A Guide to Secure Translation

Why Technical Documents Need Extra Protection

For anyone in Technical Documentation, files aren’t just words and pictures. They’re the blueprint of a product’s design and function. 

An installation manual for an HVAC unit, a wiring diagram for industrial machinery, or a safety guide for automotive parts – all of these are a concentration of our company's intellectual property and competitive edge.

Translating them is essential for export, but if they leak, competitors don’t just see a manual. They see how your product works.

That’s why translation security matters as much as accuracy.

Where Security Risks Come From

In the ever-present push to automate, it's easy to choose speed over security. Here’s where things typically go wrong:

• Public AI Tools: Pasting text from a schematic into a free, public tool like Google Translate or ChatGPT can inadvertently store that data on public servers. Those terms are now part of a dataset we don't control.
• Insecure File Transfer: Emailing native CAD or IDML files as attachments creates unprotected copies floating inbox-to-inbox, increasing the risk of unauthorized access.
• Unwanted AI Training: Some translation providers use customer data to train their AI models. This means your proprietary terminology and diagrams could indirectly improve a translation engine used by your competitors.
• Format Breakdown: Converting complex files to simple formats for translation strips away layers of detail and metadata, corrupting the structure we work so hard to maintain.

The convenience of a quick, free tool is never worth the risk of exposing the IP embedded in your technical documents.

Best Practices for Securing Technical Documents

Treat the translation process like you would any secure deployment. Here’s your checklist:

1. Insist on a Secure, Enterprise-Grade Platform

This is your first and most important line of defense. Your translation provider should offer:

• End-to-end encryption for all data at rest and in transit.
• A guarantee that your data will never be used to train third-party AI models.
• Certifications & partnerships (like TextUnited’s IBM Partnership) that prove their security posture is audited and validated.

2. Translate Within Your Native File Formats

You spent hours getting that diagram right. Don’t break it now.

• Work with providers that can process CAD, XML, or IDML files directly, eliminating risky and destructive format conversions.
• Use watermarking for shared draft versions to track access and deter misuse.

3. Maintain Human Oversight on Critical Content

AI is a powerful tool for consistency and speed, but it lacks our domain expertise.

• Always have a human expert reviewer for critical documents. In TextUnited it can be your expert TechDoc colleague or someone from our network of professional translators.
• This human-in-the-loop model is essential for validating accuracy and ensuring nothing gets lost in automation.

4. Enforce Strict Access Controls

You control who sees the docs internally; extend that control to translators.

• Role-based permissions ensure only assigned linguists and reviewers can access specific projects.
• This is crucial for large, multi-market projects where multiple vendors might be involved.

Building Trust Through Security

For TechDoc teams, security isn’t just about IT. It’s about trust:

• Trust from engineering teams that you’re protecting their designs.
• Trust from compliance that you’re safeguarding regulated data.
• Trust from end-users that the translated manual they receive is as accurate and safe as the original.

A manufacturer translating HVAC installation manuals into five languages used a secure platform. AI accelerated the first draft using a pre-approved term base, while human experts validated all critical safety instructions. The result: a 50% faster turnaround with zero IP exposure and perfect formatting consistency.

Practical Checklist for TechDoc Teams

Before you send your next document for translation, run through this list:

✔ Avoid public MT tools. Full stop.
✔ Vet your provider. Confirm they use private, encrypted AI engines and have a strict no-data-reuse policy.
✔ Preserve native formats. Translate directly in your source format (CAD, XML, IDML) to avoid broken layouts.
✔ Lock down access. Use project-specific permissions and monitor who views your files.
✔ Use expert review. Never fully automate the review of safety, compliance, or highly technical content.

Conclusion: Security First, Speed Second

Technical documents hold the knowledge that makes products safe, functional, and competitive. As translation becomes more automated, protecting those documents isn’t optional. It’s part of your responsibility.

Automation only works when it’s secure. Let the AI handle the repetitive heavy lifting, so you and your expert reviewers can focus on what matters most: ensuring accuracy, safety, and preserving the intellectual property that defines our products.

How TextUnited and IBM Help TechDoc Teams

At TextUnited, security is built into every step. We've built our platform with your specific needs in mind, because we speak your language.

• Enterprise-Grade Security Hosted on IBM Cloud: We run on IBM's trusted, secure infrastructure, meeting the highest standards for data protection and confidentiality.
• Secure AI with Watsonx: You can use IBM’s Watsonx AI models – private, enterprise-grade LLMs that ensure your data never touches public servers.
• Unwavering Data Sovereignty: Your files and translations are yours alone. We never use your technical documents or terminology to train any AI models, period.
• Integrated Human Expertise: Our platform blends AI-driven speed with a global network of specialized technical translators, giving you control over the entire workflow. But, if you prefer, you can review AI translations internally.

For TechDoc specialists, this means you can accelerate global product launches without ever compromising on the security of your most valuable asset: your knowledge.