Technical manuals guide new users into the proper usage of machinery or product. Work manuals guide employees on how to do certain types of jobs in the workplace. Forbes says that a “strong, properly written handbook can take the guesswork out of managing your staff.”
A lot of human actions are dependent on manuals, thus their translations must not be taken lightly. Here we compiled the best practices in translating manuals.
Have great command of the target language
The main purpose of a manual is to guide users to do certain tasks, and translators need to be able to use the proper and correct terminologies.
Significant knowledge of the industry
The translator must be well knowledgeable of the product or user manual they are translating. The translated text must make sense in the target language, and unknowing translators will translate manuals word for word without knowing certain industry jargon.
Performing technical manual translations is the expertise of IsAccurate where specialized employees are hired to provide you with technical manual translations.
Text origin must be final
If you are translating a document from English to another language, double-check with your client if the original text is final and error-free. Any mistake in the original text will trickle down to the translated text.
Use easy to understand words
Words in a translated manual must be easy to understand. According to The Daily Star, long and difficult words “distract the readers from the point being made”. A variety of audiences is using manuals, and your manual must be easily readable and user-friendly.
Use more pictures than words
Why not save on manual translation if you can? Replace some words with simple diagrams and illustrations. They are easier to understand than trying to explain long blocks of texts that some common individuals may not understand.
Avoid dense texts
No one likes reading dense blocks of texts. In translating manuals, try to be straight to the point. Format your document so that the paragraphs are easy to read and leave as much white space as possible.
Have manuals reviewed by industry specialists
Even with enough knowledge of an industry, technical manual translators must still seek the help of industry expert reviewers to double-check that technical terms are used properly in the translation process.
