The translation of ITER’s webpage and the necessity of the translator in the field of nuclear energy in the 21st century

Abstract

This project consists of the translation of thirty-three pages of the ITER project website from English (US) to Spanish (Spain), together with an analysis of the original text and the proposed translations. The source texts amount to a total of 23, 238 words. I chose to carry out an inverse translation of these scientific texts for several reasons, including the change of status of nuclear energy to sustainable investment by the European Commission, the energy crisis facing Europe as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the existential threat of climate change, which requires specialised translators. The most notable translation challenges are the highly specialised nature of terminology concerning nuclear fusion reactors and the need to understand the science. The topic is almost terra incognita for translators and this demanded terminological consultations with engineers working at the ITER facility. In the conclusion, I suggest potential research avenues.