Manual translation

My core specialty is the translation of instruction manuals, commissioning, maintenance and repair guides for industrial and household machinery. Between 1999 and 2025, I have translated about 930 technical manuals within my fields of expertise.

Because there are many technical manuals to translate and comparatively few technical translators, manual translations often leave a lot to be desired—sometimes to the point of compromising user safety. It is unrealistic to expect someone with no engineering background to translate, for example, maintenance manuals for hydraulic pumps used in nuclear power plants, or the specifications of transformers in an electrical substation.

Who will translate an instruction manual better: a generalist translator with language/translation studies, or an engineer with professional experience in engineering and in translation, specialised in technical manuals?

Translation is not “looking up words in a dictionary”; you must understand the content. I therefore accept only projects I am confident I can handle. I never—without exception—accept a job without first reading the source documents.

You will always find someone cheaper than me; there are “translators” who charge €0.02 per word or even less. But how much have you invested in the design of your machine? What is the unit manufacturing cost? How much have you spent on marketing, catalogues, consultants, lawyers, etc.? Is it wise to save a few euros on the translation and risk user accidents? Isn’t it better to pay a specialised professional?

Legal obligation to translate manuals in the EU

Across the European Union and other European countries, you must supply an instruction manual translated into the language of the country of sale in order to market a machine.

See more information on the legal obligation to translate.

Manual translation

Legal obligation to translate manuals in the EU

Tips for drafting and translating manuals