Specialist translation for machinery manufacturers Technical documentation your export markets will accept.
We translate your operating instructions and CE documentation for every market you sell into. Specialist translation to ISO 17100 and post-editing to ISO 18587, handled only by native speakers with an engineering background. Send us a document.
Audited and certified to four standardsTranslation partner to market leaders in industry and technology
20 January 2027: the EU Machinery Regulation changes your language obligations
From 20 January 2027, Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies directly in every member state. The “original instructions” label disappears, so each language version has to meet the requirements on its own. Which document has to exist in which language in which market is set out on our topic page.
Obligations by document type · Language check in 8 questions · References to the regulation and the German implementing actWhat the law asks of your documentation
Compliance and liability
Technical documentation is part of what you deliver with the machine. Two texts govern what language it has to be in and what form it takes: the EU Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, which replaces Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, and standard IEC 82079-1. There is no EU-wide list of languages: Article 10(7) requires the language the individual member state has designated, in terms the user can readily follow. For the German market, Section 2 MaschinenDG requires German for the operating instructions, the safety information and the EU declaration of conformity.
A mistranslated warning does damage in three places at once: when the machine is running, in the conformity assessment and in any liability claim that follows. That is why this work goes to native-speaker specialist translators with an engineering, technical or science background and a proven translation qualification. From 2027 every language version counts equally, which raises the bar on each one individually. The detail is on our page about the EU Machinery Regulation.
The risk assessment to ISO 12100 is the core safety document for any machine. It is a precondition for CE marking, it is the source of every warning and safety notice in the operating instructions, and if a claim is ever brought, it is what the manufacturer relies on in its defence. Translate it loosely and the end user in the target market is left without vital information about the residual risks.
Standards and regulations we cover
| Standard / regulation | Scope | What it means for translation |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 12100 | Risk assessment and risk reduction | Safety terminology, hazard analysis, warning notices |
| (EU) 2023/1230 | EU Machinery Regulation, applies from 20 January 2027 | Operating instructions, EU declaration of conformity and declaration of incorporation in the language the target market designates |
| IEC 82079-1 | Preparation of information for use | Structural requirements for operating instructions |
| ISO 17100 | Translation services | Four-eyes principle, qualified staff, defined processes |
| ANSI Z535 | Safety signage (USA) | Different warning symbols and signal words for the US market |
| ATEX 2014/34/EU | Explosion protection | Safety documentation for potentially explosive atmospheres |
What we translate for machinery manufacturers
Document types
From the first CAD drawing to after-sales servicing, we cover the whole documentation lifecycle of your product. Each document type calls for different expertise and tolerates a different margin for error.
Assembly, operating, servicing and maintenance instructions. Compliant with IEC 82079-1, with consistent terminology and the safety rules that apply in each country.
Risk assessments to ISO 12100, EU declarations of conformity, safety data sheets and safety notices. Translated using the wording the Machinery Regulation itself uses.
Technical specifications, requirement and functional specifications, bills of materials and spare parts catalogues. Units and standards references adapted to the target market.
User interfaces, error messages and online help. We handle XML, JSON and PO files directly and keep an eye on display string lengths on PLC and CNC controls.
Patent applications, utility models and in-house standards. Every term carries legal weight, which leaves very little room to choose your own wording.
Product brochures, trade fair material and websites for international sales. Technical precision, written in the register the target market expects.
Which standard applies to which document
| Document type | Applicable standard | Common language pairs |
|---|---|---|
| Operating instructions | IEC 82079-1, (EU) 2023/1230 Art. 10(7) | DE-EN, DE-FR, DE-ES, DE-ZH, DE-TR |
| Risk assessment | ISO 12100, ISO 13849 | DE-EN, DE-FR, DE-ES |
| EU declaration of conformity | (EU) 2023/1230 Art. 21(2) | The language of each target market, German for Germany |
| Safety data sheet (MSDS) | REACH (EC) 1907/2006 | Depends on the export market |
| Requirement and functional specifications | VDI/VDE 3694 | DE-EN, DE-ZH |
| Software / HMI | IEC 62366 (usability) | EN plus target market languages, Eastern Europe |
From source file to finished document in four steps
How a project runs
Our process is certified to ISO 17100: defined steps, qualified people, a record of every stage. You can check where your project stands at any point in the customer portal.
- File analysis and terminology check
You upload your document in the customer portal. The system analyses volume, language pair and repetition rate. Any existing translation memories and glossaries are applied automatically. You get a binding quote in about 10 minutes, within business hours.
- Matching the translator to the subject
Your project goes to a native-speaker specialist translator with machinery experience: engineers, technicians or scientists who also hold a translation qualification. On large jobs, say 500 pages and up, several translators work in parallel.
- Translation and revision under the four-eyes principle
The translator works in CAT tools (Trados, Across, memoQ) with the translation memory and the termbase. A second, independent reviser then checks the translation for technical accuracy, completeness and conformity with the standards.
