5 challenges of specialised translation

Specialised translation is far removed from the so-called "literary translation". It requires specific skills and training in the relevant field of specialisation. Regardless of the sector of activity, whether it be a commercial, legal or any other translation, specialised translation presents a series of common difficulties. Here we outline the 5 main challenges of this profession.

1. Balance between colloquial language and specialised language

One of the first difficulties we encounter in specialised translation is finding a balance between the use of colloquial language and specialised terms. Even if a specialised text contains complex terminology, it must remain clear and understandable when its purpose is purely informative.

Therefore, it is about adapting the translation in order to maintain all the specialised information and producing a comprehensible text whose meaning will also be faithful to the original.

2. Balance between literal translation and adaptation

The second challenge for a specialised translator is to know how to use literal translation and adaptation with informed judgement. The specialised translator must take into account the subtleties specific to each language, and know how to adapt them, respecting the conventional, informative, and useful aspects of the text.

For example, in legal translations from English to Spanish (contracts, legal texts) we often find the word "incorporated" in the context of commercial law, which we could translate into Spanish as "incorporada". However, the meaning is quite different.

The word "incorporated" outside the legal field indeed means "incorporada". However, this word should be translated as "constituida” in a legal translation into Spanish, as it is the exact terminology used in this field.

3. Perfect understanding

To achieve a high-quality specialised translation, it is necessary to consider not only the specialised terms but also the particularities of the source and target languages, their nuances, and the characteristics of the type of document we are going to translate.

Therefore, when carrying out a professional specialised translation, the translator must perfectly understand the content of the text. To do this, they will often need to research and always stay alert to the latest developments in their field of specialisation.

4. Adaptation to the target audience

In many cases, the target audience of specialised translations consists of professionals with expert knowledge in fields: engineers, lawyers, scientists, etc. However, in other cases, it is an audience with a basic knowledge of the sector. It can also occur that the target audience is not the same as the original text. For example, a technical report written by an engineer in English may be targeted at Spanish technicians.

Therefore, the translator must also be able to adapt the text to the target audience. This may involve lowering the technical register of certain parts of the text, which must still retain their original meaning and indispensable technical information.

5. Surgical-like precision

The challenge that ultimately encompasses all the previous ones in terms of specialised translation is being able to demonstrate infallible rigour and surgical-like precision. There must not be the slightest confusion regarding the meaning of the text or even a single sentence.

Therefore, a good translation of the specialised terms is not enough. It is necessary to know how to adapt the text at the lexical, grammatical, syntactic level, etc. This is why specialised translators often spend a lot of time on a single sentence until they find the phrasing that perfectly captures the meaning of the original sentence.

Specialised translation is a profession that requires advanced skills to face all these challenges. This makes it a fascinating profession. Moreover, there are no "general" translators. Each one will be specialised in a field in which they will have training and the corresponding skills.