The Big 6 Challenges for an Oil and Gas Translator

1. Timeline Requirements

The energy industry as a whole is extremely time-sensitive. It's never acceptable to miss a deadline for an oil and gas translator. Having an idle rig for one day alone, for instance, can cost an oil company $650,000 and that doesn't include the millions lost by not producing oil. Three minutes late could mean $3 million lost.

2. Industry Specific Vocabulary

How many of these expressions do you know?

a) PSA[1]

b) Gone to Water

c) Gunk squeeze

d) Sour Corrosion

e) Gas Cut mud

f) Sidetrack

g) Pipe ram preventer

These are just a few examples of technical terms that an oil and gas translator may encounter and that may need to communicate succinctly and effectively in another language. Most linguists, even if professionally trained, won't know the definitions of these words unless they have industry-specific knowledge. Extensive knowledge of highly technical and specific terms is vital in order to provide accurate high-quality translations.

3. 'Translating' regulations

Each nation has specific codes and standards that must be adhered to. Russia, for example, has the world's strictest regulations on offshore oil production and has introduced new regulations on how foreign assistance missions are to approach Russian authorities when sending in expertise and equipment. Oil and gas translators are responsible for being aware of these and ensuring the translations they produce comply with them.

Failing to budget for good translations that comply with the requirements of target countries can lead to them being rejected (and having to be retranslated). Why not get it right first time?

4. Keeping up with industry social and environmental requirements

Like many industries, the oil and gas sector is under increasing pressure to improve their social and environmental impact. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA) are used to assess the sustainability of their approach. The requirements for these open to public review and are imposed on a national level by treaties, national laws, oil and gas industry guidelines, and are imposed as conditions of lending and assistance by international financial organizations (e.g. the World Bank). It is a lengthy procedure that demands a good knowledge of legal and financial terminology. As a result of this constant transnational flow of documents translators should also be familiar with the procedures and documents involved that will be referred to in the process. They should be able to update and amend documents efficiently so they can be approved.

5. DTP requirements

Due to the highly technical nature of many oil and gas translations, specialized desktop publishing tools such as AutoCAD may be required in order to incorporate technical diagrams. Oil and gas translators must know how to manipulate annotations using these tools. It is easy to leave things out without review.

6. Project Specific Multilingual Communication

To date there have been US$ 53.43 billion invested in the pre-salt, with an overall $400 billion expected over the next ten years, including foreign investment from Petrobras partners British Gas and from investment from Chile. There are currently 688 sources of foreign investment in the pre salt project, a figure which not only demonstrates the demand for multi-lingual translations but also shows how, when centered on one project, a streamlined approach is vital to insure that even though they are written in different languages they are 'talking the same language' using the same terminology.

Do you consider the impact of your translation choices when you are choosing a translation provider?

[1] a) Pressure Setting Assembly - A tool used to set permanent tools on wireline using explosive force

b) Describes a well in which water production is increasing

c) A bentonite and diesel oil mixture that is pumped down the drill pipe and into the annulus to mix with drilling mud.

d) Embrittlement and subsequent wearing away of metal caused by contact of the metal with hydrogen sulfide.

e) A drilling mud that contains entrained formation gas, giving the mud a characteristically fluffy texture.

f) To use a whipstock, turbodrill, or other mud motor to drill around broken drill pipe or casing that has become lodged permanently in the hole.

g) A blowout preventer that uses pipe rams as the closing elements.

Translation Source breaks through language barriers using state-of-the-art localization, document management, eLearning development and international staffing resources and technologies that improve time to market and return on investment. From our Houston headquearters and with resources deployed internationally in 4 continents, we help you build relationships across languages that achieve results and impact your bottom line.