- DTP check and delivery in the original format
For laid-out files (InDesign, FrameMaker) our DTP team checks the layout, the text lengths and the page breaks. For structured data (XML/DITA) the files go straight back into your content management system. What you get back is a finished document in the format you sent.
Have a project coming up?
Upload your document and you will have a free analysis and a binding quote in about 10 minutes, within business hours.
Free · No obligation · Reply in ~10 minutes (within business hours)Translation memory and post-editing
What repetition actually does to your invoice
Technical documentation repeats itself. A sentence like “Tighten the screw to a torque of 25 Nm” turns up in every manual you publish. Our CAT tools (Trados, Across, memoQ) store every translated sentence in a translation memory and recognise it the next time it appears. Repetition is billed in tiers: a 100% match costs 60% to 70% less than a new segment. The file analysis tells you how much of that is in your document.
On high-volume work, say 500 pages and up for a new export market, we add AI-assisted post-editing to ISO 18587. Machine translation produces the first draft, fed from your translation memory and your terminology. A native-speaker specialist translator then corrects and finishes the text to standard. Warnings, risk assessments and anything else safety-related stay with specialist translation to ISO 17100.
The same terminology across every document.
Only new segments get translated again.
60% to 70% off identical segments.
Have a company glossary? We import it into our termbase. No glossary yet? We build it with you. That way “Schraube” is not “screw” on page 1 and “bolt” on page 50. The Machinery Regulation brings in new subjects, cybersecurity and self-evolving behaviour among them. Building that terminology early is particularly worthwhile here, because the accepted terms have not settled yet in many target languages.
Price guide for machinery translation
| Service | From | Throughput (guide) |
|---|---|---|
| Post-editing (MTPE, ISO 18587) | from €0.05/word | approx. 4,000 words a day |
| Specialist translation (machinery) | from €0.12/word | approx. 2,000 words a day |
| 100% TM matches | 60% to 70% off per segment | Available immediately |
| Express surcharge | +30% to 50% | Delivery within 24 h |
Depending on the language pair, the subject area and how urgent the job is, the cost runs between €0.05 and €0.14 per word. Binding quote once we have analysed the file.
We work in your file format
The layout comes back the way it went out
Technical writers know the problem: the translation arrives as a Word file and has to be pasted back into the original system by hand. Not here. Upload the working file and you get the same format back, laid out and ready to publish.
Export markets
The language pairs we see most in machinery
In German machinery, the biggest export markets are also the most requested target languages. The pairs that come up most often at tolingo, and you can see every language we cover here:
| Language pair | Export market | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| German to English | USA, UK, India, worldwide | US and British English diverge on standards references (ANSI vs BS) |
| German to French | France, Belgium, Switzerland, Africa | Strict language legislation (Loi Toubon) |
| German to Spanish | Spain, Latin America | European Spanish vs Latin American Spanish (419) |
| German to Chinese | China | GB (Guobiao) standards apply, character set needs checking |
| German to Eastern Europe | Poland, Czechia, Romania | Growing production sites, growing demand |
Sector experience
The machinery segments we know well
CNC milling machines, lathes, machining centres. Terminology in line with DIN/ISO, VDI guidelines and manufacturer glossaries.
Excavators, cranes, wheel loaders, industrial trucks. Documentation under the Machinery Regulation, with an emphasis on occupational safety and emissions standards.
Filling lines, labellers, case erectors. High repetition rates, which is where translation memory earns its keep.
PLC programming, CNC controls, robotics, Industry 4.0. We know that PLC, SPS and API are the same controller in three languages, and when API means something else entirely.
Conveyor belts, storage and retrieval machines, automated guided vehicles. Safety-critical documentation for international markets.
Chemical plants, process technology, P&IDs. Safety-critical documentation to ATEX 2014/34/EU and IECEx.
Glossary
Terms worth knowing in technical translation
- Risk assessment (ISO 12100)
- A systematic analysis of the hazards a machine presents. Required for CE marking under the EU Machinery Regulation.
- CAT tool (computer-assisted translation)
- Software that supports the translator (Trados, Across, memoQ). CAT tools draw on translation memories to keep translations consistent and efficient.
- Translation memory (TM)
- The database inside a CAT tool that stores every translated sentence and offers it again when the same sentence comes up. It holds terminology steady and cuts the work on recurring content.
- Four-eyes principle (ISO 17100)
- A quality step in which a second, independent reviser checks the translation for technical accuracy and completeness.
- EU declaration of conformity
- The manufacturer’s legally binding statement that a machine meets every EU rule that applies to it. Article 21(2) of the EU Machinery Regulation requires it to be translated into the language prescribed by the member state where the machine is placed on the market. For Germany, Section 2(1) MaschinenDG requires German.
- MSDS / safety data sheet
- Material safety data sheet. Required for hazardous substances under REACH. It covers hazards, handling, storage and disposal.
Common questions
About translation for machinery
Working through the Machinery Regulation?
The language check runs through eight questions and shows you which documents are still open. No form, no sign-up. If you would rather talk about a project directly, write to us.
Free · No sign-up · Two minutes