DEEN
Upload Document
technical translations - professional technical translator English German and 75 more languages

Fields › Technical

Technical Translation Services — precise and standards-compliant.

Technical translation of operating manuals, data sheets, handbooks and specifications is carried out by translators with an engineering background, kept terminologically consistent and standards-compliant. The EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC requires the operating manual in the official language of the target market; we deliver in your formats, through to the print-ready file. From €0.89 per standard line.

  • DIN/ISO compliantstructure & terminology
  • Terminology baseacross projects
  • CAT & layout preservedtags kept
  • 4.6 · Trustpilot
Customer servicePrices 0800 3333-3433

Terminology consistent across every document · CAD / XML / DTP formats ready to use · AI exclusion on request

DIN EN ISO 17100registered · Reg. 7U517
over 70 languagesnative technical translators
Standards-compliantMachinery Regulation · IEC/IEEE 82079-1
Price up frontbinding fixed price

Short & clear

Technical translation services by technical translators with engineering know-how.

Reviewed by specialists · FÜD editorial team · kept current

In technical documentation, precision decides safety and liability. A mistranslated warning, unit or tolerance can endanger people and become expensive. That is why the work here is done by technical translators with an engineering background — with managed terminology, not the next available generalist.

We secure terms through glossaries and Translation Memories, observe the standards and conventions of the target market, and deliver in your formats — from the XML editorial environment to the print-ready manual. On request we translate entirely without machine translation or AI.

Who it's for

For industries where every detail counts.

Technical documentation reaches its reader on the shop floor, in the field and at the certification body. For each of these industries we assign a technical translator with the matching engineering background.

Mechanical & plant engineering

Extensive manuals and documentation across many languages — terminology kept consistent across product series and releases, delivered ready to use in your formats.

Automotive & supply chain

Specifications, test protocols and handbooks under time and standard pressure; recurring passages reused via Translation Memory so releases stay consistent and on time.

Electrical engineering & electronics

Data sheets and safety notices — precise and standards-compliant, with units, tolerances and signal words handled to the target-market convention.

Software & IT

UI strings, online help and documentation — translated with a clean separation of code and text, so placeholders, variables and tags stay untouched.

Standards & conformity

The operating manual is part of CE conformity.

For machines and products the European legal framework — the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, replaced from 20 January 2027 by the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 — requires operating instructions in the official language of each country. If they are missing or faulty, the product is formally not fit for the market; safety notices, warnings and the declaration of conformity must be rendered with technical exactness.

We translate technical documentation along established standards for information for use (incl. IEC/IEEE 82079-1) and, on request, work with controlled language and Simplified Technical English (ASD-STE100). Units, tolerances and safety classes are converted correctly; existing machine output is raised to release quality by post-editing (MTPE) and specialist proofreading.

Standard & language obligation

Which document triggers which standard — and which language obligation.

Technical translation means knowing the governing standard for each document. An overview we work to — the concrete framework depends on the product and target market. It shows why a technical translator, not a generalist, belongs on the job.

Which technical document triggers which standard and language obligation
Document / triggerStandard / legal basisLanguage & translation obligation
Operating manual (machine)Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC → Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 (from 20 Jan 2027)Instructions in the official language(s) of the target member state
Information for use / handbookIEC/IEEE 82079-1Structure and comprehensibility of the information for use
Safety & warning noticesISO 3864 / ANSI Z535 (signal words)Signal words and pictograms to the target-market convention
Instructions for use, medical device (IFU)MDR 2017/745, IVDR 2017/746Instructions for use in the national language(s)
Declaration of conformitythe relevant CE product directiveTranslation per the requirement of the target market
Process & quality assuranceDIN EN ISO 17100 (DIN CERTCO, Reg. 7U517)Technical translator + final check; second-person revision on request

Why a technical translator, not the next generalist

None of these obligations is a matter of style — a wrong unit, a mistranslated signal word or an unofficial-language manual can make a product formally unfit for the market. The governing standard changes with the document and the target country, and it decides what the certification body, the importer or the court will accept. That is exactly where a technical translator with an engineering field earns their place.

One unit wrong — and the machine stops.

So: technical translators with an engineering background, managed terminology, and a final check on every job.

Conformity & certification

CE, official language, ISO 17100 — and when a certified translation is needed.

Reviewed by specialists · FÜD editorial team · kept current

For most technical documentation the point is conformity, not court certification: the operating manual has to be in the official language of the target market, terminology has to be consistent, and safety notices have to match the target-market convention. We work along the DIN EN ISO 17100 process, with a final check and, where agreed, revision by a second qualified person, and take account of the European legal framework — the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and, from 20 January 2027, the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230.

Where a technical document must be submitted to a German authority or court — for instance a patent specification or an expert report — a court-authorised translator (in German, ermächtigter Übersetzer, publicly authorised under German state law) issues a certified translation with stamp, signature and certification note. Whether an apostille is additionally required we check in advance; the apostille itself is issued by the competent authority — the FÜD does not issue apostilles.

Use cases

Technical translations: three typical cases from practice.

