ISO 9001 
ISO 17100 
ISO 18587 LinguaVox provides precision engineering translation services for precision engineering firms, component manufacturers, metrology teams and technical suppliers. We manage multilingual projects in more than 150 languages, combining specialist translators, project management, terminology control and review workflows according to what each assignment requires.
Translation for the precision engineering sector
Precision engineering leaves no room for approximate wording. A figure that is rounded, a unit converted incorrectly or a tolerance that is paraphrased can turn a conforming part into a rejected one, so the translation has to protect the numbers as carefully as the words. Tolerances, measurements, materials, surface treatments and process terms have to be rendered exactly, because a component is accepted or rejected on those details. Much of this work also feeds demanding supply chains — aerospace, medical, automotive, defence — where documentation is checked closely and where a misread tolerance or unit is a real quality issue. The translator therefore needs to understand what the numbers mean, not only how to move words between languages.
Before we quote, we identify the document type, reader, destination market, format and review level, because those points determine the translator profile and quality workflow.
Documents we translate
Typical documents include technical drawings and their callouts, measurement and inspection reports, manufacturing specifications, quality documentation, component catalogues, calibration and metrology instructions, first-article and supplier documentation, and process procedures. Some are dense with figures and symbols; some are narrative. We handle each so that numbers, units and tolerances are preserved precisely and only the descriptive text is translated.
Before quoting, we review the files whenever possible to identify non-editable text, drawing callouts, tables, screenshots, embedded content, repetitions, multilingual layouts, versioning issues and instructions that should be applied during translation.
Specialist translators and quality control
Projects are assigned to translators with engineering or metrology experience and the right language combination. Where the project runs under ISO 17100, a second qualified linguist carries out a bilingual revision against the source, with particular attention to figures, units and tolerances, and the project manager then checks files, instructions and delivery format before completion.
Where machine translation is the agreed approach for suitable content, we provide full post-editing under ISO 18587. A lighter post-editing level is only used when it is explicitly agreed for the content concerned and is not equivalent to full post-editing under ISO 18587. Inspection and quality documentation is normally handled by human translation with revision.
Tolerances, units and drawing callouts
The hardest parts of precision engineering translation are the smallest. Drawing callouts must keep their symbols and values intact while their notes are translated; measurement and inspection reports must keep every figure and unit exactly as recorded; and the same material grades, treatments and standards must be named consistently across documents. We manage this with a controlled glossary and translation memory, preserve numerical content during translation, and check it again at revision. Where reports support quality processes such as first-article inspection or supplier approval, this discipline is what lets the receiving engineer trust the translated document as readily as the original. Where conventions differ between markets — decimal commas or points, or differing unit preferences — we agree them in advance and apply them consistently, so a report reads naturally to its reader without any value being altered.
Related services
For repeat suppliers, the same terminology base can also be reused across inspection reports, drawings and quality correspondence, reducing the risk of inconsistent wording between batches.
Precision engineering translation often connects with technical translation, legal and certified translation, quality and metrology documentation, desktop publishing, website localisation and terminology management. The right combination depends on the files and on how the content will be used.
How to request a quote
To prepare an accurate quote, send the files, the language combination, the deadline, the destination markets and the intended use, with any previous translations, drawings, glossaries or style preferences. For larger projects we can organise staged deliveries, separate files by language and keep a consistent structure across markets, so translation fits your quality and supply-chain workflows.
Frequently asked questions
How do you handle technical drawings and callouts?
We translate the descriptive notes and callouts while keeping symbols, dimensions and values exactly as they are. Send drawings in an editable format where possible; where text is embedded in images, we agree how to extract and return it so the layout stays intact.
How do you make sure tolerances and units stay accurate?
Numerical content — tolerances, measurements and units — is preserved during translation and checked again at the revision stage by a second linguist. We do not paraphrase figures, and we confirm in advance how units and decimal conventions should be presented for the target market.
Do you translate inspection and calibration reports?
Yes. We translate measurement, inspection and calibration reports, keeping every figure and unit as recorded and translating only the surrounding text. These are normally handled by human translation with revision, given how closely they are checked downstream.
Can you keep material grades and standards consistent?
Yes. We hold material grades, treatments and standard designations in a controlled glossary and apply them across every document, so the same grade or standard is referred to consistently in all languages and in later updates.
Do you support aerospace, medical or automotive supply chains?
Yes. We assign translators familiar with the documentation these supply chains use, such as first-article inspection and supplier approval material, and apply bilingual revision so the translated documents stand up to the close scrutiny these sectors apply.
