Automotive

Automotive translation
for brands, importers and agencies

We translate press releases, datasheets, brochures and dealer material for car and vehicle brands. Every model name, trim level and technical term comes from one terminology database kept for your brand, so a launch reads the same in every language and every market.

  • Press releases and launch material
  • Datasheets and specification sheets
  • Model names and trim levels kept consistent
  • Units and figures checked for each market
  • A terminology database for every brand
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Send us the documents for your launch or model update, and the date, and we will reply with a fixed price.

Your documents

    What we translate for the automotive sector

    A launch needs all of these at once, in the same words.

    Why a terminology database matters in automotive translation

    A car brand uses the same words in many places: the press release, the datasheet, the brochure, the website, the owner’s manual and the dealer training. If each of them is translated on its own, the same part, feature or trim level ends up with three different names. Readers notice that straight away, and in a datasheet it can also cause real confusion.

    That is why we keep a terminology database for every brand. It holds the model names, trim levels, engine and drive types, feature names and the approved translation of each in every language. The translator working on your press release uses the same entries as the one working on your datasheet, and the database grows with every new model.

    It also stays with your brand. When a new model or a new document arrives next year, it starts from what has already been agreed and not from zero. It is the same terminology work we do for technical documentation, applied to a whole brand.

    If you already have approved terminology from your head office or from an earlier translator, send it to us. We load it first and work from it.

    Happy to be of service,

    Founder

    Model names, units and everyday words

    Details that are easy to get wrong when the translator does not know the sector.

    • Model names

      A model name can be kept, adapted or replaced in a market, and that is the brand’s decision. We tell you what a name means or sounds like in the target language, then use the final version everywhere. Mitsubishi’s Pajero, for example, is sold as Montero in Spanish-speaking markets.

    • Brand and feature names

      Trademarked feature names usually stay in the original language, and some markets use another brand name for the same car, such as Opel in Germany and Vauxhall in the UK. We keep a list of what stays and what changes.

    • Units and figures

      Power in kW, PS or hp, consumption in l/100 km or mpg, torque in Nm or lb-ft. We check every figure against the original and use the units your market expects. Range and consumption figures depend on the test method, so we ask before converting them.

    • Everyday vocabulary

      The word for the same part changes with the market: bonnet in the UK and hood in the US. In Spanish, a car is a coche in Spain, a carro in much of Latin America and an auto in Argentina, Chile and Peru. We write for the market you are selling in.

    • Technical wording

      Engines, drivetrains, batteries, charging and driver assistance each have their own vocabulary in every language, and it keeps changing. We use the terms that engineers and motoring journalists in that market actually use.

    How an automotive project runs

    1. 1

      Send us your material

      The press release, datasheet or brochure, the languages and the date of the launch or reveal. If you have a glossary or earlier translations, send those as well.

    2. 2

      Receive your quote

      You get a fixed price per language and an honest answer on whether we can meet your date.

    3. 3

      We set up your terminology

      Model names, trim levels and key terms are agreed first, with you where needed. Each document is then translated against them and checked by a second linguist.

    4. 4

      You receive consistent documents

      All the documents for the launch arrive together, using the same terms, in the formats you need. New terms go into your database for next time.

    A sector that moves fast

    Few industries change as quickly as this one. New electric models, new brands entering European markets and software-based features mean that new terms appear all the time, and one launch can need documents in many languages on the same day.

    Launch dates do not move

    A reveal or a market launch has a fixed date, and the press release, the datasheets and the website text all have to be ready for it. Tell us the date when you ask for a quote and we will tell you honestly whether we can meet it. We work under embargo, and we sign an NDA on request.

    New terms every year

    The vocabulary for batteries, charging and driver assistance is still settling in many languages. Every new term we agree with you goes into your terminology database, so the next model starts from what is already decided.

    Agencies and importers

    Communication agencies launching a car brand in Switzerland can also see our page for Swiss communication agencies. Importers and distributors can send us the dealer material along with the press documents, so everything uses the same words.

    Languages for the automotive sector

    Below are the languages we are asked for most often. For any other language, just contact our team.

    • German
    • English
    • Spanish
    • French
    • Italian
    • Norwegian
    • Arabic
    • Chinese
    • Japanese
    • Romanian
    • Portuguese
    • Polish
    • Swedish
    • Finnish
    • Thai
    • Russian
    • Greek
    • Ukrainian
    • …and many others
    EnglishPortugueseSwedishGermanPolishGreekSpanishDutchTurkishFrenchRomanianJapaneseArabicUkrainianMandarinItalianRussianNorwegian

    Frequently asked questions

    Tap any question to see the answer!
    Why do you need a terminology database for a car brand?
    Because the same words appear in the press release, the datasheet, the brochure, the website and the manual. Without one list, each document is translated on its own and the same feature gets different names. With it, every document uses the same terms, and each new model starts from what has already been agreed.
    Can you translate our model names?
    The decision is yours. Whether a name is kept, adapted or replaced in a market is a brand decision. What we do is tell you what the name means or sounds like in the target language, so you can decide with that information, and then we use the final name consistently.
    Do you convert units and figures?
    We use the units your market expects and check every figure against the original. Where a figure depends on a test method, such as range or consumption, we ask you before changing it.
    Can you work under embargo before a reveal?
    Yes. Everything you send is confidential, every translator is bound by a confidentiality agreement with us, and we sign an NDA on request.
    Can you handle several documents and languages for one launch?
    Yes. We plan them as one project, so the press release, the datasheets and the web texts use the same terminology and arrive together. Tell us the launch date when you ask for a quote and we will tell you honestly whether we can meet it.
    We already have a glossary from head office. Can you use it?
    Yes, please send it. We load it first and work from it, and we tell you where we find gaps or entries that contradict each other.
    Do you translate owner’s manuals and workshop documents too?
    Yes, using the same terminology as the rest of your material. For long manuals we agree the schedule with you when we send the quote.
    What does it cost?
    It depends on the length and the languages, and you get a fixed price before we start, with no obligation. Brands that send material regularly agree terms once and then simply send.

    Launching a new model?

    Send us the documents and the launch date. You will get a fixed price and an honest answer on timing.

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