Specific features of translating international quality standards from English into Russian: The case of texts on non-destructive testing
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33910/1992-6464-2026-219-250-261Keywords:
translation of international quality standards, linguistic features, terminological accuracy, translation errors, non-destructive testing, digital radiographyAbstract
Introduction. This article addresses the pressing issue of quality in the translation of technical standards from English into Russian within the field of non-destructive testing (NDT), with a particular focus on digital radiography (DR). The study aims to identify and analyze linguistic and terminological errors in translated international standards that impair the quality of Russian-language regulatory documents and hinder the industrial adoption of modern NDT methods.
Materials and Methods. The study was conducted in 2023–2025 using content analysis of regulatory and technical documentation, comparative analysis of Russian and foreign standards, expert evaluations from industry specialists, and a review of specialized literature. The sample included international and national standards governing DR methods. Special attention was paid to lexical–semantic errors, particularly the translation challenges associated with the terms ‘imperfection’ and ‘defect’, as well as their impact on the content of national and interstate standards.
Results. The language of technical standards combines scientific, technical, and administrative discourse, which complicates the translation process. Significant terminological inconsistencies and ambiguities were identified, especially in the translation of the key concepts of ‘imperfection’ and ‘defect’. Russian standards contain varied translations of these terms, which distorts the meaning and complicates the interpretation of requirements. Translation errors persist in official publications, slowing down the development and implementation of new standards.
Conclusions. The findings highlight the need for qualified translators possessing in-depth knowledge of both industry-specific terminology and the English language to improve the quality of technical standard translations. Enhancing translation accuracy will increase the relevance and precision of Russian regulatory documents, facilitating the country’s integration into the global scientific and technical community and promoting the effective industrial application of NDT. Furthermore, it is recommended that translator training programs take into account the specific features of scientific–technical discourse and domainspecific terminology to ensure more accurate adaptation of international standards.
References
ИСТОЧНИКИ
ГОСТ 15467-79. Управление качеством продукции. Основные понятия. Термины и определения. (2009) М.: Стандартинформ, 22 с.
ГОСТ 32696-2014 (ISO 11961:2008). Трубы стальные бурильные для нефтяной и газовой промышленности. Технические условия. (2015) М.: Стандартинформ, 92 с.
ГОСТ 35092-2024 (ISO 15463:2003). Трубы стальные обсадные, насосно-компрессорные и бурильные для нефтяной и газовой промышленности. Входной контроль. (2024) М.: Российский институт стандартизации, 48 с.
ГОСТ ISO 10893-6-2021. Трубы стальные бесшовные и сварные. Часть 6. Радиографический контроль сварных швов для обнаружения дефектов. (2021a) М.: Российский институт стандартизации, 22 с.
ГОСТ ISO 10893-7-2021. Трубы стальные бесшовные и сварные. Часть 7. Цифровой радиографический контроль сварных швов для обнаружения дефектов. (2021b) М.: Стандартинформ, 26 с.
ГОСТ ISO 17636-2-2017. Неразрушающий контроль сварных соединений. Радиографический контроль. Часть 2. Способы рентгено- и гаммаграфического контроля с применением цифровых детекторов. (2018) М.: Стандартинформ, 54 с.
ГОСТ ISO/TS 18173-2012 (ISO/TS 18173:2005). Контроль неразрушающий. Общие термины и определения. (2012) Минск: ЕАСC, 12 с.
ГОСТ Р 53697-2009 (ISO/TS 18173:2005). Контроль неразрушающий. Основные термины и определения. (2010) М.: Стандартинформ, 12 с.
ГОСТ Р 55776-2013. Контроль неразрушающий радиационный. Термины и определения. (2015) М.: Стандартинформ, 12 с.
ГОСТ Р ISO 3183-2015. Трубы стальные для трубопроводов нефтяной и газовой промышленности. Общие технические условия. (2015) М.: Стандартинформ, 157 с.
ГОСТ Р ИСО 10893-7-2016. Трубы стальные бесшовные и сварные. Часть 7. Цифровой радиографический контроль сварных швов для обнаружения дефектов. (2016) М.: Стандартинформ, 20 с.
ГОСТ Р ИСО 6520-1-2012. Сварка и родственные процессы. Классификация дефектов геометрии и сплошности в металлических материалах. Часть 1. Сварка плавлением. (2014) М.: Стандартинформ, 36 с.
ГОСТ Р ИСО 9000-2015. Системы менеджмента качества. Основные положения и словарь. (2019) М.: Стандартинформ, 54 с.
Несовершенства поверхности сварных соединений стальных труб. (2021) [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://tk357.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Pervaya-redaktsiya-GOST-R-Nesovershenstv-svarnyh-soedinenij.pdf (дата обращения 01.04.2025).
Утвержденные стандарты. (2025) Технический комитет по стандартизации ТК 357 «Стальные и чугунные трубы и баллоны». [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://tk357.com/?page_id=19 (дата обращения 01.04.2025).
