Technical Translation Services

With highly skilled industry-expert linguists, cutting-edge technology and top-flight project management, we offer an unrivalled range of technical translation services.

Looking for technical translation services?

Contact us now

What is a technical translation?

Technical translation is the process of converting specialised content, typically relating to the fields of technology, science or industry, from one language to another.

Some examples of technical content that we translate include:

  • User manuals
  • Datasheets
  • Whitepapers
  • Software strings
  • Product descriptions
  • Brochures
  • Handbooks
  • “How to” user guides
  • Instruction manuals
  • Material safety data sheets
  • Release notes
  • Research papers
  • Case studies
  • Proposals

Looking for technical translation services?

Contact us now

What challenges does technical translation pose?

Technical communications cover a wide variety of content types, from user manuals to software strings. The majority of these will be used in the public domain, such as an instruction manual for a specific product.

The potential legal implications of getting the translation of this type of content wrong can be devastating, not to mention the risk it poses to the safety of any users following the instructions of a translated manual, for example. If a technical translation is difficult to read or the translator uses an incorrect term for a particular part, the user may become frustrated or it could even cause an accident, irreparably damaging your company’s reputation.

For this reason, it pays to invest in professional technical translation services to give you peace of mind to know that your content is translated by an experienced technical translator with expert knowledge of your specific sector.

A technical translator is not only a skilled linguist who is adept at accurately transferring information from one language to another, they will also be familiar with the precise terminology of your industry from either hands-on experience or several years translating in that field.

What makes us different?

What sets us apart as your translation partner is our unwavering commitment to quality and total reliability when it comes to our services.

We understand that your success in the global marketplace means launching your innovative solutions ahead of your competitors. With ever-shorter times to market, you need a translation partner who understands the importance of agile working and swift translation turnarounds.

We use state-of-the-art translation memory and computer-assisted translation tools to deliver accurate, clear translations. These productivity tools allow us to deliver your project on time and within budget, while maintaining the terminology consistency and high quality that you would expect from a professional translation company.

Expert technical translators

We only work with highly skilled language professionals who we trust 100% to get it right every time.

We have a pool of specialised technical translators who have experience across a wide range of technical fields, from automotive to aerospace and everything in between. Often, they will have first-hand knowledge of their specialist industry processes and practices, or extensive experience translating in that field.

All of our technical translators are native speakers in their target language with academic qualifications and a flair for technical writing. Many or our multilingual technical communication professionals have undertaken further study or obtained professional qualifications in their specialism.

Engaging technical translations

It takes an expert to communicate complex information clearly, concisely and persuasively in another language. We have the experience and know-how to create accurate, engaging technical translations that incorporate your key terminology.

Our professional technical translators combine excellent writing skills in the target language with in-depth knowledge of your sector.

We regularly complete technical translations for world leaders in the IT, electronics, telecommunications, engineering, automotive and manufacturing industries. Our work includes product descriptions, datasheets, whitepapers, brochures, handbooks, user guides and instruction manuals, to name a few.

Maximum terminology consistency

It is vital that your key terminology is translated consistently throughout your content to avoid any confusion for consumers.

We make use of sophisticated terminology management tools and compile specialist glossaries to ensure maximum terminology consistency in our technical translations.

Smart technology solutions

The structured and repetitive nature of technical documentation lends itself well to translation with CAT tools. Our cutting-edge translation memory tools allow us to store, reuse and leverage previously translated and approved content.

Not only does this allow us to provide fast and reliable translations, but it generates cost savings for our clients, saving both time and money. It also makes handling updates to technical documentation seamless.

For some types of technical texts, it may be possible to integrate machine translation into the translation process. This can offer productivity gains and, when combined with post-editing by a professional translator, the result is equivalent to human-quality translation. We can advise you whether your content is suitable for a machine translation post-editing approach.

Liaising with in-country reviewers

Involving your in-country teams or representatives in the translation process is something we highly recommend, especially for technical translations.

Your in-country teams know your local markets inside out. We therefore strongly suggest drawing on their expertise when it comes to ensuring translations are publication-ready in your target markets.

We can act as a liaison between your local teams and contact them on your behalf to allow them the opportunity to approve translations in their native language before the final content is delivered to you. We do not expect your in-country representatives to act as proofreaders because the translation will already have gone through extensive linguistic checks for accuracy.

This extra stage simply offers your in-country representatives the chance to review and fine-tune the translation and tweak any terminology based on their expert knowledge. Your nominated local experts can sign off the translated content before it is published in their market.

In our experience, involving in-country reviewers in the translation process proves invaluable as they can often share critical information regarding approved/prohibited language and terminology for their market that head offices may not be aware of.

Liaising with your nominated in-country reviewers is part of our standard service and is covered in our all-inclusive rates.

Looking for technical translation services?

You’ve come to the right place. Contact us to find out how Planet Languages Ltd can help you with your technical translation needs.

Contact us now

FAQs
We have extensive experience with translating a huge variety of technical documentation including user manuals, safety instructions, product information, datasheets, whitepapers, as well as website content, marketing and promotional material.
We work with almost every file format available including docx, xlsx, pptx, indd, idml, psd, html, xml, xlf, xliff, strings, rrc, properties, yml, resw, resx, po, json, php etc, so we are pretty confident that we can accommodate your request. Please contact us to discuss your specific requirements.
Absolutely. Upon receipt of your document, our highly trained project managers will analyse the content and, if you decide to trust Planet Languages with your work, assign the project to a carefully selected technical translator for each language required. All technical translators in our books are specialists in their respective sector and have extensive experience with translating technical documentation. Translators credentials get thoroughly checked during our rigorous selection process and the quality of their work is regularly assessed during their employment with Planet Languages.
Yes. At Planet Languages, we work with the latest translation memory (TM) software that helps us provide significant discounts for repeated text. Your dedicated project manager will carefully analyse your content, can provide detailed information on our TM discount structure and will ensure that our quote reflects any applicable discounts.