Translate instructions for use into Italian

What changes when a manual goes into Italian

Italian usually runs longer than English. Narrow table cells, button call-outs and warning boxes are where overflow shows first. Italian manuals also follow a few conventions of their own.

• How instructions are phrased. Italian manuals mostly use the impersonal infinitive: “Premere il tasto ON/OFF”, “Non immergere l'apparecchio in acqua”. Where the text addresses the reader directly, it uses the formal Lei: “Prema il tasto”, never the informal “Premi”. The two forms should not be mixed in one document.
• Signal words. DANGER, WARNING and CAUTION are commonly rendered as PERICOLO, AVVERTENZA and ATTENZIONE. NOTE becomes NOTA. Keep the hierarchy consistent throughout. The plural “Avvertenze” is also the usual heading for a general safety chapter, so do not confuse it with a hazard level.
• Numbers. Italian uses a decimal comma and a full stop for thousands: “0,5 l”, “1.500 W”. Value and unit are separated by a space: “230 V”. Dates are written dd/mm/yyyy. Imperial units in a US-sourced manual need converting before printing for Italy.
• Accents. “è” (is) and “e” (and) are different words, and “perché” takes an acute accent. A capital “È” is often wrongly typed as “E'” on keyboards without Italian layout.

Why the Italian version is not optional

To sell a product to consumers in Italy, the Italian Consumer Code (Codice del consumo) requires product information, including instructions for use and safety, to be provided in Italian. EU product legislation (machinery, toys, electrical equipment and more) also requires instructions in a language users can easily understand, as set by the member state where the product is sold. In Italy, that language is Italian. Italian is also an official language of Switzerland, which matters if you sell into Ticino.

An English-only leaflet, or a rough Italian version covering only the warnings, leaves the manufacturer or importer exposed. The warnings are what must be beyond reproach. A line such as “Scollegare la spina prima della pulizia” (unplug before cleaning) must leave no doubt about the order of operations.

A translation is not a declaration of conformity. Your technical file and marking remain your responsibility.

What Manuce delivers, and what it does not

Your document goes to Dédale, the engine specialised in technical texts. For the example used on this page, a set of instructions of around 2,500 words (8 pages), the translation is delivered within minutes.

• Accepted formats: Word, PDF, PowerPoint, Excel, plain text, Markdown, HTML, RTF and CSV.
• What you get back: the file in its original format, layout included. Specification tables, numbered steps and warning boxes stay where they were.
• Before you pay: the quote is based on the exact word count, and one paragraph of your file is translated free at the level you choose. That is the moment to check whether the instructions use the infinitive or Lei.
• Storage: files are kept in your client area.

What Manuce does not do:

• it cannot read a scanned PDF, where the text is only an image and cannot be selected;
• it does not produce sworn or certified translations;
• it does not check the regulatory compliance of your product or your instructions.

Plurals, agreement and templated text

If your instructions are generated from templates, for example “Insert {n} batteries”, Italian has traps that English hides.

• Plurals. Italian has three plural categories: one, many and other. You write “1 batteria” and “2 batterie”, but “1 milione di batterie”: large round numbers take “di”.
• Gender. “L'apparecchio è acceso” but “la macchina è accesa”. When the product name is a variable, the adjective cannot agree with it reliably.
• Elision. “il {prodotto}” breaks when the name starts with a vowel: the correct form is “l'aspiratore”, not “il aspiratore”.

The safest approach is to write a complete sentence for each template. After translation, check that placeholders such as {n} or %s are untouched.

Preparing the file and checking the Italian

• Export a readable file. If the manual comes from a layout program, export it to Word or to a PDF with selectable text. Check that you can copy a sentence from it.
• Mark the device labels. If the product's display stays in English, the Italian text should quote the label exactly as shown: “Premere MENU”, not a translation of MENU. Check this in the free sample, then in the full translation.
• Check the diagrams. Labels drawn inside an image are not selectable text. Spot them before you upload.
• Review every warning. Make sure PERICOLO, AVVERTENZA and ATTENZIONE follow the same hierarchy as your source.
• Check the figures. Review torque, voltage and temperature values, and the decimal comma.
• Have it reviewed before printing. A review by an Italian speaker, ideally your distributor in Italy, is still advisable for a document going to the public.

For instructions shipped to customers, the Professional level fits. Premium adds a cross-review, which is useful when the warnings are numerous.

In practice

1. Export the instructions to Word or to a PDF with selectable text.
2. Upload the file: the quote appears at once, based on the exact word count.
3. Read the free sample and check the phrasing of instructions, the signal words and the device labels.
4. Pay, then download the Italian version in its original format.
5. Have an Italian speaker review the warnings and figures before printing.