Translating a dissertation into English

A dissertation is not a short text. It runs to tens of thousands of words, it uses the terms of one field, and someone will assess it. Translating one into English is a project, and it goes better in a particular order.

1. Translate a finished draft

Every change made to the original after translation has to be made twice. Settle the structure, the argument, and the figures in the language you wrote in. Then translate. A chapter still being rewritten is better left until it is done.

2. Check the rules first

Universities set their own rules on translation tools for assessed work, and a department can add its own. Read the academic integrity policy and the programme handbook, and ask your supervisor if they are unclear. What to check before using a translation tool goes through the questions to ask.

3. Write down your terms

Before translating anything, list the terms your field uses and the English each one should become. Take the English from journals in your field, not from a general dictionary. A term that comes out three different ways in three chapters is the most common thing a reader notices. Keeping terminology consistent explains how to build the list.

4. Keep the structure

Headings, numbered sections, tables, figure captions, and footnotes carry meaning. A translation that loses them has to be rebuilt by hand. Work from the Word file, so the structure travels with the text.

5. Read every paragraph beside its original

A fluent English sentence can still say something the original did not. The only reliable check is to read the two side by side, paragraph by paragraph. Look hardest at the places a translation slips: words that look alike in both languages, long sentences that had to be split, and hedged claims that came out stronger or weaker than you meant.

6. Check every number

Decimal commas, thousands separators, dates, units, and references to figures and tables all change between languages. Check each one in the text and in the tables. Then check that every citation still points to the right source.

7. Have a reader in your field look at it

A supervisor, a colleague, or a professional editor will see what you no longer can. Give them the English and the original together, so they can check the meaning and not only the grammar. For a paper going to a journal, a copy-editor is still worth having.

Where Tolayda fits

Tolayda is built for steps 4 to 6. Upload the Word file and the English sits beside the original, block by block, with headings, captions, and table cells in place. Translate one section at a time, edit the English where it is wrong, and export the Word file when you trust it. Every edit is recorded with who made it and when. A supervisor can receive a locked, read-only copy.

It does not certify a translation, copy-edit for a journal, or decide whether you may use it. Those stay with the people responsible for them. Students at UK universities can translate three papers free with a .ac.uk email.