Capital of Wallonia, Namur is also a leading industrial and institutional fabric: Prayon, world leader in industrial phosphates, sits alongside the aerospace spin-offs of the UNamur, the technical SMEs of the BEP Entreprises park and the public contracts of the Service Public de Wallonie (SPW). Technical translation in Namur covers fields as varied as phosphate chemistry, aerospace optics and the specifications of Walloon public contracts - each with its own regulatory requirements.
Industrial Namur: chemicals, aerospace and Walloon public contracts
Prayon, subsidiary of the Société Régionale d'Investissement de Wallonie (SRIW) group, is the leading world producer of purified phosphates and phosphoric acid. With plants in Belgium, in France, in the United States and in Africa, and clients in 60 countries, Prayon generates significant volumes of multilingual technical documentation: safety data sheets compliant with REACH, chemical process procedures, quality certifications ISO 9001 and environmental certifications ISO 14001, export documentation for third countries. Phosphoric acid and phosphates enter into the composition of fertilisers, food additives and pharmaceutical products - three sectors with very different documentary regulations.
Amos (Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems), spin-off of the University of Namur, is one of the reference European players in space optical instrumentation. Its telescopes and instruments embedded aboard satellites - in particular for the Earth observation missions - are developed with the space agencies ESA and NASA, as well as with private operators. The technical documentation of Amos is of extreme complexity: optical plans, specifications of anti-reflective coatings, integration procedures in cryogenic cleanroom, reports of optical tests in thermal vacuum. These documents are drafted in English for the international partners, and must sometimes be translated into French for the Belgian authorities or into German for the German partners and Austrian partners.
The Service Public de Wallonie (SPW), as a regional administration managing hundreds of public contracts per year, generates technical specifications that can reach several hundred pages. Certain Walloon public contracts, in particular those financed by European funds or intended for international successful tenderers, must be translated into Dutch and English. The calls for tender for civil engineering works (roads, bridges, sewerage networks) or IT infrastructure include complex technical specifications whose translation requires a sector expertise.
The main typologies of technical translation in Namur:
- Prayon (phosphates and industrial chemicals): safety data sheets multilingual according to REACH (EC 1907/2006) and CLP (EC 1272/2008), documentation of production processes (phosphoric acid, superphosphates), certifications for the export to Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal, ATEX procedures for the handling zones of concentrated acid
- Amos (optics and aerospace): technical specifications of space optical instruments, integration and test procedures in space environment (thermal vacuum, vibrations), qualification documentation for ESA/NASA missions, export control (regulations ITAR/EAR applicable to space technologies)
- SPW and Walloon public contracts: technical specifications (civil engineering, IT, energy) in FR/NL/EN according to the requirements of the contract, contract notices for the Bulletin of Awards, technical tenders in response to international calls for tender
- BEP Entreprises SMEs (mechanics, electronics): user manuals and technical notices compliant with Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, CE marking, certifications for the export markets (Germany, France, Netherlands, Maghreb)
- Civil engineering and infrastructure (Namur worksites): technical plans and specifications for the major Namur public worksites (bridge of Beez, urban renovation), European calls for tender, geotechnical reports multilingual
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Prayon SDS, Amos documentation and SPW specifications
The safety data sheets (SDS) of Prayon for the phosphoric acid illustrate well the complexity of the multilingual regulatory obligations. Phosphoric acid is a substance registered under REACHwith extended information obligations. The SDS must cover 16 regulatory sections precisely and be provided in the official language of the country of destination before any placing on the market. For Prayon, which markets its products in more than 60 countries including non-EU states (Morocco, Tunisia, United States, Brazil, India), this implies translations into Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Hindi and many other languages, each with its own national regulatory requirements which may differ from the European REACH standard.
The aerospace documentation of Amos presents unique terminological challenges. Space optics has its own terminology: surface quality (roughness, figure error, wavefront error), surface treatments (coating AR, BBAR, HR), optical systems (off-axis telescopes, Korsch telescopes, flat-top beam shapers). This terminology is largely in English even in the documents drafted in French, and the translator must know when to keep the English and when to translate - a delicate balance that requires direct experience in the aerospace field.
