Strategies in Specialised Translation: a Theoretical Overview and Practical Applications

Nowadays, in our globalised society, specialised translation is more and more required, especially in technical sectors such as engineering, automation and manufacturing. Technical texts are crucial to provide specific information that will be used by workers, businessmen, customers and other users, across linguistic and cultural boundaries. For this reason, translators must develop strong linguistic competences, as well as subject matter expertise and cultural awareness. This thesis analyses the main features of specialised translation of technical texts, with reference to theoretical approaches belonging to translation studies and practical insights linked to my internship experience at an automation company. Specialised translation is at the same time interesting and challenging, since it requires a high level of accuracy and precision. Technical texts must provide clear and unambiguous information so that the users can rely on them for a safe and proper use of technologies and equipment. Translators must guarantee linguistic accuracy and functional efficiency, so that the target audience can understand the content in an effective way. Several theoretical approaches have been developed over the last 50 years and every approach has contributed to a deeper understanding of the translation process. The functionalist approach focuses on the target context of a text so a good translation is appreciated if the communicative function is fulfilled. In this approach the most important features of the target text should be clarity, usability and accuracy and less importance is given to equivalence with the source-text. Technical translation can also rely on a key-tool in the translation process, that is to say terminology. Translators must show particular competence in terminology research, consulting specialised dictionaries, online documentation and corpora. Thanks to large collections of technical texts, key-phrases and specific collocations and concordances can be identified by researchers and translators so that the target text can be perfectly aligned with the conventions of the target language and of the specific domain. Technical texts have structural and linguistic features that make them different from any other type of texts, such as the presence of highly specialised terminology, involving technical vocabulary and terms referring to tools, equipment, machines and so on. Technical texts also contain visual elements such as drawings, charts, figures and tables. The translation process can take into account both the verbal and non-verbal elements, to provide coherent and unambiguous communication. Recently, the translation process has been deeply influenced by technological innovations, in particular machine-translation systems and AI. AI technologies have become an essential tool for translators in order to improve efficiency and reduce time. On the other hand, human expertise remains fundamental for the revision of the target text and for the cultural elements linked to the translation process. This thesis emphasises the importance of specialised translation, considering its linguistic characteristics but also cultural aspects and specifications and it paves the way to further research and studies, in the challenging sector of translation studies in the third millennium.