English Italian translations:
technical translations
An introduction
Why an engineer?
Translation works done
A few
suggestions
Dictionaries, specialist tools
This
site in Italian:
Traduzioni
inglese italiano, traduzioni tecniche
U. Boccioni, Dynamism of a Cyclist, Milan, Mattioli Coll., detail
Send the text
to get an exact quotation. The
quotation can be binding when the text is sent in an electronic form
so that an accurate automatic keystroke count can be done. When it
is not possible to get such an automatic count, the quotation will
be approximate, and the cost will be calculated on the final
keystroke count of the translated text.
Send the text in an
electronic format
It would considerably
help the translator, and guarantee the quality of the translation.
The translator works with a word processing tool (like Microsoft
Word), not a desktop publishing tool. All texts in .pdf format
(Adobe PDF) will be returned as .doc documents; Microsoft PowerPoint
slide presentations (.ppt format) and Microsoft Excel texts (.xls
format) will be returned in the same format in which they were sent.
If your text is in a format other than .doc, .pdf, .ppt, .xls, .txt
or .rtf, contact the translator to check the feasibility of the
work.
Give the translator
the time he needs
Translations
done in a hurry are never the best!
Remember: your translator needs time not only to
translate the pages of text that you have sent, doing all the
necessary research to do with the terminology of the sector, but he
also needs time to re-read the work he has done, to get any
revisions done by a specialist, to organise the terminology for
future use. Your translator does not just sell you a translation,
but renders a service, that includes:
» the translation,
» a second reading and
correction of any errors,
» any revision or advice from a specialist,
where needed,
» page layout, so that the translated text
has the same look as the source text,
» the acquisition and memorisation of
specific terminology so that successive translations are
consistent,
» the integration of any
reasonable amount of corrections you make to the text during or
after the translation within a reasonable time.
Supply the translator
with a context
so that he can better understand
what it is about, especially in the case of machinery or complex
technical devices (the whole page or the whole article, even if only
a part needs to be translated, other articles or text, photographs,
drawings, even if they do not contain text). If possible, supply
other texts written in the target language on the same topic,
outdated versions of the document, texts already translated into
other languages. Help construct a dictionary of terminology exactly
for your sector and your company that reflects your jargon and your
abbreviations.
Avoid supplying just
lists of words
or short expressions pulled out
of context, because this can make translation impossible when
ambiguities in terminology cannot be solved. If possible leave
drawings or photographs in the document since they can be a big help
and can be decisive in resolving ambiguities in the text.
The translator is the
best reader of your texts
He has to read it from beginning to end
and resolve each ambiguity, he can find errors and inconsistencies
and bring them to your attention, and this is also part of the
service he offers.
And finally, create a
long-term relationship
and give some feedback on the
work he has done for you: in this way the results can constantly get
better, satisfying both you and the translator.