Global engineering needs translation teamwork

Citation

(2007), "Global engineering needs translation teamwork", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 79 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2007.12779dad.012

Global engineering needs translation teamwork

Global engineering needs translation teamwork

Few technical or engineering projects today can survive unless they operate internationally and in sectors such as telecommunications and aerospace, global standards and operations are almost universal. Translating and interpreting skills play a critical role in ensuring that team members can communicate, and in providing both partners and equipment users with manuals, instructions, operating software and other materials in their own language.

Translation requirements are all too often left until the last minute, putting time pressure on those required to get to grips with a raft of documentation and complex technical terms. While imprecise statements and even ambiguities can sometimes pass muster in the original language, the process of translation can bring them to light. Without adequate time or prior knowledge of the subject, translators often struggle to provide precise and accurate materials on time.

Most companies prefer to keep their translation errors secret and in the confidential world of R&D and new product development, they rarely see the light of day. However, marketing departments frequently have their mistakes spread across the internet for all to see: the Nova car, which is Spain means “it does not go,” or the Mist Curling Tongs in Germany, where Mist means manure, are just two examples of rushed or less than thorough translations. Amusing and costly, but the implications of similar errors in a guided weapons software suite or a PC manual could be even more alarming.

The key to success, according to Elliotte Jacobs, Business Develop Manager with translation company RWS, is to treat the translator as part of the team early in the project. Having worked with major international clients, Elliotte believes that the client gets more accurate and user-friendly materials in the chosen languages, as well as more effective teamwork between international partners or offices.

He explained: “Many people writing in their own language will rely on assumptions and terms recognised within peer or company groups. Even those skilled in producing precise software commands and references may use terms that are unclear in another language. The translator can pick up and help clarify these points early on, which can save time and misunderstandings during product or systems development.”

“Translators often help engineers to explain and accurately identify in their native language concepts used in software and systems referred to in user guides. If these points can be raised early in the project, it helps to clarify and establish consistent translations for international project teams.”

“As many projects involve new and advanced technologies, the translation team is far more likely to do the product or system justice if they have worked as part of the client's project team and understand the concepts and technology involved.”

During one project for a large telecoms company concerning a new Signalling Networks management software project, RWS was involved in producing a user guide for the software and the programs required for the configuration manager. The system enabled the user to track events in the network and interface with other systems.

RWS were involved from the start; they were able to ensure that the project used intelligible English terms consistent with the French original. While the software itself was finalised early on, text and screen instructions, commands and parameters which needed to be clear and precise to those not totally familiar with the process, were developed and refined along with the final stages of the project. Even the simplest phrases can cause misunderstanding: for example “ascertain” was interpreted as “as certain” – certain to cause confusion.

Acronyms, so beloved in technical circles, can generate confusion and errors. During a project involving software listings for document production on a new PABX system, the company faced a series of acronyms to translate. Jacobs added: “At this stage the work requires interpretation and not just translation, both to understand what lies behind the acronym, which is often a highly condensed description of a process: then to render it into English in a way that accurately represents the concept and acronym.”

Larger projects that may involve several teams run an additional risk of inconsistency, particularly where the translation task is carried out late, with a number of translators. Each may provide a correct translation but may use different words or phrases, leaving the user to decide whether two slightly different words or terms actually refer to the same thing. Any translation team involved early in the process will build up an agreed glossary of terms to ensure that a phrase from one language is always rendered into a second language in identical form.

Jacobs summed up: “Most larger aerospace, electronics and engineering companies understand that they should employ translators skilled and qualified in the subject, who will work into their native language. With the increase in international multi-language projects, there is every reason to make translation and interpreting an essential component in any new venture.”

For further information, contact: RWS Group, Tel: +44 1753 277 264, Fax: +44 1753 277 273, web site: www.rws.com