Accompanying a wide variety of products, from cell phones, household appliances and computers to tractors and cranes, technical manuals are currently among the materials most often translated. Despite being used in such varied market niches, the care taken when translating these materials is very similar. They must undergo various quality check stages so that the information reaches the end consumer as an accurate representation of the content found in the original manual.

One of the first steps in this process is to consider the main purpose of the manual, which is to offer support to a user who will read the usage instructions for a given product.

With this in mind, technical manuals require clear, objective language, using specific terminology for each market.  This is when the choice of a native translator with expertise in the specific segment is essential, because a professional with in-depth knowledge of a given field will make the right terminology choices for the message in the target language.

The cherry on top

The challenges of technical translation don’t stop there! After selecting a specialized translator, another point warrants attention: external references.

To facilitate comprehension, we will use the example of an original manual showing the user how to access a menu called “Settings.” This is a common term with several possible accurate translations that are applicable to Brazilian Portuguese, such as: Definitions, Configurations and Adjustments. To know which option to use, the translator needs to have access to the product’s references in order to use the same translation found therein, so that the user will easily understand the instructions.

As you can see, translating a manual involves variables that go well beyond the text and languages in question. It must encompass certain precautions so that the information reaching the end customer is accurate, appropriate and appealing, helping to improve the user experience.

Translation of technical manuals should be viewed as extremely strategic for a company, because it can positively or negatively affect sales of a given product and customer satisfaction.

For this reason, when contracting a translation service, find out which processes are used by service providers and find the best solution to help your business safely and effectively gain new markets.

About Netwire

Created in 2000, Netwire is the Latin American market leader, offering translations into any language. With offices in Brazil and Argentina, the company serves approximately 25 market segments and has a network of hundreds of tested native translators, residing all over the planet. In the past five years alone, Netwire processed over 110 million words, delivering an average of 400 projects per month.