Leveraging Authoring Tools For Technical Content Translation

Technical writing has come a long way since the expansive user manuals and churning out of instructional materials. Of course, these still matter. But today, technical writing, and as a result, technical content translation, has evolved into an altogether more complex endeavor that includes anything related to a technical field in the format of press releases, reports, policies, and so on.

You may have guessed that with a more complex and diverse service, comes a demand for Authoring Tools and processes that can accommodate a larger variety of files as well as a need to keep huge amounts of content to a minimum.

When it comes to Technical Content Translation and Localization, these Authoring Tools can be leveraged in order to produce higher quality output and significantly reduce Turnaround Time (TAT). In this blog, we will offer you some practical tips on which types of tools to select, how to interact with them, and how Technical Writers can simplify the linguist’s job.

Qualities Of A Localization-Friendly Authoring Tool

If we were to ask you what the consistent drive behind Authoring Tool innovation is, we are likely thinking about the same thing: speed and content reuse. With its history of dense and sizable manuals and guides, technical documentation has been focusing on new ways to reuse content and keep the combined word count to a minimum. Interestingly, this approach also comes with several features that make localization all the more convenient. Let’s have a look at what these are.

Translation Friendly XML-Architecture

While processors and applications such as Microsoft Word and Acrobat are still considered industry staples, XML-based Tools are steadily gaining traction. In order to obtain quality translations from professional Language Service Providers, linguists, you will have to use Computer-Aided Translation (CAT) Tools that compatible and accepts XML-File format

Using a Translation CAT tool would be very beneficial in terms of achieving shorter turnaround times, making the translation process seamless and more productive, and eventually, saving cost while ensuring the best translation quality outcome.

In addition to that, using a Translation CAT tool will help Localization Engineers to prepare the XML files for translation, excluding or locking the short codes, regular expressions, and none-translatable text. As a result, translators will be able to identify and translate technical content without changing XML codes. This is particularly important to ensure that your translated content can be imported back safely to your technical writing authoring tool.

Some authoring tools even allow you to export an XML-based file format with specific settings to determine the kind of components you want to include or exclude in your exported XML. Selecting the right options will make the file(s) preparation step a lot easier.

If you continuously run translations for your technical content on a large scale or enterprise-level then you may also need a Translation Management System (TMS)

Examples of Authoring Tools that support an XML-Architecture:

• Oxygen XML
• Adobe XML Documentation Solutions
• MadCap Flare
• Astoria Software

Topic Based-Authoring For Your Large Scale Technical Content Translation Projects

Topic-Based Authoring is all the rage with technical publications. Topic Based-Authoring the content is, like the term suggests, organized around topics and makes it more conveniently managed and available for reuse.

Examples of Authoring Tools that support Topic-Based Authoring:

• DITA
• Scrivener
•  MadCap Flare

Single-Source Publishing

While the more traditional authoring method would force you to work in a linear structure and do the content writing, formatting, and scoping all at once within different file formats, Single Source Publishing manages and produces content in a single database. It publishes and distributes the content across multiple formats so you can maintain consistency, decrease your turnaround times, and simplify your change management.

Examples of Authoring Tools that support Single Source Publishing:

• Adobe FrameMaker
•  Adobe RoboHelp
• MadCap Flare
• Oxygen XML Editor

Always Write With Technical Content Translation In Mind

When all is said and done, choosing the right Authoring Tool is only one slice of the pie. A tech-savvy approach should be combined with a flawless technical content strategy in order to get the best localization results.

Let’s look at technical content from the perspective we should all always keep in mind: that of the reader. What do they want when reading for technical information? The answer is simple. They want to receive data quickly and easily and want complex technical processes to be laid out in a comprehensive way.

Maintaining this consumer-centric approach is also very helpful for the linguists who are later set the task of translating your technical content. In order to simplify the translation and localization process, consider the following points:

• Make use of consistent terminology: Avoid using synonyms for technical terms and stick to a list of vocabulary decided upon upfront. In fact, we highly recommend that you share a glossary (a master list of technical terms along with their approved translations) with your translation team. Considering the specialized terminology tied to the technical domain, proving translators with a glossary is a must. It ensures that not only the terminology but also any possible acronyms and phrases used within your business are understood and effectively implemented.
• Avoid cultural references: It may be tempting to make your content more relatable through pop-culture references, but your target locale will not always understand these.
•  Create A Style Guide: The creation of a style guide consists of anything you’d like to communicate related to your brand identity and design standards. This way, not only your content, but your corporate voice can be translated as well.