What is a research paper?

A research Paper is a document produced for inspection by others that outlines what a researcher has discovered after a period of research into a topic. Research papers may be scientific, sociological, economic, etc. Research papers usually have an abstract which is a summary of the topic that has been studied and conclusions, an introduction to the research topic, the method used to research the topic, the results in textual, graphical or tabular form, conclusions and references.

Why research papers need to be translated accurately

It is common for research papers which have identified something which is an addition to the knowledge about a topic to be made available for peer review. This is when experts in the same field examine the research conducted and in some cases repeat experimental studies. As most topics currently being researched re of international significance, they are typically translated by professional translators so that the research papers can be reviewed by others who may not understand the paper’s original language. Accurate Translation is essential otherwise the original studies and conclusions may be misinterpreted.

Tips to translate research papers accurately

#1 Identify your audience’s target language

The ‘audience’ for most research papers is similar researchers and academics in the same field around the world. There is unlikely to be a uniform spread of such people around the world, so translation tends to concentrate on the languages most likely to be in demand by interested parties.

#2 Hire a subject matter expert translator in your field

Technical translation is a specific field of translation which covers many types of research paper translation. Basically, because of the specificity of much of the terminology used in many research papers, it makes sense to use a translator who understands the topic well and can translate often complex and unique terminology in addition to being able to convert the paper’s text into the target language.

#3 Provide a detailed translation brief

The most accurate translations are not just down to the skills of the translator. The author of the paper should ideally provide a detailed brief for the translator about the paper and its contents. If there are any parts of the paper which the researcher does not want translated for whatever reason (intellectual property rights may be a deciding factor if the research has content in it which has commercial significance potential), the author should inform the translator before these parts of the paper are translated.

#4 Provide terminological resources

Any new terms that the translator may not know should be explained clearly so that the translator can find the equivalents in the target language. It is common for technical, scientific and medical researchers to develop a glossary which provides a summary of terms specific to the research content.

#5 Select a reputable translation service

Probably more important than anything else is to develop a relationship with a translator or translation service that is reliable, makes accuracy a priority, delivers content on time and is easy to work with.

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