- translations of instruction manuals, handbooks, catalogues
- translations of technical data sheets, documentation and declarations of conformity
- translations of technical parts lists and technical files
Technical texts cover an extremely wide area of translation expertise (construction, mechanical engineering, mechanics, electronics, energy, mechatronics, engineering, environmental technology, mobile technology, telecommunications, etc.). Instructions for use, used in everyday practice, comprise the majority of technical texts, as Slovenian law requires that products be accompanied with a translation of the instructions for use in the Slovenian language - cf. ZVPot-UPB2, Art. 33. A translator who specializes in a particular field must be familiar with the technical language and topic, understand the content, be capable of consulting and using resources and be precise in finding the appropriate terminology translation equivalents for a mistranslation could lead to the improper use of an appliance, user confusion, material damage or even injury. The translator must possess an objective technical style, may not change the content, must avoid emotional connotations and transferred meaning and convert text into concise sentence structures that are meaningful and clear to the end user. A picture-backed text that contains figures, schematics and drawings must also be properly formatted and designed.
