15/11/2024
How Manufacturing Companies Use MT to Enter Vietnam’s Market
Machine translation has revolutionized the way industries communicate across language barriers, significantly enhancing the accessibility of technical documentation. By breaking down language barriers, machine translation helps industries comply with global standards, train local staff, and ensure effective operations.
In this case study, we delve into how MachineTranslation.com successfully translated intricate technical content from English to Vietnamese, maintaining accuracy, speed, and cultural relevance—all crucial for efficient manufacturing processes.
The impact of machine translation on accessibility
The global nature of industries today means that the accessibility of technical documents across language barriers is crucial for maintaining competitive advantage. Technical documentation, including user manuals, operational guides, and technical specifications, is often required in multiple languages to support localized product use, train local staff, or meet regulatory compliance. Machine translation (MT) has emerged as an essential tool in improving the accessibility of these documents.
For industries such as manufacturing, where detailed and precise instructions are needed, translation must be exact. Machine translation has stepped in to meet the growing demand for rapid, high-quality translations. This is especially relevant for cases involving languages such as Vietnamese, where highly technical content must be translated in a way that not only preserves accuracy but also cultural appropriateness.
Challenges of translating technical documentation
Translating technical documents is vastly different from translating casual text. Technical documentation is characterized by dense terminology, specific instructions, and formatting that needs to be preserved for usability and compliance. When translating English content into Vietnamese for a manufacturing audience, challenges include:
1. Complex terminology
The use of precise technical terms, such as “sheet metal unwinding” or “pinch and straightening machine”, must be translated in a manner that preserves their technical meaning and industry context. Any errors could mislead operators and result in incorrect use or even damage to equipment.
2. Formatting and structure
Technical documents are often structured in a highly specific way, with tables of contents, appendices, numbered lists, and detailed diagrams. Ensuring that this structure is maintained after translation is vital for the document to remain usable and navigable.
3. Cultural and language nuances
Language intricacies also pose a challenge. Vietnamese has regional dialects and specific terminologies that differ from those in the source language. Misinterpretation or mistranslation of culturally nuanced terms may lead to ineffective or incorrect instructions.
4. Compliance and quality
Technical content, especially that relating to operational safety, must adhere to local regulatory standards. A small mistranslation could create significant legal risks, hinder compliance, and compromise safety. Human oversight is often required to validate that all compliance-related content is conveyed accurately in the translated version.
Best practices for using machine translation in technical documentation
While machine translation has made great strides in recent years, it is essential to combine technology with best practices to ensure the success of translating technical documents. Below are some of the best practices used in the translation of the manufacturer’s technical documentation.
1. Terminology management
Consistency is critical when translating technical terms. Establishing a glossary for key terms ensures that machine translation is consistently delivering accurate equivalents in the target language. Glossaries also help maintain technical precision across multiple documents.
2. Structured formatting and preservation
Technical documentation often includes tables, bullet points, numbered lists, and images. It is vital to maintain the structural integrity of these elements to keep the translated document usable and compliant. MachineTranslation.com’s tools allow for the retention of formatting, making sure that the translated document mirrors the original structure.
3. Human review for quality control
For documents containing sensitive technical data, integrating human review as part of the workflow ensures that machine translations are refined, resulting in high-quality translations. MachineTranslation.com offers a human-in-the-loop option for sensitive or complex projects, allowing human experts to enhance the translated content for accuracy and cultural relevance.
4. Localization for cultural relevance
Technical instructions need to be culturally appropriate to avoid misunderstandings. MachineTranslation.com uses AI insights to adapt content to the regional linguistic nuances of Vietnamese while considering cultural sensitivities. This approach provides a more natural translation that ensures local teams can effectively understand and use the translated materials.
Key features of MachineTranslation.com for translating technical files
MachineTranslation.com has developed advanced features that cater specifically to the translation needs of technical industries. For translating the equipment documentation into Vietnamese, the following key features of MachineTranslation.com were pivotal:
Fast and Accurate Translations: An industrial equipment manufacturer requires fast, high-quality translations. MachineTranslation.com’s advanced machine learning models provided rapid translations, ensuring technical accuracy essential for operational manuals. This solution enabled the client to meet tight project deadlines without compromising on quality.
AI-Powered Insights: MachineTranslation.com uses AI to optimize translations by analyzing sentence structure, terminology, and consistency, making content accessible to target audiences. For technical documents, it identifies and verifies key terms, ensuring translations are both accurate and contextually appropriate.
