In this article, our goal is to describe how the consistent use of terms in a translation supports the goals of authors or organizations in their knowledge transfer efforts. The possible risks of an inconsistent translation are also described, as well as the benefits of taking a systematic approach to terminology.
What exactly is meant by translation quality? The final wording should be clear and fluent, and free of spelling, grammar or typographic errors; the original ideas should have been accurately interpreted in the output document; the formality register must be adequate; nothing should be unnecessarily added or omitted, etc. Also, the client may have certain criteria that must be addressed. However, there is an essential feature that contributes, among other things, to clarity, accuracy and objectivity in a translation, a specially relevant element for technical and scientific text: terminology consistency.
Let us take for instance the term “shaft”. By itself, ir may be translated as “eje”, árbol” or even “flecha” or “línea”. If we consider it along another term, for example as in “drive shaft”, our options multiply: “eje de impulsión”, “eje de accionamiento”, “árbol de transmisión”... The decision will depend on different factors: the document purpose, its target audience (background, nationality), the general context, the author’s intent and even where in the document the term is, since that can give way to valid options. Once the decision is made, the translator should use the same term and the same variations throughout the project material. Otherwise, they could confuse the readers, and lead to more serious consequences which will be discussed immediately.
What are the risks of an inconsistent translation? In the first place, if in some part of the document we call a component “árbol de impulsión” and later in the text we decide that it is better to call it “eje de transmisión”, it will be necessary to normalize the text and translate always the same to avoid communication effectiveness deficiencies: not everybody will know it is the same component. On the other hand, when the reader runs into those inconsistencies, the image of the organization that produced the material is negatively affected: the impression is that it lacks enough technical knowledge or budget (as an analogy, we could think of a house built with poor materials); this also applies to internal communication. The latter can degrade the company’s branding and lead to market losses: more than one potential client could decide that a product or service does not meet their expectations when they read defective documentation. In the worst case scenario, terminological confusion could result in equipment failure. For those reasons, a document that has been obtained after considerable investment and research efforts could end up seriously damaged if special attention is not given to terminology when translating.
What exactly is meant by translation quality? The final wording should be clear and fluent, and free of spelling, grammar or typographic errors; the original ideas should have been accurately interpreted in the output document; the formality register must be adequate; nothing should be unnecessarily added or omitted, etc. Also, the client may have certain criteria that must be addressed. However, there is an essential feature that contributes, among other things, to clarity, accuracy and objectivity in a translation, a specially relevant element for technical and scientific text: terminology consistency.
Let us take for instance the term “shaft”. By itself, ir may be translated as “eje”, árbol” or even “flecha” or “línea”. If we consider it along another term, for example as in “drive shaft”, our options multiply: “eje de impulsión”, “eje de accionamiento”, “árbol de transmisión”... The decision will depend on different factors: the document purpose, its target audience (background, nationality), the general context, the author’s intent and even where in the document the term is, since that can give way to valid options. Once the decision is made, the translator should use the same term and the same variations throughout the project material. Otherwise, they could confuse the readers, and lead to more serious consequences which will be discussed immediately.
What are the risks of an inconsistent translation? In the first place, if in some part of the document we call a component “árbol de impulsión” and later in the text we decide that it is better to call it “eje de transmisión”, it will be necessary to normalize the text and translate always the same to avoid communication effectiveness deficiencies: not everybody will know it is the same component. On the other hand, when the reader runs into those inconsistencies, the image of the organization that produced the material is negatively affected: the impression is that it lacks enough technical knowledge or budget (as an analogy, we could think of a house built with poor materials); this also applies to internal communication. The latter can degrade the company’s branding and lead to market losses: more than one potential client could decide that a product or service does not meet their expectations when they read defective documentation. In the worst case scenario, terminological confusion could result in equipment failure. For those reasons, a document that has been obtained after considerable investment and research efforts could end up seriously damaged if special attention is not given to terminology when translating.
