Translating Technical Documentation Without Losing Quality - What You Shouldn't Spoil When Translating User Manuals and Online Help

Translating technical documentation, such as user manuals, online help, and other types of user assistance, is essentially different from translating other forms of documents. If you translate technical documentation in the same way as you translate other texts, chances are that your clients (mostly technical writers) will be quite unhappy with the results. For example, complex language that makes a novel or sales brochure interesting can be exactly what makes a user manual incomprehensible.

When translating technical documentation, you should understand how your clients have designed their documents for clearness and simplicity. Only then can your translation reflect the same principles.

This book provides you with a compilation of the basic technical writing rules that every technical writer follows. When you adhere to the same rules as you translate, it's almost guaranteed that both writers and readers will be happy with the quality of your work.


Audience:
Professional translators