Human Review for Sensitive Documents: MachineTranslation.com pairs machine translation with human review for essential parts of technical documents. This ensures expert validation of critical safety and operational instructions. For this project, human oversight was vital to ensure accuracy, providing the client with confidence that translations were as precise and reliable as the original.
Comprehensive Language Support: With an expansive language library, MachineTranslation.com provides support for nuanced Vietnamese translations. It can handle regional differences in vocabulary and adapts translations to suit industry-specific terminology. Comprehensive support ensures the translated content resonates with the local audience, maintaining the technical authenticity of the original document.
Example: translating English to Vietnamese technical documents
Providing translations of technical documents from English to Vietnamese for manufacturers and industrial professionals, ensuring the accurate conveyance of equipment specifications, operational procedures, and safety standards. This approach supports safe and effective use in engineering and operational settings, promoting clarity and precision for Vietnamese-speaking operators and engineers.
The AI Translation Assistant customizes translations by enabling users to prioritize precision, terminology, and clarity. For JBW, Ltd.'s technical file, it was set to a technically accurate and clear tone to ensure the safe and efficient operation of their sheet metal unwinding, leveling, and shearing line. The Assistant also facilitated precise term selection, ensuring that critical equipment specifications, operational protocols, and safety standards were accurately translated for Vietnamese-speaking operators and engineers.
MachineTranslation.com provides a robust glossary feature that supports JBW, Ltd.’s need for precise technical translations, allowing users to compare key term translations across various engines. For example, terms such as "welding machinery" (máy hàn), "sheet metal" (kim loại tấm), and "safety standards" (tiêu chuẩn an toàn) offer carefully selected translation options in Vietnamese. This glossary enhances clarity and consistency, enabling Vietnamese-speaking operators and engineers to understand equipment specifications, operational protocols, and safety standards accurately and confidently in industrial applications.
Screenshot: The comparison feature highlights translation differences across engines, particularly in technical terminology. For example, Modern_MT and Microsoft use "cân bằng" for "leveling," while others prefer "san lấp," showcasing diverse terminology choices. Libre’s translation stands out for its length, opting for "cắt xén" instead of the simpler "cắt," adding complexity to the phrasing. Additionally, IBM introduces "không cuộn dây" for "unwinding," significantly altering the intended meaning of the component, emphasizing the importance of precision in technical translations.
Case studies and success stories
Case study 1: Leading GNC manufacturer’s technical file translation
A leading manufacturer of GNC equipment needed to localize their technical documentation for the Vietnamese market. The 35-page document included comprehensive operational procedures, equipment quality standards, and troubleshooting guides for Model X-5—a GNC sheet metal processing line. The challenge was to translate highly technical terminology into Vietnamese accurately and efficiently.
By leveraging MachineTranslation.com, the client achieved rapid translation while maintaining precision. Human review was employed for key sections involving safety standards, ensuring no room for error. This allowed the manufacturer to distribute the translated manuals to their Vietnamese team in time for the product rollout, enhancing workforce readiness and compliance.
Case study 2: Real-time translation of product specifications for a global rollout
Another use case involved a multinational industrial equipment supplier. The company needed to simultaneously launch products in multiple regions, including Vietnam. Using MachineTranslation.com, they translated product specifications and user guides into Vietnamese on tight deadlines. The AI-powered insights ensured accurate translation of technical terms, and the human review feature helped refine complex product descriptions.
The seamless integration of machine translation and human editing allowed the client to maintain the consistency of their brand voice while adapting content for regional needs. The result was a successful global launch that included well-translated technical documents, ensuring that end users in Vietnam received reliable and culturally relevant information about the new product.
Conclusion
Machine translation has become an indispensable tool in translating complex technical documents, offering speed, accuracy, and enhanced accessibility. For manufacturing industries, where precision is paramount, MachineTranslation.com offers a reliable solution for translating technical documents into languages such as Vietnamese.
By combining advanced machine learning models with human expertise, MachineTranslation.com ensures that translations are not only rapid but also maintain the accuracy required for operational safety and regulatory compliance. The AI-powered insights and human-in-the-loop features make it possible to handle technical content effectively, making it accessible to a wider audience without compromising quality.
Through the case studies presented, it is evident that MachineTranslation.com can help companies overcome the challenges of technical translation, making information accessible, reliable, and compliant across language barriers. Ready to enhance your global communication? Subscribe to MachineTranslation.com's plan today and experience the power of fast, accurate, and culturally relevant translations that drive operational efficiency and compliance in localized markets.