{"id":1733,"date":"2012-03-21T01:53:00","date_gmt":"2012-03-21T01:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ata-divisions.org\/S_TD\/wp\/2012\/03\/21\/translating-technical-manuals-what-are-they-what-are-they-used-for\/"},"modified":"2017-03-13T18:42:11","modified_gmt":"2017-03-13T18:42:11","slug":"translating-technical-manuals-what-are-they-what-are-they-used-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ata-divisions.org\/S_TD\/2012\/03\/21\/translating-technical-manuals-what-are-they-what-are-they-used-for\/","title":{"rendered":"Translating Technical Manuals: What are they? What are they used for?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Jo\u00e3o Roque Dias, CT<\/span>
Technical Translator<\/span>
Lisbon \u2013 Portugal <\/span>
www.jrdias.com<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by Peter Ingham
Lisbon \u2013 Portugal
peter.ingham@netcabo.pt <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what are technical manuals?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

They are not some literary work with a few technical buzzwords. They\u2019re simply a roadmap for the user of the system they refer to. Their purpose is to convey information. Remember: you don\u2019t read technical manuals for pleasure; you USE technical manuals because you NEED TO KNOW what they tell you. The translators of technical manuals must keep this in perspective. Otherwise, they become useless pieces of cheap literature.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who writes technical manuals?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Professional technical writers with in-depth knowledge of the subject matter, impeccable writing skills, and an excellent command of the \u201cmanual style.\u201d Or, at least, that\u2019s who should write them. Reality is a bit different:<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n