Publication in journals indexed in Scopus or Web of Science remains one of the key requirements when preparing for a doctoral defence and obtaining an academic title. As leading international journals accept manuscripts primarily in English, authors working in Russian or Kazakh face the challenge of translation. The use of machine translation systems is perceived as a quick and accessible solution; however, the quality of the resulting text frequently becomes one of the reasons for manuscript rejection at the editorial review stage.
What is academic translation of a scientific article?
Academic translation is the adaptation of a scientific text to the conventions of academic writing in the target language, rather than a literal interlingual transfer of content. Unlike general translation, it presupposes the preservation of the manuscript's logic, adherence to the stylistic requirements of a specific journal, and the accurate rendering of specialised terminology accepted within the given discipline.
The key distinction from everyday translation lies in the following: whereas in an ordinary text it is sufficient to convey the meaning of a phrase, a scientific manuscript requires the precise reproduction of methodological formulations, the preservation of cause-and-effect relationships in the description of results, and the consistent use of terminology throughout the entire document.
How machine translation works with scientific text
Contemporary machine translation systems – Google Translate, DeepL, as well as tools based on large language models – rely on the statistical patterns of language rather than on an understanding of the subject matter. Traditional neural machine translation systems systematically produce errors when working with professional vocabulary: they substitute terms with synonyms from a general dictionary, incorrectly render abbreviations, and violate terminological consistency.
LLM-based tools, in particular ChatGPT, generate more coherent text and in some cases convey context more accurately; however, they equally fail to ensure reliable adherence to terminological norms in narrow scientific disciplines.
Why is machine translation unsuitable for a scientific article?
Inaccurate rendering of terminology can alter the substance of scientific findings: a methodological approach described in the original may be represented in machine translation through a related but conceptually distinct term. A reviewer specialising in the relevant field will typically notice such discrepancies – and this frequently serves as grounds for rejecting the manuscript.
A separate issue concerns style. Academic English has established genre conventions regarding the formulation of research objectives, the description of methods, and the presentation of results. Machine translation reproduces the syntactic structures of the source language, producing a text that appears unnatural to a reader accustomed to the norms of anglophone academic writing. A number of journals from major publishers, including Springer and Elsevier, may reject a manuscript prior to the peer review stage if the standard of language is deemed insufficient.
Typical machine translation errors in academic texts
The most characteristic shortcomings of machine translation when working with academic texts include:
- inconsistent or inaccurate rendering of highly specialised terms
- violation of genre conventions of academic writing in the target language
- loss of meaning when translating complex syntactic structures
- incorrect rendering of abbreviations and contractions
- errors in handling numerical data and units of measurement
How to translate a scientific article correctly for Scopus and WoS?
Professional academic translation requires the involvement of a specialist with subject-matter expertise in the relevant scientific field. The optimal approach is generally considered to be one in which the manuscript is translated or edited by a native speaker familiar with the academic writing conventions of the discipline. This approach makes it possible not only to convey the content of the text but also to adapt it to the requirements of a specific journal.
When preparing a manuscript for translation and subsequent submission to a journal, it is recommended to follow this sequence:
- Confirm that the translator specialises in the relevant scientific field.
- Verify that the terminology is consistent with current publications in the target journal.
- Arrange for the text to be edited by a native speaker with experience in academic writing.
- Check the manuscript's formatting against the journal's requirements upon completion of the translation.
- Verify the accuracy of the rendering of methodological descriptions and numerical data.
Engaging a qualified specialist at an early stage of preparation reduces linguistic risks and increases the likelihood of the text passing editorial review without revisions.
Academic translation is one of the factors that directly influence the outcome of manuscript peer review. Errors made in translation affect the terminological basis and logical structure of the text, and are difficult to correct at a late stage of article preparation. The earlier a qualified specialist is involved, the higher the likelihood that the text will meet the expectations of the editorial board.
Planning to publish in an international journal and want to be confident in the quality of your translation? The specialists at Scientific Publications will provide an academic translation of your manuscript and ensure it meets the requirements of Scopus and Web of Science journals. To receive a free consultation, fill in the form below and our manager will contact you shortly. Onwards to new academic achievements!