But beyond avoiding the discussed risks, how does the client benefit when their translation services provider is aware of the importance of terminology?
Higher end user satisfaction. When the documentation that accompanies a system or equipment is reliable, solves problems and helps make the most of an investment, everybody is happy. Moreover when the documentation is the product itself that the company has invested on: such is the case with training materials, industry guidelines, consulting reports, websites, etc.
Contribution to brand status. The most reputed companies take care of every detail in their business in order to convey their leadership everywhere. Berlitz, for instance, world leader in language instruction, produces materials of unbeatable quality: after many years of using them, I could never find a single mistake, either in the instructor's or the student’s manuals.
Better return of investment. Although it could seem hard to associate translation terminology with this concrete economic factor, it is not if we think of the increase in overhead expenses due to claims, face-to-face assistance (travels included), duplicate work and other costs that were probably not considered when the project was planned, since the effectiveness of the documentation was taken for granted. This applies to everybody: translators, who will no longer have business; end users, whose return of investment will be reduced, and customers paying for translations, who could miss important or potential customers. See article from Business Wire: Translation Errors Cause Lost Revenue in 80 Percent of Global Firms.
Finally, I would like to discuss some of the advantages of adopting a corporate terminology. This factor is specially relevant for companies growing into new markets, and for those who are importing new knowledge or technology. A consistent use of the institution’s own terms along these processes makes it possible for projects and even global organizational strategies to be engaged by all staff using the same language, even across languages, since equivalent terms are used consistently throughout the translated documentation. If corporate terminology is intentionally used in all areas (research and development, marketing, training, IT, management, marketing, sales, etc.) since as early as the initial stages, information flow along extensive processes of corporate development will be optimized.
In this article, my intention has been to discuss the importance of term consistency in a translation that strives to thoroughly preserve the efficacy of the original text. The benefits are clear and many, since this characteristic affects directly or indirectly not only the image of the organization or person responsible for the translation, but also their development and profitability processes.
We hope this article is useful to our readers.
Higher end user satisfaction. When the documentation that accompanies a system or equipment is reliable, solves problems and helps make the most of an investment, everybody is happy. Moreover when the documentation is the product itself that the company has invested on: such is the case with training materials, industry guidelines, consulting reports, websites, etc.
Contribution to brand status. The most reputed companies take care of every detail in their business in order to convey their leadership everywhere. Berlitz, for instance, world leader in language instruction, produces materials of unbeatable quality: after many years of using them, I could never find a single mistake, either in the instructor's or the student’s manuals.
Better return of investment. Although it could seem hard to associate translation terminology with this concrete economic factor, it is not if we think of the increase in overhead expenses due to claims, face-to-face assistance (travels included), duplicate work and other costs that were probably not considered when the project was planned, since the effectiveness of the documentation was taken for granted. This applies to everybody: translators, who will no longer have business; end users, whose return of investment will be reduced, and customers paying for translations, who could miss important or potential customers. See article from Business Wire: Translation Errors Cause Lost Revenue in 80 Percent of Global Firms.
Finally, I would like to discuss some of the advantages of adopting a corporate terminology. This factor is specially relevant for companies growing into new markets, and for those who are importing new knowledge or technology. A consistent use of the institution’s own terms along these processes makes it possible for projects and even global organizational strategies to be engaged by all staff using the same language, even across languages, since equivalent terms are used consistently throughout the translated documentation. If corporate terminology is intentionally used in all areas (research and development, marketing, training, IT, management, marketing, sales, etc.) since as early as the initial stages, information flow along extensive processes of corporate development will be optimized.
In this article, my intention has been to discuss the importance of term consistency in a translation that strives to thoroughly preserve the efficacy of the original text. The benefits are clear and many, since this characteristic affects directly or indirectly not only the image of the organization or person responsible for the translation, but also their development and profitability processes.
We hope this article is useful to our readers.
