A Method for Translating Technical to Nontechnical Prose

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jul 1982

A Method for Translating Technical to Nontechnical Prose

Parker H. Johnson ; Judith Garrard ; William Hausman

Abstract

To translate the technical language of a survey instrument into ordinary prose for lay readers, we developed a five-step method: 1) the technical language was standardized; 2) a nontechnical translation was produced; 3) lay readers were tested to discover what parts of the translation were unsuccessful; 4) the reading level of the translation was determined; and 5) a statistical correlation was performed to determine whether or not the translation accurately reflected the technical language. The validation measures in steps 3, 4, and 5 verified that our translation was faithful and readable.

Journal: Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published: 1982-07-01
DOI: 10.2190/n5t4-wk73-tdad-5l5e
Topics: quantitative research multilingual writers

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

Weber (1985)

Technical Writing Skills: A Question of Aptitude or Interest?

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

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