ISO/TS 18173-2005. Non-destructive testing. General terms and definitions. (2005) Geneva: International Organization for Standardization, 6 p.
ISO 6520-1-2007. Welding and allied processes. Classification of geometric imperfections in metallic materials. Part 1: Fusion welding. (2007) Geneva: International Organization for Standardization, 49 p.
СПИСОК ЛИТЕРАТУРЫ
Величко, В. Я. (2018) Параметры качества радиографических изображений сварных соединений по новым стандартам ГОСТ ISO 17636- 1,2- 2017. В мире неразрушающего контроля, т. 21, № 3, с. 46–55. https://doi.org/10.12737/article_5b8cf5fa603d79.29360686
Гоголинский, К., Виноградова, А., Доронина, К. (2022) Разработка классификатора средств и методов неразрушающего контроля для создания современной системы их метрологического обеспечения. В кн.: Роль технического регулирования и стандартизации в эпоху цифровой экономики. Материалы IV международной научно-практической конференции молодых ученых. Екатеринбург: Ажур, с. 184–190.
Горбунов, А. Ю., Долбунова, Л. А. (2015) Структура и языковые особенности англоязычных текстов технической документации. Огарёв-Online, № 12 (53). [Электронный ресурс]. URL: https://ogarev-online.ru/2311-2468/article/view/290182 (дата обращения 05.04.2025).
Дролова, Е. Ю., Зайкова, И. В., Мезенцева, Э. А. (2015) Проблемы перевода англоязычных международных стандартов менеджмента качества. Вестник Иркутского государственного технического университета, № 4 (99), с. 255–259.
Инструкция по подготовке и оформлению переводов на русский язык международных и региональных стандартов в электронно-цифровой форме. (2026) [Электронный ресурс]. URL: https://www.gostinfo.ru/Content/img/translate_instruction_main.pdf (дата обращения 16.03.2025).
Качалов, В. А. (2012) Качество перевода стандартов: ситуацию нужно менять. Стандарты и качество, № 11, c. 20–24.
Ким, С. В. (2018) Международные и зарубежные стандарты по неразрушающему контролю: обзор, особенности приобретения и использования. Территория NDT, № 3, с. 52–54.
Копыльцова, А. Б., Тарасов, Б. П., Копыльцов, Ю. А. (2023a) Качество методик и контроль качества. Часть 1. Досадные ошибки. Контроль качества продукции, № 3, с. 16–20.
Копыльцова, А. Б., Тарасов, Б. П., Копыльцов, Ю. А. (2023b) Качество методик и контроль качества. Часть 2. Контроль качества продукции, № 4, с. 40–45.
Леднев, И. С., Генералов, А. С. (2021) Сравнение требований российских (ГОСТ) и международных стандартов (ISO) при проведении магнитопорошкового метода неразрушающего контроля. Труды ВИАМ, № 10 (104), c. 117–123. https://doi.org/10.18577/2307-6046-2021-0-10-117-123
Шалин, А. П., Батраков, В. Н. (2021) Еще раз об ошибках перевода ГОСТ Р ИСО 9001-2015. Контроль качества продукции, № 5, с. 34–41.
SOURCES
Approved standards. (2025) Technical Committee for Standardization TC 357 “Steel and Cast Iron Pipes and Cylinders”. [Online]. Available at: http://tk357.com/?page_id=19 (accessed 01.04.2025). (In Russian)
GOST 15467-79. Product-quality control. Basic concepts. Terms and definitions. (2009) Moscow: Standartinform Publ., 22 р. (In Russian)
GOST 32696-2014 (ISO 11961:2008). Steel drill pipes for petroleum and natural gas industries. Specifications. (2015) Moscow: Standartinform Publ., 92 p. (In Russian)
GOST 35092-2024 (ISO 15463:2003). Casing, tubing, and drill steel pipes in the oil and gas industry. Incoming inspection. (2024) Moscow: Russian Standardization Institute Publ., 48 p. (In Russian)
GOST ISO 10893-6-2021. Seamless and welded steel tubes. Part 6. Radiographic testing for the detection of imperfections of the weld seam. (2021a) Moscow: Russian Standardization Institute Publ., 22 p. (In Russian)
GOST ISO 10893-7-2021. Seamless and welded steel tubes. Part 7. Weld seam digital radiographic testing for the detection of imperfections. (2021b) Moscow: Standartinform Publ., 26 p. (In Russian)
GOST ISO 17636-2-2017. Non-destructive testing of welds. Radiographic testing. Part 2. X- and gamma-ray control with digital detectors. (2018) Moscow: Standartinform Publ., 54 p. (In Russian)
GOST ISO/TS 18173-2012 (ISO/TS 18173:2005). Non-destructive testing. General terms and definitions. (2012) Minsk: EASC Publ., 12 p. (In Russian)
GOST R 53697-2009 (ISO/TS 18173:2005). Non-destructive testing — General terms and definitions. (2010) Moscow: Standartinform Publ., 12 p. (In Russian)
GOST R 55776-2013. Non-destructive radiation control. Terms and definitions. (2015) Moscow: Standartinform Publ., 12 p. (In Russian)
GOST R ISO 10893-7-2016. Seamless and welded steel tubes. Part 7. Digital radiographic testing of the weld seam for the detection of imperfections. (2016) Moscow: Standartinform Publ., 20 p. (In Russian)
GOST R ISO 3183-2015. Steel pipes for pipelines of petroleum and natural gas industries. General specifications. (2015) Moscow: Standartinform Publ., 157 p. (In Russian)
