The quality and cost of a translated manual are largely decided before the translator starts. Eight things to do first.
1. Finish the source first
Translate the final version. Every change made to the Japanese after translation has started must be found and made again in the English. If changes are unavoidable, mark them clearly so nothing is missed.
2. Send editable files
Send the Word, Excel, PowerPoint or design files, not a PDF made from them. A PDF has to be rebuilt, and tables and numbering rarely survive intact.
3. Find the text hidden in images
Labels inside drawings, screenshots of a control panel and text in diagrams are easy to overlook. Tell the translator whether these should be translated, and send the editable artwork if they should.
4. Leave room for English
Japanese is compact. The same content usually takes more space in English, so a table cell or callout that fits the Japanese neatly may overflow. Leave space, or expect the layout to need adjusting.
5. Supply the names of things
Send the parts list, earlier manuals and any glossary. If your company already calls a component by a particular English name, the manual should use it.
6. Match the screen
If the manual quotes buttons or messages from a machine's display or software, say what language the display itself will be in. A manual that tells an operator to press a button the screen labels differently is worse than no manual.
7. Decide the conventions
Choose American or British English, and decide how units are shown: metric only, or with conversions. Settling this at the start avoids a round of corrections at the end.
8. Name someone who can answer questions
Japanese technical writing often leaves the subject of a sentence unstated. When it is unclear who or what performs an action, the translator needs someone to ask. One engineer available for questions prevents many small errors.
A short checklist
- Final, editable source files
- Editable artwork for images with text
- Parts list, glossary and earlier translations
- Language of the machine display
- English variety and unit conventions
- A contact for questions
We translate manuals in both directions. See Japanese technical manual translation or send us your manual for a quote.