Chapter 6

Abbreviations and acronyms

The primary motiviation for using acronyms and abbreviations is brevity and
to avoid repeated use of the same words.
International organizations EU (European Union)
National organizations BSI (British Standards Institution)
Name of companies AIB (Allied Irish Bank)
Technical entities GP (General Practitioner)
Geographical locations USA (United States of America)
Latin i.e. (id est)
Strategies:
Transfer: keep the original if it is well-known.
Reconstitute: translate the full name into the TL and use it to create
an acronym in the TL.
Define: you can replace it with a definition.
Combine: use both, transfer and definition strategies.
Write out SL: you may replace an acronym with its full name in the SL.
Translate: if there is one official translation of the full name and a
corresponding acronym, use them.
Formulae and equations
Any equations which appear in a text do not need to be modified by the
translator.
Strategies:
Copy and paste.
Be careful not to confuse symbols.
If you cannot see what a particular symbol is, try changing the font.
Quantities and units of measure
Strategies:
- Convert the quantities: do this when the exact quantity is irrelevant or
when
the
text
is
for
non-specialist audience
- Use a combination: provide original quantity
followed by an
approximate equivalent.
Check the unit: double checking the unit can help you finding the
correct symbol.
Check the spelling: ensure that the units of measure are spelled and
capitalized correctly.
Use proper punctuation: or follow the clients preference
Currencies:
Strategies:
Convert the currencies: do this when amounts are presented for
general information purposes.

Use a combination: provide original currency followed by an

approximate equivalent.
Clients style: the location of currency symbols will be determined by
your clients style.

Culture and familiarity

Different languages and different target audiences may have different
expectations as to how familiar or formal they want their texts to be.
Strategies:
Use direct forms unless theres a strong reason not to. Avoid being
overly familiar.
Unless theres a compelling reason, humour should be written out. If
you keep it, make sure its appropriate.
Errors in the ST
Strategies:
Find out if the text is instrumental or documentary. If instrumental, fix
errors wherever possible. If documentary, preserve errors and
translate faithfully.
Linguistic errors: Simple ones misspelled words, incorrect
punctuation, unclear language. Correct them. More serious ones
when meaning is incomprehensible, ask client for clarification.
Factual or subject errors: to detect them depends on your knowledge
of the subject area
Fix definite errors: if you spot a serious error and youre sure you can
fix it, still contact the client.
Sample text and computer code
Strategies:
Dont assume everything has to be translated: not all text in
computer codes has to be translated
Dont translate compounds: such as phrases linked by an underscore
or which are written as one word (File_Description)
Look for quotation marks: usually it contains texts that needs to be
translated, however, proper nouns such as font names or variable
names may also appear in quotes but they shouldnt be translated
Preserve punctuation: if a word has trailing ellipses, dont delete
them. They indicate menu options. (Print)
Dont change variables: dont delete, modify or rearrange variables in
a string
Make sure the translation matches the sofware: if it contains
examples of actual software you need to ensure the translation
matches what appears on screen
Graphics, screenshots and menus
Strategies:

 Provide a glossary: When labels are embedded in the image, create a

glossary of terms/labels and their translations.
Contact the client when dealing with screenshots that have not been
localized, to know if you have to translate the terms in the body text.
Unlocalized software: sometimes the client has no plans to localize it
and so the original SL terms are retained.
Product names:
Strategies:
Retain: Write product names the same way, no matter how
ungrammatical or funny it looks.
Replace: When a substitute is needed, make sure the equivalent
product is comparable.
Remove: if the specific product name is not absolutely essential,
replace it with a generic description.
Contact details
Strategies:
Personal names: Add Mr. or Mrs. if its not clear whether the person is
male or female.
Email addresses: if the address doesnt consist of a persons name,
suggest translation to client but do not change it.
Websites: When they point to content in a foreign language, dont
change them but suggest a suitable TL link to client.
Telephone numbers: Add international dialling codes and prefixes.
Postal addresses: if a document doesnt provide the name of the
country, add the international country prefix to the post code.
Scenarios and examples
These are used in products or procedures in a way of explaining how to use
sth or how sth works
Strategies:
Culture-specific examples will need to be replaced with scenarios and
examples familiar to the TL audience.
Language-specific examples may involve significant adaptation in
order for them to be comprehensible and acceptable for the TR.
Context-based examples should be replaced with corresponding TL
culture examples or modified to comply with the TL environment.
Examples which are constrained by technical factors need
only
minimal modification, unless different technical regulations apply.
Giving warnings and advice
Strategies:
Always use the same terminology as the official regulations and
descriptions.
Use warning notices consistently throughout the document.