GOST R ISO 6520-1-2012. Welding and allied processes. Classification of geometric imperfections in metallic materials. Part 1. Fusion welding. (2014) Moscow: Standartinform Publ., 36 p. (In Russian)
GOST R ISO 9000-2015. Quality management systems — Fundamentals and vocabulary. (2019) Moscow: Standartinform Publ., 54 p. (In Russian)
Imperfections on the surface of welded steel pipe joints. (2021) [Online]. Available at: http://tk357.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Pervaya-redaktsiya-GOST-R-Nesovershenstv-svarnyh-soedinenij.pdf (accessed 01.04.2025). (In Russian)
ISO 6520-1-2007. Welding and allied processes. Classification of geometric imperfections in metallic materials. Part 1: Fusion welding. (2007) Geneva: International Organization for Standardization Publ., 49 p. (In English)
ISO/TS 18173-2005. Non-destructive testing. General terms and definitions. (2005) Geneva: International Organization for Standardization Publ., 6 p. (In English)
REFERENCES
Drolova, E. Yu., Zajkova, I. V., Mezenceva, E. A. (2015) Translation problems of English-language international quality management standards. Proceedings of Irkutsk state technical university, no. 4 (99), pp. 255–259. (In Russian)
Gogolinskij, K., Vinogradova, A., Doronina, K. (2022) Development of a classifier of non-destructive testing methods and tools for creating a modern system of their metrological support. In: Rol’ tekhnicheskogo regulirovaniya i standartizatsii v epokhu tsifrovoj ekonomiki. International Scientific and Practical Conference [The Role of Technical Regulation and Standardization in the Era of Digital Economy. International Scientific and Practical Conference]. Ekaterinburg: Azhur Publ., pp. 184–190. (In Russian)
Gorbunov, A. Yu., Dolbunova, L. A. (2015) The structure and language characteristics of English technical documentation. Ogaryov-Online, no. 12 (53). [Online]. Available at: https://ogarev-online.ru/2311-2468/article/view/290182 (accessed 05.04.2025). (In Russian)
Instructions for preparing and formatting translations of international and regional standards into Russian in electronic and digital form. (2026) [Online]. Available at: https://www.gostinfo.ru/Content/img/translate_instruction_main.pdf (accessed 16.03.2025). (In Russian)
Kachalov, V. A. (2012) Translation quality of standards: The situation must be changed. Standards and Quality, no. 11, pp. 20–24. (In Russian)
Kim, S. V. (2018) International and foreign standards on non-destructive testing: Overview, acquisition, and application features. Territoriya NDT, no. 3, pp. 52–54. (In Russian)
Kopyl’tsova, A. B., Tarasov, B. P., Kopyl’tsov, Yu. A. (2023) Quality of methodologies and quality control. Part 1: Frustrating errors. Product Quality Control, no. 3, pp. 16–20. (In Russian)
Kopyl’tsova, A. B., Tarasov, B. P., Kopyl’tsov, Yu. A. (2023) Quality of methodologies and quality control. Part 2. Product Quality Control, no. 4, pp. 40–45. (In Russian)
Lednev, I. S., Generalov, A. S. (2021) Comparison of Russian and international standards when conducting the magnetic powder method of non-destructive testing. Proceedings of VIAM, no. 10 (104), pp. 117–123. https://doi.org/10.18577/2307-6046-2021-0-10-117-123 (In Russian)
Shalin, A. P., Batrakov, V. N. (2021) Once again on translation errors in GOST R ISO 9001-2015. Product Quality Control, no. 5, pp. 34–41. (In Russian)
Velichko, V. Ya. (2018) Radiographic Image Quality Parameters for Welded Joints According to New Standards GOST ISO 17636-1,2-2017. NDT World, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 46–55. https://doi.org/10.12737/article_5b8cf5fa603d79.29360686 (In Russian)
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Vladimir Ya. Velichko, Lidia I. Agafonova, Elena V. Vinogradova
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The work is provided under the terms of the Public Offer and of Creative Commons public license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
This license permits an unlimited number of users to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, and to remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, including commercial use.
This license retains copyright for the authors but allows others to freely distribute, use, and adapt the work, on the mandatory condition that appropriate credit is given. Users must provide a correct link to the original publication in our journal, cite the authors' names, and indicate if any changes were made.
Copyright remains with the authors. The CC BY 4.0 license does not transfer rights to third parties but rather grants users prior permission for use, provided the attribution condition is met. Any use of the work will be governed by the terms of this license.
