Technical translation of manuals, datasheets and standards
We translate operating and maintenance manuals, safety instructions, datasheets and safety data sheets, parts catalogues, standards, test reports and declarations of conformity, most often between Ukrainian, Russian, Slovak, Czech, English and German.
In a technical text style is not what decides the outcome. What decides it is whether the figure, the unit and the instruction still hold after translation. That is why our process checks the numbers separately, outside the sentence: it is the commonest source of errors that language proofreading never catches. Office in Bratislava-Petržalka, all of Slovakia online.
- Manuals, safety instructions, datasheets, parts catalogues, standards and test reports
- Figures, units and tolerances are checked on their own, not only inside the sentence
- Part codes, catalogue numbers and model designations are left untranslated
- Text inside drawings is not lost: we move it into a legend or into the graphic itself
Our guarantees
- 100% acceptance by authorities and institutions in Slovakia and abroad
- Guaranteed delivery by the agreed deadline
- 2-year guarantee on translation quality
- We process requests at weekends too – we reply every day 9:00–18:00
- Free quote in 15 minutes
- Confidentiality of your documents
What goes wrong most often in a technical translation
Errors in technical translation do not look like errors. The sentence is grammatically sound, it reads like the work of a specialist, and it says something other than the original, usually because a figure, a unit or the force of an instruction got lost somewhere.
Below are the five traps we see most often. All five are handled by the process itself rather than left to the hope that the translator will notice them.
| Element | What happens | How we handle it |
|---|---|---|
| Decimal comma and point | 1.5 mm turns into 15 mm, or the separator is wrong for the language | the notation is converted for the target language and figures are checked separately |
| Units and tolerances | inches and millimetres get mixed, the tolerance disappears | the original unit is kept and a conversion added; tolerances are carried over verbatim |
| Safety instructions | “must” weakens into “it is recommended” | modal verbs are held exactly, so an instruction stays an instruction |
| Part and model codes | a catalogue number gets “translated” and the part can no longer be ordered | codes, catalogue numbers and model designations are left unchanged |
| Text inside drawings | callouts on a diagram stay in the source language | we move them into a legend or into the graphic, depending on the files supplied |
Manuals, safety and training
Manuals and safety instructions are translated in the knowledge that the text will be read by someone standing at a machine, not sitting at a desk. Short sentences, the same name for the same control throughout the document, warnings set clearly apart from ordinary text.
If the manual will also serve as training material, tell us. We adjust the register and flag the passages where the original assumes knowledge a new operator does not yet have.
Standards, certificates and declarations of conformity
Where documents cite standards, one rule governs: the designation of a standard is not translated. STN EN ISO 12100 stays STN EN ISO 12100 even when its title appears in Slovak in the body text. We change the title, never the identifier.
The same holds for certificate numbers, notified-body names and dates of issue. A declaration of conformity, a test report or a certificate is translated so that every identifier remains traceable in the original database.
Formats, layout and terminology across a product line
We accept Word, Excel, PDF, InDesign, XML and exports from editorial systems. Send the source file rather than a PDF and the translation comes back in the same format, so nobody has to lay it out again.
For product documentation that grows version by version we keep a translation memory and a glossary. The manual for the next model inherits the terminology of the last one, and you pay only for what is genuinely new.
How we work
- 1Send the files and say who they are forThe source file is better than a PDF. Tell us whether this is an operator manual, documentation for an authority, or training material.
- 2We quote and agree the terminologyPrice, deadline and a list of the terms you want rendered a particular way. If you have a company glossary we adopt it.
- 3Translation, number check and layoutA translator with a technical background does the work, figures and units go through a separate check, and the format is preserved.
- 4Delivery, with the memory keptYou get the file in its original format. The translation memory stays on file for your next version of the documentation.
Prices
- Technical documentation translation manuals, datasheets, catalogues, test reportsindividual quote
- Translation with layout work InDesign, XML and files with graphics, including text inside imagesindividual quote
- Update of existing documentation from translation memory you pay only for genuinely new partsindividual quote
Technical translation is priced by volume, field and the format of the source. An editable file costs less than a scanned PDF that has to be captured first. Send the material and we will prepare an exact quote.
FAQ
Do you translate text that sits inside drawings and diagrams?
Yes. Send the source graphics and we place the translation directly into them. If all you have is a PDF, the callouts go into a clear legend beneath the image so that nothing is lost.
Do you translate standard designations?
No. The identifier of a standard stays unchanged and only its title is translated where the text gives one. Certificate numbers and part catalogue numbers are likewise left alone so they remain traceable.
Does a technical translation have to be sworn?
Usually not. A sworn translation with a seal becomes necessary when an authority or a court takes the documentation in, for example on import, in customs proceedings or in a dispute. Tell us where it is going and we will say in advance.
Will the format and layout be preserved?
Yes, provided we get the source file. For Word, Excel, InDesign and XML the translation comes back in the same format. A scanned PDF can be worked from too, but it takes more effort and that shows in the price.
Do you hold terminology across versions of the documentation?
Yes, we keep a translation memory and a client glossary. A new version of a manual inherits the terminology of the previous one and you pay only for the genuinely new text.
Updated: 2026-09-11
