Translation of AutoCAD drawings

As a rule, the translation of drawings in Autocad refers to normal technical translation and often accompanies it. Drawings are used to illustrate instructions and other technical documents. The ability to translate them competently is one of the main requirements for the technical translator. Our agency cooperates with and employs only the best professional translators of technical orientation who have acquired considerable experience in this particular type of drafting software. It is not enough to have a good command of a foreign language, it is necessary to have special terminology and skills working in Autocad in order to replace the source text with the text for translation.

Autocad by Autodesk is the most popular drawing tool, although it is not the only one. KOMPAS-3D and Ashampoo® 3D CAD Architecture are often used in addition to it, as well as many construction and interior design programmes. It is highly recommended that the translator is also familiar with these programmes and is able to translate them. The files used in AutoCAD usually have a .DWG extension, while the most rare ones have a .DXF extension.

A major disadvantage of translators working in a drawing programme is the impossibility to use TM programmes (Transmission Memory or Translation Memory). Although the number of repetitions is very high (sometimes more than 90%), it is not possible to use CAT programs directly. Only with the help of auxiliary intermediate programs. For example, by exporting a text array from Autocad first into Excel, translating there and then pouring it back into the drawing later. However, this operation is very time-consuming and it is often easier to translate repetitions in drawings manually than to export/import them.

When translating drawings and schemes in programs like AutoCAD, two methods of translation are available: 1. replacing original text with text to be translated (so-called monolingual method) and 2. leaving original text and placing its translation alongside, usually below the original text (bilingual or multilingual method). Which option you choose is entirely up to the client. If his experts have a good command of English, the bilingual mode is preferable, as in English it is often even clearer what the drawing is about. Although with this method, the drawing looks less presentable and more information-rich. To put it simply, the drawing will be overloaded with information and still not very user-friendly.

Translation of drawings at ATT — Russian Technical Translation Agency

Since 2001 we have gained considerable experience not only with technical translations but also with various kinds of auxiliary software, one of which is Autodesk’s AutoCAD. The cost of drawings translation into AutoCAD is calculated as follows: 1. Determine the cost of translation as usual from the price list: the cost of language translation multiplied by 1 standard page, which is 1800 characters with spaces of the source text in the drawing. This amount shall be doubled since the time required to translate blueprints is two or more times higher than that of translating regular full text. This is how the approximate cost of translating blueprints is calculated. However, it is much better to send us the drawings you have for translation by e-mail to receive a precise and comprehensive quote for the whole work of translating and formatting files, as well as the required working time.