{"id":43879,"date":"2022-04-13T11:10:02","date_gmt":"2022-04-13T09:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/comlogos.com\/blog\/for-technical-texts-and-translations-formatting-is-the-be-all-and-end-all\/"},"modified":"2022-04-13T11:10:02","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T09:10:02","slug":"for-technical-texts-and-translations-formatting-is-the-be-all-and-end-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/comlogos.com\/en\/blog\/for-technical-texts-and-translations-formatting-is-the-be-all-and-end-all\/","title":{"rendered":"For technical texts and translations: Formatting is the be-all and end-all"},"content":{"rendered":"

Formatting: the be-all and end-all for translation-ready writing<\/h2>\n

In the first part of this blog series<\/a> on translation-oriented writing, we looked at why this type of writing makes sense in the first place and what benefits<\/strong> it can bring. In the second part<\/a>, we delved deeper into the topic and looked at the core of translation-appropriate writing: terminology<\/strong> and the creation of a terminology database. Now, in the third and final part of the series, we look at the formatting<\/strong> of a text and the use of style guides<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

Formatting and style matter<\/h3>\n

Why is the formatting of a source text important for the translation?
\nThe technical possibilities of a CAT tool<\/strong> (Computer-Assisted Translation), i.e. software that supports the translation process, are diverse, but not unlimited. To make the best possible use of its potential, there are a few points to bear in mind. For example, there are punctuation marks<\/strong> such as periods, colons or bullet points that cause a translation memory system<\/strong> to perform segmentation, i.e. to divide the text into sentences. The advantage of this segmentation<\/strong> is that the translation is saved in sentence pairs and can be reused for subsequent translations<\/strong>. This ensures consistency and therefore the quality of the translation<\/strong>, reduces costs and speeds up processing. Hard breaks are also a trigger for segmentation. This is not always intentional, as it can lead to difficulties with the sentence structure of the target text<\/strong>, especially if a hard break<\/strong> is located within a sentence and the sentence is thus divided into two segments. <\/p>\n

The more simply and precisely a technical writer expresses themselves, the easier it is to translate into a foreign language. A negative example<\/strong> would be to divide a sentence into an incomplete introductory sentence before bullet points and a concluding sentence. <\/p>\n

“The machine must<\/em><\/p>\n