Audience was a major factor for us to consider. We had to create text that would be read and understood by all Spanish speakers, such as web users in Argentina, Mexico, Spain, and even those residing in the United States who prefer reading text in Spanish. To standardize our text and follow the rules of writing used in Spanish- speaking countries, we decided to designate the Royal Spanish Academy (Real Academia Española, or RAE) as our source for grammar, style, and word choice. Scholars from Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries agree to the information published by RAE. With this collaboration, experts offer insight to correct word usage; this is especially useful when in our case, Spanish-speaking countries may vary the usage of certain words in their own country. These obstacles and others were tackled early in the project in order to facilitate an easier translation process.
Translation and Review Process
With this initial prep work completed, we were finally able to start the translation process by first reviewing the original document in English. Ideally, we would be as knowledgeable as the writer of the original documentation; therefore, we have often sat down with our fellow technical writers to fully understand the text. We have even questioned seemingly minor issues such as, “What is 'it' referring to?” Translation is not about translating word for word, but communicating the same idea into a different language. And in these technical documents, there is no need to create fluffy or pretty text, but rather straight-forward, easy-to-understand text, especially since we are addressing Spanish speakers who may be accustomed to speaking the specific dialect of their country.
When we completed the translation, we sent the Spanish copy to the other bilingual technical writer for an overall review. If the reviewer is unsure of a particular sentence or text, then the original English text is reviewed more thoroughly, oftentimes with the writer of the original document. On occasion, the original English text will be edited, and therefore, the Spanish text is altered. Edits and comments for the translated text are reviewed by the original translator who implements the changes. The text is then sent to our bilingual technical support specialists for technical accuracy; more importantly, they review how we translated the technical words. Since these support specialists work directly with Spanish-speaking customers, they are able to suggest alternate word choices and offer insight as to what customers are really using.
Current Projects
Now that the majority of the original translation work is complete, our job is mostly focused on maintenance and updating the Spanish text to reflect the corresponding English text, especially after a new release of cPanel & WHM. Still, even updating a translation can be time consuming; one sentence with an ambiguous word or complicated sentence structure can cause confusion for the translator, enough for the translator to mimic the entire translation process.
While translating technical text may sound easier than translating something more creative, like a poem, it is crucial for us to offer an easy- to-read translation that can be understood by every one in the Spanish- speaking world, especially if they have limited English knowledge. P!
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