Document type, target market and governing standard decide the format, terminology and form of delivery. Three common jobs — from the starting point to the result.

Machinery & CE

Operating manual German → several languages

Starting point
A machine builder ships into several EU markets and needs the operating manual in each official language for CE conformity — issued in an XML/DITA source format.
Process
Technical translators translate directly in the source format; managed terminology keeps part names consistent; safety notices follow ISO 3864 signal words.
Result
A print-ready manual in every target language, part of the CE documentation, terminology consistent across the series.

Automotive & supply chain

Data sheets & test protocols German → English

Starting point
A supplier under time and standard pressure needs specifications, test protocols and handbooks translated accurately and on schedule.
Process
A specialist with the field handles it; a Translation Memory reuses recurring passages across releases; units and tolerances are converted correctly.
Result
Documentation an engineering team can use directly — consistent across releases, with nothing to reformat.

IP & patents

Patent & claims translation for the EPO

Starting point
An application to the European Patent Office where every word of the claim defines the scope of protection; an imprecise phrasing can narrow the claim.
Process
Technical translators who combine engineering and patent understanding render the claims; a legal specialist checks the terminology.
Result
A translation that preserves the scope of protection without narrowing the claims or leaving them open to challenge.

Quote & price

What does a technical translation cost?

We review volume, language direction, format and terminology need and name a binding fixed price. Technical translation is priced per standard line; for ongoing documentation we agree fixed conditions in a framework contract — format handling and a final check included.

Binding fixed price
from € 0.89 / standard linetechnical translation · everything included
Price up front · no unannounced extra costs
Technical translation by a specialist✓included
Terminology & Translation Memory upkeep✓included
Format / DTP handling (XML, DITA, InDesign, CAD)✓included
Final check; second-person revision on request✓included
AI exclusion on request✓included

Technical translation is priced per standard line (55 characters incl. spaces), from € 0.89; we name the exact amount after a brief review. How the price is made up →

Request a quote

FAQ

Technical translation – frequently asked questions.

Who translates technical texts at the FÜD?

Technical translators with an engineering background and experience in your industry, supported by managed terminology. That keeps designations correct and consistent across every document; on request a second qualified person revises the work under the four-eyes principle.

Which formats do you translate in?

We translate directly in the format – XML/DITA, InDesign, editorial systems, CAD derivatives – and deliver print- or deployment-ready, so you do not have to reformat. Placeholders, variables and tags stay untouched.

How do you keep terminology consistent?

Through glossaries and Translation Memories: once a designation is defined it is used consistently across all documents, product lines and releases – on request we build up your corporate terminology systematically.

Do you translate in compliance with CE marking?

Yes. We translate operating manuals, safety notices and declarations of conformity into the required official language and take account of the European legal framework (incl. Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, replaced from 20 January 2027 by the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230) as well as standards for information for use such as IEC/IEEE 82079-1.

Can you provide a certified technical translation for an authority?

Where a technical document is submitted to a German authority or court, a court-authorised translator (ermächtigter Übersetzer, publicly authorised under German state law) issues a certified translation with a certification note. Whether an apostille is additionally required we check in advance – it is issued by the competent authority, not by the FÜD.

What does a technical translation cost and how long does it take?

The price depends on volume, language direction, format and terminology need; after a brief review we name a binding fixed price from € 0.89 per standard line. Manageable documents usually take a few working days, faster by 24-hour express where feasible.
Across a whole series of maintenance manuals, every part kept the same name in six languages — the managed terminology showed. Delivered straight in our DITA format, print-ready, with nothing for us to rebuild.
★★★★★

Technical documentation lead · mechanical engineering

Next

Where to go next: services, fields, documents and languages.

Services

Certified translationConference interpretingRevision serviceWeb content translation

Specialist fields

Financial translationUser manual translationMedical devices translationAutomotive translation

Documents

Marriage certificate translationDivorce certificate translationAcademic certificate translationContract translation

Languages

English to German translationCertified Russian translationCertified Arabic translationSomali to German translation

Work with us

Already a technical translator? Work with us.

If you translate technical documentation, the market rewards a pairing few can offer: an engineering field you can defend plus target-language mastery at native level. For certified work — patent specifications, expert reports for a court — you also need a court-authorised sworn translator. We work continually with technical translators, employed or freelance.

The path

An engineering field, plus a native target language

Understanding a data sheet is not the same as writing one that an engineer will act on. The market rewards the combination: a field you can defend — mechanical engineering, automotive, electronics, IT — and the terminology that comes with it, paired with target-language writing at native level. Add fluency with the tools of the trade — Translation Memories, terminology databases, XML/DITA editorial formats — and you can take on the documentation a manufacturer actually relies on.

Why it holds up

Managed terminology, and the expertise behind it

Where safety and liability are at stake, machine output still needs a qualified specialist to raise it to release quality — post-editing (MTPE) is judgement, not a rubber stamp, and on request we translate entirely without it. For certified translations you apply to the competent Regional Court (Landgericht) to be authorised under state law. Careful human work here is not nostalgia; it is what the certification body and the receiving authority require.

Introduce yourselfAbout the FÜD
Upload document Prices