Abstract:

As technology advances, the demand for translations of technical texts has increased significantly. In our experience most of the young people who choose to study applied modern languages – in our case Translation and Interpretation – are less enthusiastic about translating technical texts than working with texts of general or literary topics. Translator trainees often mention that they prefer to specialize in humanistic studies, because they like learning languages more than science subjects such as Mathematics, Physics or Chemistry. However, simply knowing a language well does not make one a technical translator. Because of the technical development and the market for new technologies, the demand for technical translations is high, and those who are prepared to face the challenges of technical translation may have more job and career opportunities after graduation. Therefore, there is an urgent need to incorporate more knowledge and practice regarding technical communication in translator training. In our study, we examine the attitude of a group of translation trainees regarding technical translation, the strategies they use in the process of translating technical texts, and eventual difficulties they face in the process. We also assess the extent to which they are able to translate technical texts from the source language (in our case English) into their mother tongue (Hungarian) and their second language (Romanian – the official language of the country where they live). Our purpose is a continuous review and improvement of our curriculum, therefore we examine the relevance of technical (subject domain) knowledge, how the eventual lack of this knowledge can be compensated, and the strategies which are or may be used in translation in the absence of engineering expertise.

Keywords:

Technical texts, translator training, technical translation, technical writing.