FAQs: Omnilingua Technical Translation

We translate technical documentation into a wide range of European languages, including French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Czech, Russian, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish, with further languages available through our global translator network. Choosing the correct language variant matters as much as the language itself – European and Brazilian Portuguese, for example, differ significantly in technical vocabulary. Our language selection guide explains how to brief the right variants for each market.

Every Omnilingua translator is a fully qualified professional who works only into their mother tongue and only on texts within their specific area of technical expertise. Native-language fluency combined with genuine subject knowledge is what keeps specifications, operating instructions and safety information accurate. You can find out more about the people behind our work in our technical translator profiles.

Specialist technical translators already understand the engineering, electronics or telecommunications concepts behind the text, so they translate meaning rather than researching unfamiliar terms as they go. In technical documentation, a single mistranslated term in a manual or safety warning can lead to equipment misuse, costly rework or reputational damage. Our article on when medical and technical translation goes wrong shows how easily that can happen.

Yes – we encourage early involvement from your overseas partners, distributors or subsidiaries, whose market-level and product knowledge helps shape terminology before translation is finalised. Agreeing glossaries with them at the outset means final translations are accepted quickly, rather than reopened in lengthy review cycles at the end of the project. Our free Translation Planning Guide covers how to build review stages into your project plan.

Turnaround depends mainly on word count, the number of target languages and whether desktop publishing is required, with languages translated in parallel rather than one after another. For time-critical documentation, a team of specialist translators can be assembled to shorten delivery without compromising quality checks. Use our translation turnaround times calculator or an instant estimate.

The cost of technical translation depends on word count, subject complexity, the number of target languages, desktop publishing requirements and how much previously translated content can be reused. Comparing quotes on total project cost, rather than per-word rate alone, gives a truer picture, as revisions and formatting rework can quickly outweigh a lower rate. Our article on 7 proven ways to cut translation costs explains what drives cost – or contact our technical translation team to discuss your project.