 Always try to find the official translation in your TL rather than

producing your own translation

References to other documents

Strategies:
Paraphrase: If the precise name of the document is not important in
the TL document, the name can be replaced with a descriptive
phrase.
Retain: On the contrary, if its important and the precise meaning is
unimportant or apparent from the context, the SL name can be
retained with any form of explanation.
Retain and paraphrase: When the name is important but its meaning
cant be immediately inferred, retain it and explain it.
(In the case of academic publications, its not necessary to translate
the names.)
Partially translated ST
Strategies:
Be tactful when you ask a scientist for clarification
If a scientist uses a different term for a concept to what you would
use, take into account that the scientist knows more about this
subject than you do and they are probably correct in their choice of
terminology.
Latinisms and scientific nomenclatures
Strategies:
Retain: the most appropriate strategy; it ensures that the concept is
identified accurately. Use italics.
Explain: When the TL doesnt have the same background, use the
latin term to identify the common TL name, in parentheses or as a
explanatory phrase.
Replace: When the target audience or TL isnt familiar with Latin,
replace the original term with its common name in the TL.
Finding translations: If you need to find out what a Latin term
means, type it into a search engine along with one or two related
words in your TL.
Instructions that do not make sense
Use
words
that
the
reader
will
understand.
Be consistent in your use of terminology.
A useful way of learning how to translate intructions is to try writing
some yourself. This task not only helps you develop your writing skills
but also gives you an insight into how and why written instructions can
go wrong
Strategies:

 Do your research: Try to find out what the product looks like. If
necessary, modify the instructions.
Rebuild the instructions: If not presented in a logical or chronological
sequence, rearrange the order of individual steps.
Give the reader some space: If the SL instructions are packed with
information and might be confusing, split complex sentences into
smaller units.
Give the reader a hint: If the instructions are vague, provide any
additional clarification needed.
Contact the client if the instructions do not make any sense or if
you cannot figure out what it is you are describing.
Tables of contents and ndices
It is always best to wait until you have read and translated the rest of
the text before tackling tables of contents, so that you have a better
idea of what the text is about.
Be very careful if you decide to translate the index and use it as a
glossary because you may end up wasting time using the wrong
terms and having to fix your translation.
Formatting and layout
Strategies:
Use short, simple words and sentences
Use abbreviations where necessary: Ideally the ones already used by
the company or in the general subject areas. Do not overuse them.
Avoid sticking too closely to the ST: Do not be afraid of using a
different grammatical or syntactic structure if it allows you to produce
a shorter translation.
Where appropriate, use imperative verb forms: These are invariably
shorter and easier to understand than passive constructions.
Be flexible and creative: Be prepared to try several possible wordings
and use modulation, transposition and adaptation strategies.
Managing and naming files
Storing your files:
Create a master folder for your project
Create one folder for your source files and one for your target or
translated files
If necessary, create separate folders for reference materials or
translation memories
Set up your computer to create daily back-ups of your files which
should be stored on a separate hard drive or another computer
Translating your files:

 Overwrite the ST with your translation: Use it as a template to obtain

the same format. Do not type up your translation in a blank document
without the formatting.
Never work on the only copy of your source file: When you open a file
to translate it, save it under a different name to your target file folder.
Give your translated files clearly identifiable and unique names: You
should retain the original file name but append the ISO language code
for your TL to indicate that it is a translation, e.g. ES for Spanish.
Using the internet
Strategies:
Find parallel texts: they help to explain the subject material and are
often a rich source of terminology. Use the advanced search function
to restrict your search to a particular format.
Use synonym searches: In Google, type a tilde ~ in front of a search
term to find similar terms.
Exclude useless information: You can type a minus symbol in front of
whatever term appears in the pages you do not want.
Finding terminology: Try searching for the SL term along with a word
in the TL related to the subject or your best guess at what the SL term
means. You may find a translation or a glossary.
Using translators forums: You should exercise extreme caution
when relying on answers from others.
Websites belonging to international organisations, government bodies
or state organizations reliable source of subject information
Company websites specialized terminology
Personal websites hosted by free website services least reliable
resource
Wikipedia try to identify other sources to corroborate any
information you find here before you use it