Helping food safety experts communicate across languages

The project

I addressed technical translation challenges – like terminology, syntax and cultural references – while helping an Italian multinational do business abroad.

The context

The supplier

My client is an Italian multinational that distributes dressings in over 120 countries.

The buyer

A UK retail chain that buys raw materials and finished products from my client, the supplier.

The goal

Making sure the two parties have matching standards in terms of product authenticity, packaging control and employee health.

The research

One of my favorite steps is immersing myself in the client's environment, understanding who they are and what they need.

I visited the company's headquarters and collaborated with a quality control specialist to get the bigger picture on their supply chain processes.

Back at home, I got my hands on corporate literature as well as national and international food safety regulations.

The research step helped me sort the documents to be translated based on their domain.

I also created a bilingual conceptual system to show where each document would fall within the larger food safety normative framework.

The language

Now it was time to decide which language to translate the documents into.

Since the regulations were prepared by Italian quality control specialists for their British counterparts, we're in the realm of expert-to-expert communication.

This means both the authors and the readers likely share the same technical knowledge.

To produce rigorous translations that effectively convey their message, I focused on:

• clear, unambiguous sentences
• concise syntax
• precise, consistent terminology
• objective, neutral language
• logically structured paragraphs

The challenges

1. Inconsistent terminology
2. Complex, unclear syntax
3. Cultural references
4. Cross-document references
5. Inconsistent text formatting

1. Inconsistent terminology

Throughout the texts, I noticed a tendency to use multiple synonyms and variants to define the same concept.

I worked with the quality control specialist to choose one term for each technical concept.

I then recorded key terms and recurring expressions in a bilingual termbase.

I accompanied each entry with definitions, example sentences, links and my suggested translation.

The termbase is connected to the computer-assisted translation software — every time a translator works on a similar text for the same client, they'll be able to access a host of built-in resources.

This way, all translators working on the project work faster and use accurate terminology across the documents.

2. Complex, unclear syntax

The texts presented long, convoluted sentences with multiple subordinate clauses.

Sometimes, it was hard to identify how the clauses were linked.

Here's what I did:

• removed repetition
• split up long sentences
• turned passive verbs into active verbs where possible
• restored the subject-verb-object structure where possible

3. Cultural references

The texts contained several references that are specific to the Italian context and might be confusing for British readers.

I explained potentially obscure acronyms and used official translations for association names, laws and regulations wherever possible.

4. Cross-document references

Since the documents I translated are part of a larger set of texts, they include references to other internal and external resources.

I worked on making these references easily identifiable for the reader.

I created a glossary of all acronyms used and introduced a consistent citation style.

5. Inconsistent text formatting

Last but not least, I noticed the layout wasn't uniform across the documents.

I corrected the font type, size and color to reflect the information hierarchy (headers, paragraphs, references, footers).

I also created a reusable template based on the existing document structure.

The final copy

Two professional editors reviewed my translations after I completed them.

The bilingual editor compared the translations to the original texts to make sure they conveyed the same message, while the native English editor proofread the final translations for flow and readability.

Together we polished the punctuation, grammar, vocabulary and syntax.

The impact

Once the translated safety standards were reviewed, the buyer could continue distributing the supplier’s products in 900+ physical stores in the UK, thereby consolidating my client’s reach in a new market.

How might you benefit from this approach?

• Create language resources once and reuse them across documents
• Avoid duplicate and disconnected content
• Own and manage specialized knowledge internally
• Increase translation speed and consistency

Read more from me:

Elisa Trippetti

I’m Elisa, a content designer from Italy with experience in customer service and localization. This is where I navigate and document my work life in UX and writing.

Elisa Trippetti