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Having a successful translation is everything that a company wants for their overseas customers and to be prosperous in the international market.

You want your audience to completely understand what they are being offered, totally informed, as well as having accurate information.

Here are the 5 tips to guarantee a successful technical translation:

1. Think International / Global from The Beginning

  • Remember that some actions or language you interpret in your culture, could be completely different for a person with a different cultural background. It’s always recommended to stay away from slang as much as possible.
  • Not everything is going to have the same meaning for a person from another country. That’s why we always recommend taking your translation project to the next level and think of localization or transcreation.
  • Retain some of your cultural basis for the text, but adapt it as much as possible for the audience who it will be directed to.
  • 2. Finish Your Content First

  • It may sound a little bit obvious that having your final content ready for translation is of high importance, if you want to have a successful translation. We always ask our clients to make sure they send us the final draft before starting the translation project.
  • We understand that wanting to finish up your technical translation project, as soon as possible, is something that every clients want, but do not start translating until your text content is complete. This is extremely important to avoid mistakes in the final translation project. Having multiple drafts that have not been edited will lead to errors.
  • 3. Machine Versus Human Translation (Hint – Always Choose Human Translation!)

  • If you are looking for an accurate technical translation, then you need to go with a human instead of a machine. Here’s why:
    Machines are more likely to create errors, and they are not reliable enough.
  • If you still choose a machine translation, make sure to proofread it since it will contain mistakes.
  • Syntax is not easily achievable with a machine translation, especially when working on a technical translation. Hiring a technical translation company is the way to go.
  • You want your translation to be natural and fluid for your audience to understand, a machine translation will not guarantee you a natural translation.
  • 4. Resist The Temptation Of Doing It Yourself

  • Having oral fluency is not the same as having an accurate writing style in that language.
  • You might feel confident with your fluency in that language, but that does not mean that your in-text translation will be accurate and understandable.
  • Having a professional technical translator working on not only translating, but also proofreading your translation, will guarantee you a successful translation at the end.
  • 5. Choose The Right Translation Team At The Right Cost

  • Translations will range in price, depending where you obtain them from. Make sure you shop around. Base your decision not only on price, but quality should weight more.
  • The best idea is to outsource to a professional technical translation company, if you cannot afford a professional translation you might not be ready for the international market.
  • Reliable technical translation companies have translators that are native on the language you wish to translate your document to.
  • The best technical translation companies will ask the purpose of the translation to make sure it will be natural and correct for the occasion.
  • There is no doubt that having an accurate translation will lead you to success in the international market. To achieve that you need to choose the right technical translation company that will guarantee you a successful translation. We hope you find this article helpful! If you wish to learn more about translating documents the right way, download our guide: Top 4 Differences Between Translation and Localization You Must Know to learn more or subscribe to our newsletter (we promise not to spam you! We don’t like to be spammed either!)