Effective Technical Writing for Translators

Do you want to make concrete improvements in your translations starting with your next job? You will leave this webinar with dozens of practical tips that you can implement right now, and a long list of resources that you can delve into when you have time to study the subject in depth.

Superb writing skills are not the first thing that comes to mind when talking about a technical translator’s skill set. The focus is usually on subject-matter expertise or methods for terminology research. Those are crucial, but good technical writing is a third skill that we can develop and one that improves our translation quality quickly.

We will discuss the known, well-defined methods for producing effective technical writing: texts that convey information effectively, precisely, clearly, and concisely. These include using plain English and strong active verbs. Next we will cover problems specific to translation, such as retaining ambiguity and avoiding 'carryover' - those features of the source language that show up too often in translations. We move on to points of technical and scientific style and common errors. Finally Karen will explain the benefits of using field-specific style guides and job-specific style sheets. There will be ample time for questions and discussion.

After this practical session, participants should be able to implement changes for the better in translations and see results immediately.

1. Technical translators
2. Anyone who writes and edits technical texts
3. Translators who work into English
4. Translators who want to improve writing style and think about what makes good technical writing

1. What technical writing is
2. Methods for producing effective technical writing
3. Problems specific to translation (e.g. retaining ambiguity)
4. Common errors in scientific style
5. The importance of style guides
6. Examples of field-specific style guides
7. Ideas for in-depth training on this topic, including other courses

No prerequisites

1. Introduction
2. Methods
3. Problems
4. Resources
5. Conclusion
6. Open discussion

Price: 30.00 USD
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Karen Tkaczyk    View feedback | View all courses

Bio: Karen Tkaczyk grew up in the UK. She has an MChem in chemistry with French from the University of Manchester and a diploma in French and a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Cambridge. She worked in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries before moving to the US, having children, and then switching careers. She started her translation practice in in 2005. Since then Karen has been translating French into English, localizing and editing English, and training other translators, mainly in the area of scientific and technical writing, editing and quality assurance. In 2021 she began working for MasterWord (Houston, Texas) as Director of Life Sciences Solutions. Karen is ATA-certified (French to US English) and a Fellow of the ITI (Qualified for French to UK English). She works from home in the Denver, Colorado, area. She is heavily involved in the American Translators Association, and currently serves as its Secretary. She tweets at @ChemXlator. See https://www.mcmillantranslation.com/ for more information.