bdaudey

Translation services for the railway industry

An international sector from the start

8 nations seen as railway pioneers:

  • The United Kingdom, cradle of the modern railway, with the Stockton and Darlington Railway inaugurated in 1825 for coal transportation.
  • The United States with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, inaugurated in 1827, which played a crucial role in economic development and westward expansion.
  • France with its first railroad set between Saint-Étienne and Andrézieux in 1827 for coal transportation.
  • Germany with the Nuremberg-Fürth railroad first opened in 1835.
  • Belgium with the Brussels – Malines railroad opened in 1835.
  • Russia, with the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, beginning in 1891 and seeing its completion in 1916, linking Moscow to Vladivostok.
  • Japan with its first railway inaugurated in 1872 linking Tokyo and Yokohama.
  • Switzerland, introducing a sophisticated railway network connecting the Alps, with technical innovations such as base tunnels and rack-and-pinion trains.

Railway industry Translation and the necessity of standardization

Translation services play a crucial role in the complex world of rail operations. From technical manuals and safety protocols to training materials and passenger information, every document must be accurately translated to avoid any confusion possibly leading to operational inefficiencies or safety risks. Given the technical nature of rail operations, even the smallest translation error may have severe consequences. The terminology is highly specialized and the context can vary considerably. In addition, translations must comply with strict regulatory and safety standards, calling upon the translator’s linguistic competence, and their intimate knowledge the industry-specific regulations. A few historical anecdotes illustrate the importance of accuracy in translations for the railway sector:

  • During the translation of European rail safety standards for the new Asian markets, certain nuances were lost, initially causing discrepancies in the application of safety protocols. This led to intensive training and workshops to ensure that all teams understood the requirements correctly.
  • The construction and operation of the Channel Tunnel, required intensive collaboration between French and British engineers. Differences in terminology and translation errors sometimes led to temporary confusion over technical specifications. For example, terms for specific technical components had different equivalents in each language, requiring frequent clarification sessions.
  • With the evolution of railway technology, we witnessed the creation of new technical terms. For example, automated train control systems terminology (such as ETCS and CBTC) required standardization in order to reach coherent translation across different technical languages.
  • The construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, required teams of workers of different nationalities. Interpreters played a crucial role in ensuring that technical instructions and work standards were understood by all. A translation error concerning track gauge specifications almost caused a major problem but was corrected in time thanks to the vigilance of the multilingual engineers.

Atenao, Railway industry Translation Specialist

Railway Translation for BARAT

Specializing in the design, manufacture and installation of equipment for the rail industry, BARAT is based in France and comprises seven autonomous specialist entities. BAAT Saint-Aignan specialises in the production of various ranges of access and escape doors. Barat Transport, based in Hirson manufactures windows and windscreens. BARAT L’Hotellier, based in the Yvelines manufactures hinges and locking systems. Interior equipment manufacturing is divided between BARAT Sofanor (Crespin) and BARAT CEIT (Loudon). The handling service is provided by the subdivision BARAT S.A based in Blois. In addition to its rolling stock production, BARAT S.A includes R&D teams designing new products in partnership with various players in the sector, including manufacturers and operators. Atenao supports the company’s expansion in Latin America, namely Chile, via technical documents translation from English into South American Spanish.

13 Years of Translation Services for Vossloh Cogifer

Vossloh Cogifer, a subsidiary of Vossloh AG, is a world leader in the railway sector, particularly in track change systems. In 2023, the Vossloh AG Group achieved record sales of €12 billion. Atenao was Vossloh Cogifer’s exclusive translation agency from 2009 until 2022. In 13 years, we’ve come across almost every type of technical and legal document related to the railway sector, and worked in a large number of language combinations through our 100% Human Translation service.

  • Translation of standards and regulations.
  • Translation of technical drawings and diagrams.
  • Translation of manuals and technical guides.
  • Translation of reports and studies.
  • Translation of contracts and invitations to tender.
  • Translation of financial and administrative documents.
  • Translation of safety documents.

SNCF: The Railway Pioneer in France

SNCF Réseau trusts Atenao with the translation of its Spanish communications. Since January 1st 2015, SNCF Réseau has merged the three entities Réseau Ferré de France, SNCF Infra and the Direction de la circulation ferroviaire (Rail Traffic Directorate) under a single structure. In charge of managing the various infrastructures, SNCF Réseau operates in tandem with SNCF Mobilités, which manages active trains operations on different lines. Its primary mission is to maintain and upgrade 30,000 km of train paths operated by the company, to ensure that the 15,000 trains currently in service, run as smoothly as possible. SNCF Réseau is also responsible for scheduling maintenance, managing train movements and developing new lines. In addition to managing the network, the company develops land rental and transfer offers and manages various advertising spaces available throughout the country. Internationally, SNCF Réseau is the main player interacting with foreign organizations involved in railway operations.

And More…:

  • Rail Europe Solutions: Since 2022, Atenao Translation Agency handles all the company’s multilingual requirements. Translation into English, German, Dutch and Spanish of a large number of texts, including source texts for the RailAPI, RailFlash, RailPortal and RailLink applications.
  • Akiem: the European company specializing in locomotives and railway equipment rental trusted Atenao with its English and German translations in 2014 and 2015.
  • French Rail Regulation Authority: which supervises and regulates the rail and road transport markets in France, trusted Atenao with its English translations from 2015 to 2019.
  • French Rail Security Authority, which issues safety certificates to operators and inspects infrastructure and rolling stock, trusts Atenao with its interpretation assignments since 2018.
  • Eurovia Travaux Ferroviaires (ETF): the specialist in the construction, renewal and maintenance of rail infrastructure, trusted Atenao with its English translations in 2012.
  • Sferis: the company specializing in the maintenance, upgrade and safety of railway infrastructures trusted Atenao with its Dutch to French translations in 2014.
  • DAXI: the Belgian supplier of Engineered Rail Solutions tusted Atenao with its translations into English from 2009 to 2015.
  • HEROS Rail Rent GmbH: the German company specializing in rail vehicles rental trusted Atenao with its French translation from 2014 to 2023.