Document Translation Software/Services

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Author Message TJ Simons, CSI, CCS (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Thursday, October 09, 2014 - 10:19 am:    My firm is pursuing work abroad, and will need some assistance translating specifications. I'm looking for info/sources on 1) document translation software (online or installed on office computers), or 2) translation services experienced in working with technical documents. As far as software goes, we're looking for something above the level of Bing or Google translators; I'm also concerned about what happens to our specifications formatting (our office master is MasterSpec based) when you run a document through it. Any help would be much appreciated. Randall A Chapple, CSI, CCS, AIA, SE, LEED AP Senior Member Username: rachapple Post Number: 87 Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Thursday, October 09, 2014 - 12:36 pm:    The problem you will encounter is that there is a lot of specialized vocabulary in the construction industry that does not translate well. Someone with specialized construction skills is required to select the appropriate terminology. For example connections in the US are fixings in the UK. And that is all English! Guest (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Thursday, October 09, 2014 - 12:56 pm:    You are best to find a specifier that is also multi-lingual. Mark Gilligan SE, Senior Member Username: mark_gilligan Post Number: 688 Registered: 10-2007 Posted on Thursday, October 09, 2014 - 01:19 pm:    The problem is not one of translation of the language but rather that there are different systems. What is considered a quality specification in another country may not be compatible with what we consider a quality specification. Somebody who understands the local practices needs to prepare the contract documents. It is arrogance to assume that everyplace in the world does things the way we do them. John Bunzick, CCS, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: bunzick Post Number: 1600 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Saturday, October 11, 2014 - 05:07 pm:    I second both Randall's and Mark's comments, and add that even the "same" product may be installed quite differently, or used somewhat different products/components. I think merely translating a spec is a risky proposition.