PLC Ladder Language Translation

[adk_mechetech]

So I am sure many of you have run into this problem over the years. I know I have....

The customer has a machine that was built outside the USA, and therefore programmed in the native language of the builder without any translations included. (Shame on the customer for not requiring it). They would like to make some additions and changes to the way the machine works.

I have been asked to either translate to English or re-program in English, whatever is more practical. I have done this many times with German, Spanish, and French programs, but this particular one is apparently in Chinese and my Mandarin is non-existent.

I have not seen a copy of the source code yet, but I have been informed it is/will be available. It is a Siemens S7-200 and hopefully not the CN only version. Now, I have no idea the quality of the program, or the skill of the original programmer, so I just have to assume it isn't total garbage at this point.

How would you handle something like this? I could sit with Google translate on my phone, but Chinese translation is painfully difficult if you don't have any understanding of the language. Is there some kind of technical translation service I can sub out at least the symbol list to for translation?

Recommendations?

 

[James Mcquade]

if you can get a copy of the current program AND it is not locked,
you might create a pdf of the program and hire a Chinese to English translator.
i do not know if your customer will allow that. the price may force you to rewrite the program. just a suggestion.
james

 

[cardosocea]

If it is indeed an S7-200 and not 1200, this is a fool's errand as finding MicroWin tends to be complicated and your work may go wasted if the PLC were to die on you.

I'd look at a re-write with an S7-1200 instead. There's also a very good chance that the texts and alarms on an HMI (if present) aren't all that great if the machine comes from China.

 

[joseph_e2]

Like the others, I would probably lean towards a re-write in a not-obsolete platform. Definitely still get a copy of the source code (even a printout) with comments as a starting point to see how awful it is. Then you'll need a detailed spec document explaining how the machine is supposed to work.

 

[arpus4KM]

Do what I did when I encountered an all spanish program.

Export the tags and descriptions, Copy it all at once, paste into google translate. Copy paste back out again and fix the wording to what makes sense.

Excel works good on this keeping everything tidy.

 

[Mickey]

Go to your local school and hire a Chinese student (min. wage). Done!

 

[kamenges]

I'm with Mickey on this one, especially if they happen to be in an automation or engineering program.

Keith

 

[I_Automation]

I've translated Chinese comments and have a customer with a press that's all Japanese.


I'll suggest to you the same thing I suggested to them - call a temp agency and hire a Chinese(/Japanese) speaking person to come in and translate it for you.


There are so many close words and phrases that Google and Bing translate can't properly translate.


One clear example is a Chinese saleslady I deal with on WeChat posted a "Moment" there, while she was engaged, of 2 Starbucks cups and a statement. Google translated it to: "Caught Scr*****g my sister again - you will suffer" but when I asked her about it she said it actually was "I hope my sister gets out of the lavatory before these get cold"


Just a slight difference in meaning....

 

[Aardwizz]

Technical translation can be especially tough. I know a biologist who got a translation of a neurobiology paper. One line came back:
"The future of the chamber was 2.7 volts."

The actual intent read:
"The potential of the cell was 2.7 volts."

 

[I_Automation]

Technical translation can be especially tough. I know a biologist who got a translation of a neurobiology paper. One line came back:
"The future of the chamber was 2.7 volts."

The actual intent read:
"The potential of the cell was 2.7 volts."

Similar to a translation from Japanese that came out " Feed the Cat" that I finally figured was sustaining a mode (to feed = sustenance) but never figured out where cat came from.

 

[parky]

Yep, Asian languages are harder to translate using many of the translators there are, the main problem is certain words or chars depending on their order or context can translate wrongly, an example is some word in Thai meaning good or ok or something like that translated comes out as "tight". Although, you could get some idea of the context by importing the text into translate but there could be errors.
There is a guy on here who lives in Japan Alfredo I think his name is if he is looking at these posts perhaps he could help but it is a lot of work.

 

[AlfredoQuintero]

There is a guy on here who lives in Japan Alfredo I think his name is if he is looking at these posts perhaps he could help but it is a lot of work.

If it is in Japanese, yes sure, I can give it a try. if there is not too much text I can do it free of charge.

 

[parky]

Ah.. Just noticed the OP says chinese so perhaps not.

 

[AlfredoQuintero]

If it is Chinese then I can/t help

 

[joseph_e2]

We have a bunch of pipe benders from Taiwan. They built in translations, but not everything translates. When it doesn't translate, Google translate does...fair. It helps if you know how the machine works so the "almost right" terms can make more sense. There are few places, though, where it's a one-word caption that just doesn't work at all. Then, we have to take a picture and send it to the OEM.