Technical Translation

Rosetta Translation specialises in providing professional technical translation. We use only technical translators and proofreaders with extensive industry experience and recognised qualifications in their respective area of specialisation.

High-Quality Technical Translations

We have extensive experience in technical translations, from IT translations to technical user manuals or the translation of manufacturing or engineering documents. Our blend of experienced, skilled language professionals, industry experts, and project managers makes Rosetta the ideal partner for even the most complex and specialist technical translation needs.

For a free instant quote, please contact us at any of our local offices in London, Shanghai, New York, Paris or Luxembourg.

Highly Accredited Technical Translations

Rosetta is a very highly accredited provider of language services. We have achieved ISO 9001:2015 for the past 10 years, and have also been awarded the DIN EN 15038 accreditation. This is the only norm that specifically measures the actual quality of translation services. We are also corporate members of both the ATC, which is the Association of Translation Companies in the UK, and the ATA, the US American Translators Association, and adhere to both their codes of conduct.

For our clients, this means that they can rest absolutely assured that Rosetta consistently provides the high quality of translations that they demand.

Trusted by Leading Corporates

Perhaps the best recommendation for our translation services are the companies that regularly entrust us with their technical translations. These include a wide range of corporates, including Equinix, the largest global provider of data warehouses, Mott MacDonald, a leading engineering consultancy and various divisions of Hitachi.

Recent Technical Translation Clients

Wide Range of Clients Requiring Technical Translations

Below is a list of some of our regular clients that require this kind of translation. For a more extensive list or for client references, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.

Translators of Technical Documents That Can Be Trusted

We achieve our high quality in technical translation by only assigning translation work to technical translators and proofreaders who will either have extensive experience working within the relevant industry, such as IT or engineering, or who will have undergone specialised technical translation training. This specialisation in technical translation means that any language use specific to our clients’ documents will always be translated correctly.

On top of that, we only use highly qualified translators who translate exclusively into their own native language, ensuring that the translations read like original documents.

This meticulous attention to lingustic and technical detail has allowed us to develop strong long-term relationships with leading companies in engineering as well as the manufacturing and IT industries.

Technical Manual Translation

Documents requiring technical translation , such as technical manuals, often contain complex diagrams and drawings. Rosetta’s quality assurance cycle ensures that, when a completed technical translation is returned to you, any illustrations will be formatted so as to consistently represent those present in the source file. We can deal with any common file format and software, such as InDesign, AutoCAD, etc.

How can I best prepare my technical documents for translation?

One issue we frequently encounter with clients who need technical documents translated is that the source documents to be translated are not in good shape in various ways. This matters, as it increases costs and time for the client, and almost inevitably leads to lower quality documents in the other language as well.

Why are technical documents often deficient?

There are some perfectly legitimate reasons why the source documents may not be perfect. Particularly for younger, fast-growing companies in rapidly changing areas, such as IT or medical devices, writing documentation and user manuals may understandably take a backseat to developing the actual products or services. Companies generally only hire dedicated technical writers once they have a certain size, and in the meantime, it is not really anybody’s main job in particular to write documentation, but just an annoying chore passed around the company.

What are the main negative consequences of this?

• The terminology is inconsistent, because a number of staff members helped out with writing over time, including the summer intern.
• The descriptions and explanations are only intelligible to about three fellow engineers who work in exactly the same field, but not to the target audience, say an intelligent laymen or – heaven forbid – the general public
• The text is full of ambiguities, which are never picked up because the workings of the device are crystal-clear to the writer

How do these deficiencies in technical documents matter for translation quality?

The negative impact shows in a variety of ways, including:

• Lack of consistency: inconsistent terminology in the source text almost necessarily leads to inconsistent terminology in the translation.
• Wrong descriptions: ambiguities in the original have a whole range of nefarious consequences. The translator may choose another plausible reading and translate that one. In the best scenario, the translator realises the ambiguity, we ask the client, but then we may never hear back, but the translation is already due.
• Difficulty for developing a multi-lingual glossary: in the long term, this leads to higher costs through more editing and reduced re-usability

How can Rosetta help?

Once we understand our client’s situation, we set up a programme for systematically improving document quality BEFORE translation, including rigorous editing of deficient documents and putting together a terminology base and glossary. A higher document quality in English (as the source often is) is obviously a great benefit in itself, but in the longer term, this additional work will also result in substantial savings through improved translation quality, shorter turnaround times and better consistency across languages.

The use of Simplified Technical English and its benefits for translation

We are collaborating with a number of our clients to help them convert their core documentation (which is almost invariably in English) into Simplified Technical English.

What is Simplified Technical English?

Simplified Technical English (STE) is a tightly controlled variant of English. Its development started in the 1980s in the aviation and defence industries, with the aim to write documentation that is completely and unambiguously intelligible to a (suitably skilled) second language learner of English.

It has strict rules about sentence length, structure, avoidance of jargon, use of simple tenses and active voice, etc. It posits a core vocabulary, so that potentially ambiguous words are completely avoided.

How does Simplified Technical English (STE) help with translation quality?

As a result of the features described above, STE can feel quite clunky and inelegant, but it is marvellously well suited to serve as a basis for translation into any other language. It minimises the possibility of mistranslation because every effort was made to make the English as intelligible as possible. In addition, the tightly controlled core vocabulary facilitates establishing a multilingual terminology base, leading to significant savings for translation in the longer term.

How can Rosetta help with Simplified Technical English?

We are currently partnering with a number of companies in helping them write their new manuals in STE and convert relevant existing manuals. Feel free to contact us for more information or to schedule an appointment about this service.