TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
My company is perhaps the largest heavy construction equipment manufacturer in China (like Caterpillar outside of China). Much of my source material is the English-language stuff done in the home country written in original Chinese script by the Chinese engineers and then sent to the company's translation department, usually in another city entirely.
That department is staffed by merely one or two individuals, and their knowledge of English seems fair at best with probable reliance on English-language dictionaries. One recent manual included the recommendation to apply butter to the threads of bolts during reassembly.
Obviously, the word "grease" was meant, but the company doesn't care so much for product knowledge, only at least some English-language skills.
I'm guessing that the engineer used the Chinese term for lubricant, and the translator used a thesaurus and just picked any ol' word.
I've got more, but it would be insulting to place them here. Write to me off-line instead.
-- Ken in Atlanta
On Thursday, January 15, 2015 9:18 PM, Peter Neilson <neilson -at- windstream -dot- net> wrote:
>
>
>On Thu, 15 Jan 2015 16:37:52 -0500, Daniel Friedman
><daniel -dot- friedman42 -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
>
>> Anyone got any good quotes from factory or engineering manuals?
>
>Almost certainly apocryphal, from over 40 years ago: (Alarm clock) "Thank
>you to perfection of alarming mechanism you never awake when you sleeping."
>
>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>Doc-To-Help: The Quickest Way to Author and Publish Online Help, Policy & Procedure Guides, eBooks, and more using Microsoft Word | http://bit.ly/doctohelp2015
>
>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
>You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as poshedly -at- bellsouth -dot- net -dot-
>
>To unsubscribe send a blank email to
>techwr-l-leave -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
>
>Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
>http://www.techwhirl.com/email-discussion-groups/ for more resources and info.
>
>Looking for
articles on Technical Communications? Head over to our online magazine at http://techwhirl.com
>
>Looking for the archived Techwr-l email discussions? Search our public email archives @ http://techwr-l.com/archives
>
>
>
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Doc-To-Help: The Quickest Way to Author and Publish Online Help, Policy & Procedure Guides, eBooks, and more using Microsoft Word | http://bit.ly/doctohelp2015
