CAD DRAWING TRANSLATION SERVICES

CAD drawing translation is the translation and localization of text contained within computer-aided design (CAD) and engineering drawings. This may include drawing notes, annotations, callouts, labels, title blocks, part names, material descriptions, and other text elements.

Unlike general document translation, the translated text has to fit within a fixed drawing space, follow the drawing’s existing layers and formatting conventions, and remain usable by engineers and manufacturers downstream.

We can translate drawing notes, annotations, callouts, labels, title blocks, legends, part and component names, material descriptions, and other text contained within technical drawings.

Before translation begins, we identify the content that should be translated and any elements that should remain unchanged, such as part numbers, codes, dimensions, symbols, or other project-specific information.

We work with DWG, DXF, and other commonly used CAD and technical drawing formats. We can also support files created in applications such as AutoCAD, SOLIDWORKS, Autodesk Fusion, CATIA, Revit, Creo, and Inventor, depending on the file type and project requirements.

Send us your source files and we will review them before quoting the project. If linked files, external references, fonts, or other supporting files are required, we will let you know what to provide.

Yes. If the native CAD files are unavailable, we can translate technical and engineering drawings supplied as PDFs.

In these cases, our desktop publishing specialists build a text overlay for the translated content instead of editing the underlying CAD file, matching the position, sizing, and formatting of the original as closely as possible. The final deliverable is a translated PDF, not an editable native CAD file, so if you’ll need to make further changes to the drawing itself, native CAD files are the better route.

We can manage both the translation and the reintegration of translated content into the CAD drawing. For supported CAD files, translatable text is extracted using our proprietary tool, translated by qualified technical linguists, and then reinserted into the drawing.

During reintegration, we address text expansion, alignment, fonts, layers, and other formatting considerations so the translated drawing remains organized and readable.

We assign professional linguists with relevant subject-matter expertise and use project-specific glossaries, translation memories, and reference materials to maintain consistent terminology across drawings.

For ongoing programs, approved terminology can be maintained and reused across future projects. We can also collaborate with your engineers or internal reviewers to incorporate preferred terminology, part names, abbreviations, and other company-specific terminology.

Yes. We support CAD drawing translation into languages using Latin and non-Latin writing systems, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Cyrillic, and right-to-left languages such as Arabic.

Our CAD specialists address font compatibility, character display, text expansion, alignment, and script direction as needed to maintain readability within the translated drawing.

Yes. We can manage individual drawings as well as large multilingual drawing sets and ongoing technical documentation programs. Translation memories, glossaries, naming conventions, and project-specific instructions help maintain consistency across files, drawing revisions, languages, and recurring projects.

For larger projects, we review the drawing set, target languages, schedule, and delivery requirements and develop a workflow appropriate for the project.

We establish file-naming, language, and revision requirements during project setup and maintain translated files according to the agreed-upon project structure. This helps keep translated drawings aligned with the appropriate source versions and reduces the risk of outdated content being carried into subsequent revisions.

For ongoing programs, we can establish a repeatable workflow for handling revised drawings and previously translated content.

CAD drawing translation pricing depends on factors such as the amount of translatable content, language combination, file format, drawing complexity, number of files, CAD processing requirements, and turnaround time.

We review your files before quoting so we can account for both the translation and CAD work required. When previously translated content can be reused, translation memory may also help reduce costs while maintaining terminology consistency.