Richtung (from German), as dirección,when this is not always correct. In physics, direction is the straight line along which an object moves, while sense refers to the specific orientation within that line. A direction has two senses: positive/negative, left/right, north/south, etc. And if the movement is circular or elliptical, as in the case of planetary motion, we speak of clockwise or anticlockwise sense, not clockwise or anticlockwise direction..
Examples of scientific translations where precision and terminological coherence are essential to guarantee the reproducibility and validity of data::
- Popular science articles
- Research publications in international academic journals
- Scientific books and academic manuals
- Experimental protocols
Technical translation in science
Are you concerned that these kinds of errors — and many other conceptual errors — might slip into your scientific translation?
Technical translation in technology
In the field of technology, documentation is translated in areas such as robotics, IT, energy, automotive, aviation, railways, machinery, civil engineering components and many other engineering fields, including safety materials used in these industries, such as fall-arrest equipment or chemical and fire-resistant protectivesuits.
The aim is to convey instructions, diagrams and system descriptions in such a way that the end user can operate, install, maintain, repair or understand a technology with no margin for error. In this process, it is crucial that the translation:
- conveys instructions clearly and without ambiguity,
- maintains exact and coherent technical terminology throughout the document, including charts and figures.
In addition, terms for manufacturer-specific parts often appear before they have an established name in the target language. The translation will therefore need to “name” them from scratch, which requires knowledge and understanding of the text. In these cases, the new translated term will be created by consulting the client about the function of the part. Using its geometric shape can also be a good starting point: geometric shape + of + function.
Examples of technology translations:
- Operation and maintenance manuals
- Technical specifications and operating diagrams
- Programming manuals for industrial machinery
- User interfaces for industrial equipment
As an example, a common mistake in technical translations is identifying the English term efficiency with the Spanish eficiencia in the context of a device specification. Strictly speaking, although in everyday language the words efficiency and effectiveness are often used interchangeably, eficiencia and eficaciaIn technology, they are not synonyms: an employee can be more or less eficaz if it manages to fulfill its purpose correctly, depending on how much it costs, but when talking about machines, we must refer to the eficiencia, which is the ability to achieve something in the shortest time and with the fewest possible resources. As a clue, it is often identified with the letter in data sheets greek η.
Technical translation in technology
Do you require an engineering translation with a high level of attention to detail and immersion in the technical context?
Medical device translation
In the healthcare, biomedical and pharmaceutical fields,, technical translation overs sensitive documents that may affect patient safety, clinical effectiveness and the correct use of devices, on which the patient’s quality of life — or even life itself — may depend.
This is why not only linguistic precision is required, but also knowledge of the foundations of these fields and correct handling of specialised medical terminology .
Examples:
- All types of surgical instruments
- Medical reports and diagnoses
- Clinical protocols and informed consent forms
- Patient information leaflets
- Laboratory devices
- Healthcare products and hospital medical devices
When translating, for example, the surgical manual for placing a spinal implant, numerous anatomical terms appear that must be identified with no possibility of error, along with names of surgical techniques that must be researched using medical terminology, names of all kinds of instruments down to the smallest part, and even scientific terminology related to the application of forces and their effects. There is no need to stress the importance of translating a surgeon’s manual correctly.
Another clear example of medical translation requiring specific knowledge is the translation of laboratory equipment for immunological tests. Everything related to genetics involves technical terms that almost never match the first translation offered by a dictionary — what are known as false friends— unless it is a specialised technical dictionary. Specifically, many errors are made when translating from English into Spanish.
Medical device translation
Are you concerned about the accuracy of your medical device translation and its impact on patient safety?
Technical translation in mountaineering
In the world of mountaineering, with disciplines such as climbing, alpinism, via ferrata,canyoning and trekking, terminology is not learned from books: it is acquired in the field.Instructions, equipment, techniques and the way mountaineers communicate with one another have a completely specific language, often newly created, full of expressions that are familiar to experts but indecipherable to those unfamiliar with this culture. This has given rise to a large number of terms and expressions whose translation causes more than one headache for those who do not use them on a daily basis. After all, someone who does not climb may read a text about clipping, redpointing or placing a nut and understand nothing, even if it is written in their native language.
That is why, in order to translate texts about mountain sports fluently and naturally — equipment user manuals, technical data sheets with “exotic” part names, technical garments and their functional fabrics, commercial material, articles for specialised websites or safety manuals — it is not enough to know both languages: you must be a regular user of that equipment.And, in addition to practising mountaineering, anyone who accepts technical mountain translation work must have read extensively in their working languages in order to associate concepts and build their own mental glossary, and must continue reading to stay up to date, as terminology evolves quickly. There is no other way!
All of this becomes especially important in commercial or marketing texts that seek to evoke certain “mountain sensations” in the buyer or mountaineer, and that can only come from the mind of someone used to reaching summits.
Having technical translation professionals who also use these devices personally guarantees that each device (from a grigri to a duck, including a foot loop, a machard, a a maillon or a basket), every technique, (meeting equipment, bivouacking, self-belayed descent, French technique progression with crampons and the essential self-detention), the intricate names of the countless knots (ropework) and many other concepts are translated with the actual term used: dictionary definitions (if any) are not valid here. Bilingual reference material is scarce and generally consists of unwieldy documents, forcing an enormous amount of research that is not worthwhile for translation professionals who do not practice mountaineering..
Technical translation in mountaineering
Are you specifically interested in translations related to mountaineering? You have found a needle in a haystack — or in a bivouac!