Language Service Providers (LSPs) that also accept translation projects will divide the type of translation based on the technical field of the document being handled. This is what the Pruf Ritz team does when they receive projects from various agencies. We will select professional translators in accordance with their respective fields of expertise.

Here are several types of translation which require translators with specialized knowledge in certain subjects along with the examples.

1.  Technical Translation

In general, the definition of technical translation is translation in the fields which require specialized skills such as information technology and industry. However, this field is separated from legal, financial, and medical translations.

Technical translations should also follow formatting rules as instructed by the clients or agencies. Some examples of this translation type are product manuals, expertise reports, and product brochures.

2. Scientific Translation

Scientific translation documents contain terminology or specific terms that are used in research. Therefore, the translator needs to possess knowledge that enables them to understand the specific terms accurately.

Scientific document translators are usually medical experts or those who are engaged in research sector and pursue a career in translation. Even if the translator is not a scientist, they usually have some experience or qualifications in accordance with the translation requirements.

It is also necessary for the translator to consult to the author of the document or an expert if they find a new, unfamiliar term. Examples of documents for this type of translation are research papers, scientific journal articles, and research reports.

3. Medical Translation  

Documents used in medical translation include those related to medical treatment, health service, and biotechnology materials. Medical document translation has an extremely broad scope. Information from patients can be the basis for brainstorming the steps of medical treatment up to any other work documents that need to be translated.

Medical translators should understand terminology and terms related to medicines, medical stages (diagnosis or treatment), medical equipment (stethoscope, laboratorium), as well as specific information regarding various diseases.

Furthermore, translators usually should also translate documents related to medical products that are offered to potential clients. The examples of the translation materials are examination reports, instructions for use of drugs, and clinical experiment documentations.

4. Financial Translation

Judging from the title, we might think that financial translation means translating the condition of an agency or an individual. However, it is not quite like that. Financial translation is related to bank documents, stocks, forex, and financial reports.

The required skills for the translator include understanding how to read financial journals, capable at reading tables and graphics, as well as having a keen interest in finance. Especially if you need to translate a company’s financial report, the translator should have a thorough attention to detail, not just being good at translating foreign languages.

5. Legal Translation

A legal translator should possess a competent background in the legal field. Texts written for cooperation agreements or company regulations are usually difficult to comprehend after only reading them once. 

Skills required for legal translators include understanding the concepts of law such as the applicable laws and regulations, legalese document writing, and the ability to translate using the best context in the legal field. Documents used for legal translations are, for instance, cooperation contracts, legal reports, and court decisions.

6. Patent Translation

Patent translation includes documents of intellectual property rights and product or brand patent rights. Intellectual property rights become a highly important aspect for art workers or creators, so that their products and ideas can possess powerful legal force.

Patent translators require the skills to understand laws and regulations with regard to intellectual property laws so that they can translate the documents with the proper contexts. Each country has different patent rights concepts. Therefore, translators also need to research the patent regulations of other countries.

7. Literary Translation

A literary translator should enjoy reading various genres of writing. In addition to understanding the language, the translator should also be adept at learning the culture of the original country of the translated book. Therefore, they can obtain simple contexts that can be provided as footnotes for readers.

As the name suggests, literary translation deals with creative writings such as novels, short stories, essays, drama scripts, and poetry. There are many popular and high quality works from international authors that we need to read. On the other hand, Indonesian literary works that contain cultural values or become bestsellers with their unique stories also need to be translated into other languages.

It’s quite a range, isn’t it? There are many different varieties of translation based on the technical fields of the documents.

Pruf Ritz surely always select translators with high level of experience to provide translation results that are easy to understand. If the translation is easy to read, we can gain new insights and messages that the original authors try to convey.