U.S. Guidelines/Standards for Owner's Manuals (J to E)
Thread poster: Tim Walker
Tim Walker
Tim Walker  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 21:30
Japanese to English
Jul 1, 2014

Hi, I'm a new member but a long-time lurker. I apologize if this is not posted in the correct section.

Our company is going to be translating some owner's manuals for a Japanese manufacturer of household appliances. My employer is seeking to expand our services beyond straight translation, and would like to be able to offer this company more of a localized final product. To that end, he has asked me to research U.S. standards and guidelines for owner's manual localization. (for exam
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Hi, I'm a new member but a long-time lurker. I apologize if this is not posted in the correct section.

Our company is going to be translating some owner's manuals for a Japanese manufacturer of household appliances. My employer is seeking to expand our services beyond straight translation, and would like to be able to offer this company more of a localized final product. To that end, he has asked me to research U.S. standards and guidelines for owner's manual localization. (for example, determining whether or not the safety warnings contained within a Japanese manual are sufficient for the U.S. marketplace)

To date, I have come up with virtually nothing in my searches. I am a translator, not an expert on U.S. law and compliance, so I'm at a loss as to how to go about this task. Does anyone happen to know of any resources out there for this sort of thing? I apologize for the vague and broad nature of this inquiry, but this is what has been thrust upon me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated and valued.
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Katalin Horváth McClure
Katalin Horváth McClure  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 21:30
Member (2002)
English to Hungarian
+ ...
Goes beyond translation services Jul 3, 2014

IMHO, what you are asking about requires the expertise of a regulatory specialist who is familiar with that particular industry. When it comes to legal issues and liability (and safety warnings definitely carry liability), it is very risky to touch it, if you are not an expert.
I think it takes a bit more than a few Google searches to get this right - your boss may need to rethink his strategy. There should be other ways to enhance your translation services.

[Edited at 2014-07-03 02
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IMHO, what you are asking about requires the expertise of a regulatory specialist who is familiar with that particular industry. When it comes to legal issues and liability (and safety warnings definitely carry liability), it is very risky to touch it, if you are not an expert.
I think it takes a bit more than a few Google searches to get this right - your boss may need to rethink his strategy. There should be other ways to enhance your translation services.

[Edited at 2014-07-03 02:04 GMT]
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Michael Wetzel
Michael Wetzel  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 02:30
German to English
ANSI Jul 3, 2014

Here is a relevant international norm:
http://www.iso.org/iso/home/store/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=55833

The standards body in the US is ANSI: You should just call their customer service department and explain your needs to one of their salespeople.


 


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U.S. Guidelines/Standards for Owner's Manuals (J to E)






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