there are a huge number of different types of translations in fact we've identified 51 of them in one of our blog articles and they're just the common ones you're likely to come across of those 51 we can identify 13 types based on the subject area of the text or the technical field if you like now this is important because these texts require translators were specialist knowledge in this video I'm going to quickly run through those 13 types of translation and tell you what you need to know about them keep watching [Music] our first type is
technical translation so what's that then it's broader sense this can refer to any translation with the translator needs specialist knowledge so it would include almost all the other translation types we're going to discuss here but on the more specific sense that refers only to translations of engineering IT and industrial texts now whichever definition we use what's relevant is that the translator must have expertise in that subject area why because without it they may not completely all correctly understand the text or its implications which means that they may not produce a fully accurate and appropriate translation
in practical terms this means a translator would typically either have a qualification or several years experience in their technical field scientific translation refers to the translation of scientific research or documents relating to it so research papers journal articles trial results and so on these texts of variably contain domain-specific terminology so again translators need expertise in that area plus these documents will often include leading-edge research so the translator may have to consult with other domain experts or even the author himself to fully comprehend the material a third translation type is medical translation which is a translation
of healthcare medical product pharmaceutical and biotechnology materials now this covers a huge variety of specialist areas and materials everything from patient information to regulatory marketing and technical documentation so it goes without saying that a translator with a medical background will be needed for many of these texts and interesting here is that many countries have specific requirements for the translation of medical device and pharmaceutical documentation both for what information must be included and how this has to be presented financial translation is a translation of banking stock exchange foreign exchange financing and financial reporting documents but only
the specialized materials in those fields so not a bank statement for example that any competent translator could handle again the assumption is a translator will need knowledge and experience with these types of documents to firstly understand them fully and then translate them correctly using the right vocabulary and style our fifth type economic translations is mostly just another term for the financial translations we've just discussed but it can also be used in a more specific way to refer to the translation of documents relating to the economy and the field of economics and of course many of
these documents will be a challenge for any translator who hadn't formally studied economics next as a legal translation that's the translation of documents relating to the law and legal process examples here would be contracts legal reports court judgments expert opinions and legislation itself now legal translation is tricky because the differences between different legal systems mean translators often have to translate concepts that don't exist in their own legal system and this is on top of the challenges of always having to use the precise legally correct translation for every term and right and legal style which explains
why legal translators are true specialists who will almost always have a degree in law and experience working in the legal field type sevens you ridicule translation is mostly just another term for legal translation however it can also refer the translations needing some form of legal verification certification or notarization that is common in many countries and jurisdictions and judicial translation is a third term commonly used as a synonym for legal translation but again a can have a more technical meaning referring specifically to the translation of court proceeding documentation so judgments minutes testimonies and so on at
a minimum a translator for these documents will need to be familiar with court processes but a legal background are generally advisable our ninth type is patron translation this is the translation of intellectual property and patent related documents so what's the challenge in translating these firstly patents could be highly technical so technical expertise may be needed secondly patents use established terminology such as prior art and claims that must be translated in the correct way and thirdly they have a distinct structure and require total consistency of wording throughout now this is important because by instinct translators tend
to want to avoid repeating themselves so what this means is that for patents you need translators who have been trained in the specific requirements of patent translation our next type literary translation is the translation of literary works so novels short stories plays essays poems etc now literary translation is widely regarded as the most difficult form of translation why is that because it involves way more than simply conveying the meaning in an appropriate style somehow the translator must also reproduce the flavor subtlety and impact of the original the essence of what makes that work unique now
this requires a translator with exceptional creative writing skills which is why it's often see as a literary translation should be a literary work in its own right commercial translations and business translation are two very generic terms for the translation of documents in the world of business it's a very wide reaching translation type that can include the translation of legal financial technical as well as a huge range of more general business documents this means the different translators will be needed for different document types specialists for technical techs and generalist translators for non speachless materials plus some
documents like management reports and proposals can include a lot of jargon and management speak so we'll need a translator who is used to writing in that style our final type is a translation of advertising marketing and promotional materials commonly simply referred to as marketing translations now these texts are designed to have a specific impact on the audience to appeal and persuade so the translation needs to do this too this can be quite a challenge often a direct translation won't achieve this so translators need to adapt their wording to produce the impact the text is seeking
and sometimes a completely new message might be needed this is what we call trans creation which we'll discuss in another video now the key thing about marketing translations as they require translators who are skilled writers with a flair for produce persuasive impactful copy so there you have it 13 common types of translation based on the subject area of the text the key theme running through all of them as they require translators who are familiar with the subject matter without this they may not fully understand the text and therefore translate it correctly and they may not
use quite the right vocabulary or technical writing style intrigued about the rest of our 51 translation types then head over to our blog article where we take you through the complete list and have a look at our other video featuring nine translation types that require exceptional know-how and expertise if you liked this video please give us a thumbs up and subscribe to our channel thanks for watching [Music]
