Do you know poor English to Arabic technical document translation for construction project costed Kuwait’s Ministry of Public Works millions of dollars for 30 big years?
Accuracy not just a prominent feature of a quality translation; it is the most important concern when it comes to translating technical terms and documents. Kuwait is just one example. Since ages, we have heard about several translation blunders in technical translation that costed businesses millions of dollars. So, don’t you think you should be wary of such mistakes and focus only on accuracy, while getting your technical manuals or papers translated?
Let’s take an insight into the Kuwait story before moving further –
Since 1987 till 2017, the Kuwait’s Ministry of Public Works faced a continuous loss, just due to a minor mistake in translation. The English document for translation consisted of construction specifications along with technical terms related to the concerned groundwater, calculation of water level etc. When the document got finally translated into Arabic, some specifications got mistranslated, and the government was unaware of that.
For 30 long years, the construction sector used the mistranslated specifications. It was only in 2017 that the errors in translation were spotted. When the project was investigated, it was found that the source file was absolutely correct, and it was only English to Arabic technical translation in UAE which went wrong. What bad was done could not be recovered for obvious reasons. But, all these years Kuwait faced some very serious losses, in terms of both construction quality and money.
You would be surprised to know that the Kuwaiti government saved $23 million (KWD7m) on two construction projects, simply by correcting the translation.
Importance Of Accuracy In Technical Translation
From the above example, you must have very well understood the need and importance of accuracy in translation. It clearly states that when it is about translating technical terms, the need for accuracy multiplies by several times. The very fact that even a minor mistake can cost huge, it is very important for business owners to keep a watch on the ‘accuracy’ factor of the translated text.
1- Communicate The Exact Message
Accuracy is important to make sure that the exact message is communicated to the target audience, as is implied in the original documents. Taking reference from the above example, we can say that if the construction specifications were translated accurately, the message communicated in Arabic would have been precise, clear and exact.
2- Avoid Accidents Or Disasters
When the message is not communicated accurately, the message gets lost in translation. As a result of which, a simple translation poses threat to life and may even cause other unknown disasters. So, whenever you outsource translation for sensitive documents, like medical document translation in Bengaluru, you should be very cautious for the quality assurance from the vendor’s end. Ask for previous samples or quality procedures to be sure about the translation output.
3- Conduct International Business
Accuracy is also very important for conducting international business. Most of the industries in the business world rely heavily on technical information, to establish their strategies or build international ties with their foreign counterparts or stakeholders. If you belong to the manufacturing industry and are launching a machinery in a foreign market, you will have to get the technical specification translated very well, or else you know the repercussions.
4- Save Cost
Last but not the least, accuracy is important to help you save cost. Technical manuals may consist of instructions to operate an equipment. Any negligence in translating the instructions can cost you a lot, as the target audience would be doing it all wrong – just like in the Kuwait construction case. For example, if the original file mentioned ‘twisting’ and the translated file completely changed its meaning to ‘rotating’, you will seriously be occupied with huge costs. This difference can be spotted only by a subject matter expert.
The translation should be correct both from linguistic point of view and subject matter knowledge. So, understand the importance of subject experts for translation and make sure you outsource your project to experienced technical translators only.
How To Get Accurate Document Translation For Technical Manuals?
Any document that consists of technical information, like technical manuals, record books, websites or others must be translated accurately with great precision. Please keep in mind that translation of technical records is not a regular type of translation. Given that the technical source materials are very delicate and sensitive in nature, translation of such documents require years of experience, subtle approach, technical writing skills and wide subject matter expertise.
So, if you are looking for high quality translation of your technical documents, make sure you keep these points in mind while hiring a translation agency. At VINALOCALIZE, we take pride in offering the most accurate English to Tamil document translation in Chennai and various other worldwide locations. Our team consists of highly talented technical translators, who possess practical experience of working for major industries that demand technical work to de done. Hence, with our subject matter experts, you can be certain about the accuracy. don’t wait or it will be too late for you. Call us today to get an instant quote!