User:Cchiass3/sandbox

Translation process
When translating a technical text, there are general steps that a translator must go through.

Some steps that go into translating a text are analysis, comprehension, translation and revision[17]:

Analysis
[17]

Reading
reading the document allows the translator understand the document they are about to translate, and gives an idea to the translator of what they will need to translate the document.[17]

Context
to determine the context, the translator might ask themselves who the audience is, what type of text it is, and what are the source and target languages. They also might ask themselves whether linguistic variation is a factor. These answers will affect the register of the translated text.[17]

Register and tone
generally the tone of technical texts are neutral.[18] The register can be very formal and scientific, or made to be easily understood by the general public.[17]

Documentation
the translator finds resource materials to be able to translate the document.[19]

Comprehension
[19]

Degree of Difficulty
the translator assesses how difficult the text is to comprehend, and whether they are able to translate the text properly and whether they can do it in a timely manner.[19]

Type of difficulty
the translator assesses the more specific problems in translation, or anything they do not understand. The translator then does research to clarify certain meanings.[19]

Calling on the experts
the translator may call experts in the field if they cannot understand particular terms or meanings after having done research.[19]

How to use the information the experts provided
the answers the experts provide may either help the translator translate into the target language, or can hinder it. There may be terms that are difficult to translate and some that may not translate at all. The translator may instead explain concepts in the target language through examples.[20]

Translation
[20]

In this stage the translator goes through their reference materials and research to find the closest matches, so that the translation is faithful to the source text, and clear at the same time.

Revision
[21]

It may be recommended that the text be revised, especially depending on the nature of the text. For instance, a pharmaceutical text would require revision, since the information in the source text is crucial, and there can be serious legal and ethical repercussions if mistranslated, as it could pose potential harm.

Subject knowledge
Often, translators may have an area of expertise[22], and may be very familiar with certain terminology and texts. However, when a translator cannot learn all of the subject knowledge, it is possible to transfer over knowledge from other subjects that might be similar in nature.[22] This, along with new research, helps the translator understand the basics of the text.[23] Some of the tools a technical translator might use as well are glossaries, encyclopedias[24], and technical dictionaries[25], most of which may be recently published, as technology evolves quickly.[24] The translator must always keep up to date with new technologies in the field they are translating into as well, by attending conferences or courses, or subscribing to magazines[24], so that they are using the latest terminology.[26] Translators must also check legalalities surrounding certain subjects as well, in certain countries.[27]

Research
A crucial aspect of technical translation is research, which enables translators to have a “good and solid understanding of the basic principles and technologies…”[28] The translator must not only translate the terminology, but also the style in which the author originally wrote the document, and therefore must create the same effect in the target language.[22]

According to Byrne, the essential areas of expertise for technical translators are[22]:

Subject knowledge Writing skills Research skills Knowledge of genres and text types Pedagogical skills

Communicating with the client
Since there are few courses offered in specialized translation at universities[29] and since terminology can be vast, the translator may work alongside the company or companies for clarification[30]. This includes working with all types of workers in certain technological and industrial fields, such as engineers, managers, etc.[31] The method of translating technical texts often relies on a hands-on approach.

The two types of experts that a translator may consult while translating are the author who wrote the text in the source language and the expert in the target language.[32] The author can explain the context and what they are trying to say, whereas the expert in the target language may be able to explain the terminology or what the author was trying to convey in the target language.[32] Translation is teamwork rather than strict cooperation between the translator and the experts.[21]

Technical writing
Although technical writing and technical translation may be similar in the content they work with, they are different as translators translate what the technical writers produce.[25] The purpose of technical writing, is to explain how to do something.[18] Technical translating is similar, however it attempts to communicate how someone else explains how something is done.[18] “The technical translator, like the technical writer, wants to produce a document that is clear and easy to understand”.[33] Translators may also consider controlled language and whether it applies in their target language culture.[27]

[17]Horguelin, Paul A. (1966). "La Traduction Technique". Meta: Translators' Journal. 11 (1): 21. doi:10.7202/003113ar – via Érudit.

[18]Hallman, Mark I. (1990). "Differentiating Technical Translation from Technical Writing". Communication. 37 (3): 245 – via JSTOR.

[19]Horguelin, Paul A. (1966). "La Traduction Technique". Meta: Translators' Journal. 11 (1): 22. doi:10.7202/003113ar – via Érudit.

[20]Horguelin, Paul A. (1966). "La Traduction Technique". Meta: Translators' Journal. 11 (1): 23–24. doi:10.7202/003113ar – via Érudit.

[21]Horguelin, Paul A. (1966). "La Traduction Technique". Meta: Translators' Journal. 11 (1): 25. doi:10.7202/003113ar – via Érudit.

[22]Byrne, Jody (2006). Technical Translation: Usability Strategies for Translating Technical Documentation. Dordrecht: Springer. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-4020-4653-7.

[23]Byrne, Jody (2006). Technical Translation: Usability Strategies for Translating Technical Documentation. Dordrecht: Springer. pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-1-4020-4653-7.

[24]Horguelin, Paul A. (1966). "La Traduction Technique". Meta: Translators' Journal. 11 (1): 18. doi:10.7202/003113ar – via Érudit.

[25]Hallman, Mark I. (1990). "Differentiating Technical Translation from Technical Writing". Communication. 37 (3): 244 – via JSTOR.

[26]Kingscott, Geoffrey (2002). "Technical Translation and Related Disciplines". Perspectives. 10 (4): 248. doi:10.1080/0907676X.2002.9961449 – via Scholars Portal Journals.

[27]Kingscott, Geoffrey (2002). "Technical Translation and Related Disciplines". Perspectives. 10 (4): 251. doi:10.1080/0907676X.2002.9961449 – via Scholars Portal Journals.

[28]Byrne, Jody (2006). Technical Translation: Usability Strategies for Translating Technical Documentation. Dordrecht: Springer. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-4020-4653-7. “good and solid understanding of the basic principles and technologies…”

[29]Malo, Richard (1976). "La Traduction Dans Le Secteur Technique Ou Industriel". Meta: Translators' Journal. 21 (1): 87. doi:10.7202/003546ar – via Érudit.

[30]Malo, Richard (1976). "La Traduction Dans Le Secteur Technique Ou Industriel". Meta: Translators' Journal. 21 (1): 88. doi:10.7202/003546ar – via Érudit.

[31]Malo, Richard (1976). "La Traduction Dans Le Secteur Technique Ou Industriel". Meta: Translators' Journal. 21 (1): 88–89 – via Érudit.

[32]Horguelin, Paul A. (1966). "La Traduction Technique". Meta: Translators' Journal. 11 (1): 18. doi:10.7202/003113ar – via Érudit.

[33]Hallman, Mark I. (1990). "Differentiating Technical Translation from Technical Writing". Communication. 37 (3): 245 – via JSTOR. “The technical translator, like the technical writer, wants to produce a document that is clear and easy to understand.”