Scientific knowledge has been exploding in recent decades, and the gush of research is expected to continue and increase over time. In today’s global economy, that means a strong demand for highly skilled scientific translation work in many languages. Possible areas of concentration include manufacturing, engineering, pharmacology, medicine, biotechnology, education and many more. Qualified and professional scientific translators are needed in all these sectors. If you plan to start a career as a scientific translator, we suggest you begin by reading through this page to learn more about the translation business, which credentials are most sought after, and what the key issues are.
How do you Become a Scientific Translator?
Scientific translation requires two broad aspects of knowledge and experience: language proficiency and special expertise in one or more fields of science.
Let’s consider linguistic qualifications, generally expected to include fluency in at least two languages, one of which should be your native language. In both languages (the source and target languages), your skills should include, at a minimum, a comfortable familiarity with grammar conventions and an extensive vocabulary.
In addition to strong writing and comprehension skills, a scientific translator should have special training or experience in a field like chemistry, biology, physics, biotechnology, or another scientific field. You should possess educational and/or job credentials to prove you have the required knowledge and expertise, because clients and employers expect your linguistic skills to be on par with your subject matter expertise.
What is needed from a professional science translator, however, goes beyond a combination of scientific expertise and multilingual proficiency. Scientific exploration is forging ahead around the world, meaning that a professional needs to be current on research and other developments in the sciences through reading and continuing education. You will also need a sharp eye for details when it comes to scientific concepts and terminology, as well as a keen interest in accurate scientific translation with the precise shade of meaning as in the original document.
Why Hire a Professional Scientific Translator?
The translation of scientific materials requires precision, experience in the sciences, and considerable linguistic talent. The possibilities for errors in academic articles and medical documents are too consequential in the sciences to entrust written matter to a nonprofessional or unproven translator, and reliance on automatic machine translation should also be avoided unless a trained professional will check its accuracy.
A professional scientific translator will meet national and international regulations on scientific materials. For example, the Espresso Translations agency is certified in the ISO 17100 standards for conformity assessment in scientific or medical translations.
Scientific progress is, at its core, a process aimed at better understanding our world and benefiting the people who inhabit that world. Part of progress in the sciences is achieved when scientists share their discoveries and knowledge internationally. Scientific literature must be distributed within one’s nation to scientists who speak different languages, and when the distribution is done internationally, multiple languages are even more necessary to ensure understanding in the scientific community. This cannot be done properly without a professional science translator to accurately translate this important material.
When science and medicine intersect, as they do in the production of medications and medical devices, easily comprehended written materials are essential to human health and safety. The potential consequences of translation and localization errors in patient leaflets and documents related to medical devices can hardly be overstated in their effects on personal health and corporate income. This material is far too important to be left to anything less than a professional scientific translator.
What Does a Scientific Translator do?
A scientific translator may translate scientific research papers, product analyses, clinical trial documentation, scholarly articles for publication, personal medical records, package inserts and labels for medications, and so on.
A top-quality translator must have the experience and training to understand the scientific language and technical terminology found in scientific articles and many other types of science-related materials, and must be able to use this skill to create a translation that follows the exact intent of the original document without inaccuracies or unintentional adaptation. A scientific translator must be a true professional who stays up to date on developments in science.
This can be a challenging career, but the reward comes from knowing the vital role an accurate translation plays in scientific advancement.
What are the Types of Documents Handled by a Scientific Translator?
A professional science translator can work with countless types of scientific and medical documents and materials. All types of scientific content will use technical terminology to some degree. Proper use of the applicable terminology calls for a translator with relevant expertise and experience in scientific translations, and of course the desired language competencies.
The following primary types of scientific and technical translations are most commonly handled by a professional scientific translator.
Academic and Research Publications
- Peer-reviewed science journals
- Academic theses, abstracts, and papers
Technical and Industrial Documents
- Product specifications
- Technical manuals
- Patent filings
- Documentation on compliance
- Product descriptions and text for packaging
c) Medical and Pharmaceutical Documentation
- Documentation of clinical study practices and results
- Pharmacovigilance reports
- Articles written for scientific publications
- Package inserts and regulatory documents
What are the Industries Requiring Scientific Translation Services?
Scientific translations are most often needed in three industries: universities and other institutions doing research, pharmaceutical/biomedical companies, and engineering or technical businesses. Let’s explore each of these in turn.
- Colleges and universities are naturally involved in the sciences, particularly at technical institutions, science departments, and schools of medicine. Academic publishing is part of the international distribution of technical and scientific information among such organizations. This calls for careful, well informed science translations.
- Pharmaceuticals and biomedical companies are a significant part of the international economy. They conduct research and produce devices and medications to protect everyone’s health and wellbeing. The accuracy of translated technical manuals aimed at the proper use of medicines and medical devices is crucial to public health.
- Engineering and technology businesses are key players in science research and development. These companies produce very technical materials like user guides, product labels, and research reports and papers. Such highly technical content makes it essential for a scientific translator to be conversant with various technologies and proficient in languages.
What are the Essential Skills of a Scientific Translator?
An accomplished scientific translator must exercise three main areas of know-how in a translation career: knowledge of the subject matter, use of quality control procedures, and awareness of data security and standards.
