Specialist Technical Translation Secures Major UK Wind Farm Contract

To win a landmark ScotWind offshore wind contract, TerraWatt Engineering had to translate and localise complex Spanish technical specifications. These were critical for their UK tender submission. Our engineering translators, who have expertise in both language and technical fields, ensured full compliance with UK standards. This led to a successful bid and a multi-million-pound contract win.

Client: TerraWatt Engineering

Industry: Renewable Energy & Civil Engineering

Services Provided: Specialist Technical Translation (Spanish to English), Tender Document Integration, UK Standards Localisation

The Case Study Covers

The unique challenges of integrating foreign technical data into a UK tender

• The bespoke localisation strategy provided by Translations.co.uk
• The direct impact of specialist translation on winning the contract

“It was more than a translation task; it was the key to our successful tender. They didn’t just translate our partner’s data; they localised it, making it speak the language of UK engineering standards.” – Project Director, TerraWatt Engineering.

Client Background

TerraWatt Engineering is a UK leader in delivering large-scale renewable energy infrastructure projects. They were preparing a high-stakes bid for the ScotWind program, a key part of the UK’s strategy to expand offshore wind capacity. A successful bid hinged on perfectly integrating the technical documentation from their Spanish subsea foundation partner into the formal UK tender.

Challenges

• Technical specifications from Spain had to be localised, not just translated, to match UK engineering and safety standards (BS/ISO).
• An absolute, non-negotiable tender deadline meant speed and accuracy were paramount.
• Data was locked in complex files, including AutoCAD drawings and material datasheets.
• Failure to ensure seamless terminology would undermine the entire tender’s credibility and likely lead to disqualification.

Solutions

• Assigned a project lead with a dual background in translation and civil engineering.
• Collaboratively built a UK-to-Spanish engineering glossary before starting the main project.
• Used specialists with direct experience in renewable energy and materials science.
• Our DTP team handled text extraction and reintegration for all complex file types.
• Implemented a multi-stage validation process involving TerraWatt’s own engineers.

Results

We delivered the fully localised and formatted technical documentation three days ahead of the critical deadline. The precision and clarity of the submission were praised by the evaluation board, which contributed directly to TerraWatt Engineering winning the tender. This project demonstrates our ability to act as a strategic partner, turning a potential language barrier into a contract-winning asset. TerraWatt now considers us their exclusive provider for complex, cross-border engineering projects.