5 Steps to Prepare a Manual for AI Translation

AI translation has come a long way. It can save time, cut costs, and speed up global documentation rollouts. But there’s one important truth every Technical Documentation Specialist should know: the outcome you get from AI is only as good as the work you put in before the first word is translated.

Think of it like maintaining a cooling unit: if the filters are dirty, the fans unbalanced, or the wiring poorly installed, no amount of airflow will deliver optimal performance. In the same way, preparing your manuals properly ensures AI can work at its best.

In this guide, we’ll walk through five practical steps to prepare a Cooling Unit Manual (our running example) for AI translation using TextUnited. These steps apply to any kind of technical documentation, but especially to material that needs accuracy, consistency, and safety compliance.

Step 1. Prepare Your Source File Properly

Before AI can do its job, you need to make sure your source file is in shape.

• Use structured, editable formats
  AI tools (and translators) work best with clean, editable files – think DOCX, XML, or Markdown. PDF exports or text baked into images will create roadblocks.
• Avoid formatting clutter
  Extra line breaks, embedded text boxes, and inconsistent headers confuse theengine. Keep formatting simple and consistent.
• Check graphics and diagrams
  If your cooling unit diagram has safety warnings written directly in an image, AI can’t translate them. Export those texts into captions.

TextUnited’s Language AI & Translation platform automatically extracts translatable text from files. But the principle holds: garbage in = garbage out. A clean source file is your first quality guarantee.

Step 2. Build and Use Terminology

Terminology is the backbone of technical documentation. Without it, you risk inconsistent or misleading translations.

• Create a glossary of key terms
  Identify recurring technical terms: compressor, condenser coil, refrigerant, fan motor, thermostat.
• Lock down terminology in TextUnited
  You can upload a glossary or create a termbase directly in the platform. The AI will then respect these terms in every translation.
• Ensure safety and compliance terms are crystal clear
  “Do not touch live wires” should never appear in five slightly different variations across your manual.

Example: In our Cooling Unit Manual, the term “air handling unit” should always translate consistently – not sometimes as “ventilation unit” and sometimes “air handling device.”

Step 3. Apply a Style Guide

Consistency isn’tjust about words.It’salso about tone, voice, and readability.

• Define your documentation style
  Do you prefer imperative (“Tighten the valve”) or descriptive (“The valve should be tightened”)? Are units always metric, or do you include imperials as well?
• Set language rules
  Decide who is the recipient of your document – a French speaking person from France, or Canada?
• Apply directly in TextUnited
  A style guide integrated into the platform ensures AI-generated translations follow the rules automatically.

Example: If your original Cooling Unit Manual starts with direct, instructional sentences, make sure translations keep the same authoritative tone instead of softening into suggestions. In TextUnitedit’s as easy as writing a prompt!

Step 4. Set Up Internal Reviewers

AI can deliver speed, but human oversight ensures accuracy.

• Assign subject-matter experts
  Your engineers, technicians, or compliance officers know what “suction line accumulator” means in practice. Their review is critical.
• Use TextUnited’s review features
  Internal reviewers can approve, edit, or comment on AI-generated translations before they go live.
• Focus on high-risk sections first
  Safety instructions, warranty conditions, and compliance regulations deserve extra attention.

Example: Before publishing a Cooling Unit Manual in German, ask a local technician to confirm that “Überhitzungsschutz” is the right industry-standard term for “overheating protection.”

Step 5. Run a Pilot Translation and Optimize

Don’t throw the entire set of manualsinto 20 languages at AI right away. Start small.

• Translate a single chapter or section
  For example, try the Maintenance Procedures section of your Cooling Unit Manual.
• Gather feedback and adjust
  Did reviewers flag recurring issues? Refine your glossary or style guide before scaling.
• Apply learnings to all your assets
  Once you’veoptimized settings, the full translation will be smoother, faster, and require fewer corrections.

TextUnited offers built-in QA checks to catch terminology inconsistencies, untranslated segments, and formatting errors. Use these before finalizing.

AI translation is not magic, although many of us would like to see it that way. It’s more like a skilled technician: highly efficient when given the right tools, instructions, and environment. As a Technical Documentation Specialist, you already know the importance of preparation. When you apply that same discipline to translation: by cleaning your files, setting terminology, enforcing style, involving reviewers, and running pilots, you set AI up to deliver consistent, high-quality results.

So the next time you’re preparing a Cooling Unit Manual (or any other technical documentation), remember: the quality of the translation begins long before you press “translate.”