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Translation of technical texts
Technical translation is a translation used for exchange
of specific scientific and technical information between people talking
different languages and is one of the genres of specialized translation used
for communication on technical subjects.
Technical
texts include:
-
Manuals
-
Equipment
specifications
-
Standard
specifications for technical equipment
-
Technical
requirements
-
Designs
-
Commercial
proposals with description of equipment
-
Etc.
By the
translation of technical and scientific texts the task for a translator of a
technical and scientific text devoid of emotional quality is simplified,
because the translator only has to render the author's ideas exactly preserving
his style where possible.
To understand
a technical and scientific text correctly a translator has to be well familiar
with its subject and related terminology.
As far as
in technical and scientific texts terms render the most substantial
information, we would like to give you some detail about terminology.
Technical and scientific terminology
The largest
group consists of the terms borrowed from foreign languages or created by
scientists artificially mainly based on Latin and Greek in course of
development of science and technology and appearance of new notions.
In
particular, many terms appeared in England in XVIII --XIX centuries in
the period of tremendous upgrowth of science, at the same time some terms of
scientific language entered standard language and became common heritage.
Those terms
soon became widely understood due to the connection of the newest scientific
discoveries with everyday life.
Nevertheless
we should mention that the main body of scientific and technical terms is still
used outside the field of standard language and is understandable only to the
specialists in a specific field of knowledge.
While a
term has such a specific trait as precision of semantic limits, it is much more
independent from context then normal words.
Main traits
of scientific and technical style are clarity of presentation, precision of
definitions, brevity of form.
By
translation of such text a translator should render the author's ideas fully
and precisely in a form characteristic of scientific and technical style
without transferring specific language traits of the original text into the
translation.
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