Industry Expertise
Education, training, and experience in at least one field of science is essential preparation for a scientific translator, as is an understanding of the scientific method. Mere bilingual or trilingual proficiency is not sufficient, given the intense specialization that has taken place in many fields of science. The scientific translator needs to stay on top of industry-specific developments and terminology in the sciences.
Quality Control Processes
Translators and translation agencies must use best practices in the quality control of scientific documents being translated. These include proofreading by a second professional and careful research into any questions that arise during translation. These are essential steps in providing professional scientific translation services.
Data Security and Compliance
All scientific translators should be constantly mindful of the need for confidentiality when practicing their craft. The privacy of patients in clinical trials must be protected, and industrial knowledge and intellectual property likewise must not be exposed to any third parties. Translators and translation companies need to comply with the applicable standards ensuring the security of the information they handle.
What are the Technologies Used in Scientific Translation?
Technology is an increasing factor for translators, although nothing done by a computer can still replace the work of a talented human translator.
The following are some of the most commonly encountered technological solutions developed to aid translation professionals:
- Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools: Trados and MemoQ are two popular software applications.
- Post-editing using artificial intelligence when handling a large volume of text. This must be paired with human oversight.
- Custom glossaries for terminology management, ensuring the consistent use of technical terms.
A professional translation company or translator should be capable of using all three technologies.
What are the Benefits of Working with a Certified Scientific Translator?
For the highest quality translation of scientific texts, look for a professional translator to provide a certified translation. A certified translation is an extra assurance of a precise translation because it is a translation furnished along with an affidavit (also called a translation accuracy certificate) from the translator or translation company. This affidavit or declaration asserts that it is a true and accurate translation of the original text.
The declaration that a document is a certified translation should be printed on official letterhead and should include the date and the translator’s full name, contact information, signature and stamp. Depending on the country where the certified translation will be used, the translator’s qualifications may need to be included in the certificate of translation.
A professional language translator specializing in the sciences should try to add certified translations to their services.
At Espresso Translations, we specialize in scientific translations. Our scientific translation services include certified translations of your technical documents, scientific papers, and technical reports. Contact us today for expert translation of all your scientific and technical documentation, including certified translations.
Conclusions
A scientific translator may work in any of the countless specialties in the sciences. Each specialty has its characteristic technical terminology, of course, and a professional science translator knows the terminology and scientific challenges in their specific area of study. Whether you’re looking for a translation job in the life sciences, health care, or engineering, scientific translation calls for a strict faithfulness to the original material and an exacting attention to detail by native translators. Scientific translation includes an ability to provide localization services and a dedication to meeting delivery deadlines, as well as a focus on communication and customer service.
Our criteria in translators here at Espresso Translations involve native-speaking professionals with at least 5 years of experience in a specific scientific field. This ensures proficiency at translating all nuances of the original scientific text into a culturally informed technical translation in another language. Our professional translation agency looks for linguists who can produce scientific translations where all details match the original and that read equally well in the target language as they did in the source language. We serve clients anywhere in the world and are happy to answer any questions you may have.
If this sounds like a career that would suit your abilities and interests, we hope you will become an expert scientific translator!
FAQs
What qualifications should a scientific translator have?
A good scientific translator should have the following qualifications as a baseline:
– A native speaker of the target language
– Knowledge and experience in science
– A thorough familiarity with current scientific terminology, especially that of their specialty subject
– The ability to follow popular publication standards
– An awareness of the importance of confidentiality
– The routine use of data protection measures
– An ability to meet ISO 17100 translation standards
Rest assured that Espresso Translations can offer all types of translations by linguists who meet these requirements.
How much does a scientific translation cost?
The price for a professional scientific translation — the only kind worth getting — is determined by several aspects of the material to be translated, including:
1. Its length (the number of pages or words in the original text)
2. Its technical level, in terms of language and the topic involved, as opposed to science information aimed at a general audience
3. The languages: the original language the material was written in and the target language(s) requested
4. Any special requirements like unusual file types, complex formatting, or other services needed
As you might guess, these factors make an exact price hard to establish without seeing the material and learning of the requirements. A specific example may be helpful here. If you have a science-related article that is not overly technical in, say, Italian that needs to be translated into English, you could expect to pay something around €30 per page plus tax or VAT.
The good news is that it will not take long to get an exact quote on your scientific translation project. Espresso Translations provides prompt prices, free of charge, when you upload the document using our translation quote form, email it to info@espressotranslations.com, or call +1 332 9006150, being sure to mention any concerns you have or specific services you need. You will receive a no-obligation price quote shortly.
What languages are supported?
Espresso Translations works with most any commonly used language you can think of, as well as many languages that are used less often. Don’t hesitate to ask us if you have any questions! See our languages page for a list of the specific European and Asian languages we handle often, but you should note that we can accommodate most any language you might need.
How do you ensure translation accuracy?
Precise accuracy is especially vital in the sciences, and this is just as true with scientific translations. The procedures outlined below are standard practice at Espresso Translations, and a professional science translator should have similar skills and follow similar processes.
– Expertise in one or more industries in the sciences
– Internationalization and localization capabilities
– Cultural familiarity to ensure culturally sensitive translated documents
– Access to other subject matter experts for routine consultation
– Compliance with international standards and regulations
