Engineering Drawing (AutoCAD / DWG) Translation

TARGMANEBI translates engineering, architectural, structural, electrical and mechanical drawings directly in the CAD file or, for PDFs, in a vector graphics editor. The geometry, the dimensions and the layer structure match the original. The translation is ready the same or next day.

Who it is for

• Architects and design offices - presenting a project to a foreign client or investor;
• Construction companies - adapting a foreign project for Georgian site crews;
• Engineering companies - drawings of electrical, HVAC, water supply and sewerage systems;
• Manufacturers - part drawings, assembly diagrams, bills of materials (BOM);
• Tender bidders - the set of drawings included in a tender package. More details: tender documentation translation.

What we translate in a drawing

The numerical value of a dimension does not change. Only its text suffix is translated, for example "TYP.", "U.N.O." or "EQ.", which on a Georgian drawing are written out in full or with an established abbreviation.

How we work on a DWG / DXF file

• Inventory - we open the file and check Model and Layout space, external references (Xrefs) and blocks. We count how many unique text strings there are and how many repeat;
• Text extraction - the text is extracted from the file together with the object identifiers, so every translation returns to its own place;
• Translation in a CAT environment - the same label, for example "CONCRETE C30/37" or "SEE DETAIL 4", is translated once and appears the same way on every sheet;
• Import into the drawing - the translation goes back into the same objects, on the same layers, with the same height, oblique angle and justification;
• Visual check - we check every sheet: the text does not cross lines, does not run outside the frame and does not cover dimensions.

In this process the translator works only with text objects. Lines, dimensions, scale and the layer structure remain untouched.

The Georgian font problem and how we solve it

Standard AutoCAD SHX fonts, such as romans.shx, do not contain Georgian letters. If Georgian text is written in a style like that, question marks or empty boxes appear on the drawing.

That is why we create a separate text style for the Georgian text with a TrueType font that fully covers the Georgian alphabet, and keep the height and width factor of the original. As a result, the drawing reads correctly on any computer and in print.

Bilingual drawings

International projects often need both languages on one sheet. In that case:

• the Georgian text is placed on a separate layer, for example "TEXT-KA";
• the original remains untouched;
• by switching the layer on or off you print a single-language or a bilingual version.

PDF drawings

If you only have a PDF, the work depends on the type of file:

• A vector PDF exported from CAD - the text is replaced in a vector editor, and lines and scale are not disturbed;
• A scanned drawing - the original text is masked and the translation is placed in its position, while the graphics of the drawing stay unchanged;
• Large-format sheets (A1, A0) - printed in the same format.

Why copying the text into Word does not work, and what a professional bureau does differently: how to translate PDF and AutoCAD drawings without losing the format.

Terminology that trips people up

• "Elevation" as a type of drawing is "ფასადი" (facade), and as a height mark it is "ნიშნული" (level), never "ამაღლება" (a literal "raising");
• "Slab" is "ფილა" (a floor or roof slab), "Footing" is "საძირკველი" (a pad or strip foundation);
• "Rebar schedule" is "არმატურის სპეციფიკაცია" (a reinforcement specification);
• "Finished floor level (FFL)" is "სუფთა იატაკის ნიშნული" (literally "clean floor level").

We fix terms like these in the termbase at the very start of the project, and they are translated the same way on every sheet, in the explanatory note and in the specification.

Abbreviations on drawings

An English-language drawing is full of abbreviations that have established equivalents in Georgian design practice. The most common ones:

• TYP. - ტიპური, "typical" (the same at all similar locations);
• U.N.O. - "unless noted otherwise";
• EQ. - "equally" (at equal spacing);
• NTS - "not to scale";
• THK - thickness; DIA or Ø - diameter;
• EL. - level; CL - centreline;
• EXIST. - existing; PROP. - proposed.

Where space on the sheet is limited, we use an abbreviation in Georgian too, and the full explanation goes into the legend or the general notes. This way the drawing is not overloaded and the reader does not miss a single symbol.

Drawings by discipline

Each discipline has its own terminology and its own logic for reading a drawing, so we choose the translator according to the relevant profile:

• Architectural - plans, elevations, sections, door and window schedules and finishes schedules;
• Structural - foundations, slabs, beams, reinforcement drawings and concrete classes;
• Building services - power supply, lighting, heating and ventilation, water supply and sewerage;
• Mechanical - part drawings, tolerances and surface roughness, assembly diagrams.

Revisions: when the drawing changes

A design drawing rarely stays at its first version. Rev A is followed by Rev B, then "Issued for Construction" and "As-Built". Each revision changes a few dimensions, details or notes, while the rest of the text stays the same.

With Translation Memory, labels that have already been translated are recognised automatically in the new revision, and the translator works only on the changed text:

• Faster delivery - translating a revision takes far less work than the first version;
• One term across all revisions - in Rev B the concrete class is named exactly as in Rev A;
• Change control - text marked inside revision clouds is checked separately.

Drawings for Georgian authorities

When a foreign project enters Georgian administrative proceedings, for example at the building permit or expert review stage, the documentation has to be submitted in Georgian. Under Article 14 of the General Administrative Code of Georgia, the language of administrative proceedings is Georgian, and under Article 73 a foreign-language document must be accompanied by a notarized translation within the period set by the authority.

In such cases we prepare Georgian or bilingual drawings, and translate the explanatory note and the specifications with the same terminology. We arrange notarization in parallel with the translation: notarization.

Documents that go with the drawings

A set of drawings almost always comes with text documentation. To keep the terminology consistent, we translate it as one project:

• The explanatory note - the project description, design decisions and the regulatory basis;
• Specifications and material schedules - in Excel format, with the formulas preserved;
• Engineering calculations - structural, thermal and electrical;
• Technical conditions and installation instructions from the manufacturer.

If the drawing says "ბეტონი B25" (concrete B25), the explanatory note and the schedule will carry exactly the same entry. General rules of technical translation: technical translation.

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