Technical Translation: Usability Strategies for Translating Technical Documentation

Technology education
Technology education involves writing about tech-
nology for non-technical audiences. The products of this type of writing 
include hardware and software manuals, system administration guides, re-
ports for lay readers, general interest articles, impact statements etc. The 
NWU points out that writers in this area really only need as much technical 
knowledge as a typical reader – “namely not a lot”. 
Traditional technical writing
Traditional technical writing involves writing 
for a technical audience. Writers in this area usually need a strong technical 
background to produce the repair and maintenance manuals, scientific pa-
pers, programming guides and technical specifications required.
Technology marketing
Technology marketing is also known as 
Marcom
, 
involves writing sales and promotional materials and corporate communica-
tions materials for technology companies. In this area, the NWU states that 
writers generally only need as much technical background as their audience 
in order to produce the marketing materials, specifications sheets, bro-
chures, newsletters etc. 
The Nature of Technical Documentation 
In an attempt to clarify the nature of technical writing and what is actually 
produced, it would be useful to look at the general characteristics of techni-
cal documentation. Markel (2003:7-10) provides a good general overview 
of technical documentation and its production. To begin with, technical 
documentation always addresses specific readers. Now we could argue that 
many non-technical documents are aimed at a particular audience, but 
technical documents are more specific as regards the audience they are 
aimed at than most documents. Technical documents are produced taking 
into account the age profile, job, experience, knowledge, seniority, tasks, 
problems, aims and objectives. The content, approach, structure, level of 
detail, style, terminology etc. are all tailored to this profile. 
Technical documents help readers solve problems. Markel says that 
“technical communication is not meant to express a writer’s creativity or to 
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The Nature of Technical Documentation
entertain readers; it is intended to help readers learn or do something” 
(2003:8). As was mentioned earlier, reading technical documentation is 
generally not an end in itself. People normally read technical documenta-
tion because they want to be able to do something else, for example learn 
how to use software or find out about the design details of a particular de-
vice. As Dobrin explains “technical writing adapts technology to the user” 
(1983:247). 
The way in which technical documentation is produced is also impor-
tant, according to Markel, in defining its nature. The very nature of the 
company, its culture, goals and organisation, are reflected in the types of 
documents that company produces. For example, a company with a rigid 
and formal hierarchy may tend to favour formal and structured memos as a 
way of communicating between staff rather than informal emails or a simple 
chat over a cup of coffee. 
In producing technical documentation, it is rare for just one person to be 
responsible for the entire process. Technical communication is a collabora-
tive process involving technical writers, illustrators, editors, subject matter 
experts (SMEs; pronounced “smee”), designers, illustrators, usability spe-
cialists and, of course, translators. This is another important characteristic of 
technical documentation and it illustrates its complexity. This complexity is 
also reflected in the tools used in their production. Instead of being pro-
duced using a simple word processor, many
technical documents are produced 
using high-end desktop publishing packages and are disseminated via
the web 
in formats such
as PDF, HTML and Flash; electronically distributed documen
tation can even contain animations. All of this makes technical documents
more than just printed text on paper. They make the documents more
effective and flexible but they require translators to master many of the
tools used in to create the documents in the first place. 
Another, more immediately obvious characteristic of technical documen-
tation is the way it uses design to improve the appearance and readability of 
documents. By manipulating the design and layout of a document, we can 
make it easier for readers to navigate through the document and find the 
information they need as well as making it easier to understand. As part of 
this design process, technical documents will often contain a combination 
of text and graphics to make the document more stimulating and to com-
municate and reinforce potentially difficult concepts and processes. Graphics 
in a document make it possible to
communicate large amounts of information
quickly and clearly and their presence in technical documents is
often regarded
as essential. 
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Technical Communication 
Procedural documents such as assembly instructions, instructions for op-
eration etc. 
Descriptive and explanatory documents such as descriptions of products 
and services; explanations of processes, concepts etc.; progress reports. 
Persuasive or evaluative documents such as research proposals or engi-
neering projects, product or service evaluations as well as reports rec-
ommending actions or policies 
Investigative documents such as reports which are intended to present 
new knowledge etc. 
The first two categories are of most interest to us here because they relate 
directly to the subject of software documentation of which the user guide is 
one type. This relationship will be discussed in the following section.