The SPW specifications combine several types of content: legal text (general conditions of the public contracts, administrative clauses according to the law of 17 June 2016 on public contracts), technical text (specifications of the works or supplies) and financial text (estimated detail, bills of quantities). Each type of content requires a different expertise. The translation of a technical specification of civil engineering into Dutch must be both legally precise (terminology of the Belgian law on public contracts) and technically correct (Belgian construction standards NBN EN, prescriptions of the Centre de Recherches routières (CRR)).
The Namur agritechnical sector, supported by the CRSA (Centre de Ressources et de Support en Agriculture), generates a specific technical documentation: user manuals of agricultural machinery subject to the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, safety sheets for the phytosanitary products, instructions for use of the equipment for irrigation and sowing. Wallonia being an important agricultural region, these documents must be available in French for the Walloon operators but also in Dutch for the Flemish suppliers and clients.
| Type of technical document | Indicative rate | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|
| REACH chemical SDS multilingual (phosphoric acid, phosphates) | € 750-1 400 / package | 3-5 working days |
| Aerospace optics documentation (Amos, ESA) | € 0.20/word | 3-6 working days |
| SPW public contract specification | € 0.14/word | 4-7 working days |
| ISO 9001/14001 certificate multilingual | € 0.13/word | 1-2 working days |
| Civil engineering plan + technical specification | € 0.15/word | 3-5 working days |
These rates are indicative and given for a standard language combination (FR-NL, FR-EN or EN-FR). The combinations into rare languages or the urgent projects are the subject of a specific quote. Contact us for an analysis of your document.
Standards and regulatory compliance for the Namur industries
The Namur industries operate in strict regulatory frameworks that impose precise documentary obligations. For Prayon, the certifications ISO 9001:2015 (quality management) and ISO 14001:2015 (environmental management) require a management system documentation drafted in the languages of the production sites concerned. During the certification audits by bodies such as Bureau Veritas, TÜV Rheinland or SGS, the auditors may request to consult the quality procedures and records in the language of the audited site.
For the SMEs of the BEP Entreprises park which export their equipment in Europe, the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC(soon replaced by the Machinery Regulation 2023/1230/EUapplicable in January 2027) requires the provision of the instructions for use in the language of the Member State of commissioning. For the Namur exporters to Germany, the German translation of the manual is a legal obligation, not an optional service. The constituent technical file (TF) can remain in French, but the user manual must be in the language of the end user.
The Walloon public contracts are governed by the law of 17 June 2016 relating to public contracts and its royal implementing decrees. The contract documents (contract notice, special specifications, questions-answers) are drafted in the language of the region of the contracting authority - French for the Namur SPW. But for the contracts awarded jointly with Flemish entities, or for the contracts whose notice is published in the OJEU (Official Journal of the European Union), an English version of certain sections may be required.
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Must the specifications of the Walloon public contracts be translated into Dutch and English?
In principle, the public contracts of the SPW are drafted in French, in accordance with the rules on the use of languages in Wallonia. However, several situations may require a translation. For the contracts whose notice is published in the OJEU (contracts exceeding the European thresholds: 5 538 000 euros for the works, 143 000 euros for the supplies), the European Commission may request an English version of the standardised notice. For the contracts awarded within the framework of cross-border cooperation programmes (Interreg), a version in the language of the partner (Dutch, German, French depending on the programme) may be required. Finally, the foreign tenderers who respond to a Walloon call for tender may request an unofficial translation of the specifications to prepare their tender - a common practice for the contracts of specialised supplies.
How does one translate a Prayon phosphoric acid SDS for export to Morocco and Tunisia?
Morocco and Tunisia are not members of the EU and are not directly subject to the REACH regulation. However, they have developed their own regulations on chemical products, inspired by the European model but with local specificities. Morocco has applied since 2014 the law 30-13 relating to chemical products and has adopted the GHS system for the classification and the labelling. Tunisia has the standard NT 18.1-204 for the SDS. In practice, for Prayon, the translation of the SDS into Arabic (standard Arabic for the two countries, with adaptation of the local legal wording) covers the main requirements. The translator must master the chemical terminology in Arabic and know the regulatory terminological variants specific to each country. We have chemist Arabic-speaking translators experienced in the chemical regulation of the Maghreb.
Is the aerospace optical documentation of Amos subject to export restrictions (ITAR/EAR)?
Yes. The optical technologies used in the space observation systems may be subject to the American regulations ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) and EAR (Export Administration Regulations) if they contain components, technologies or software of American origin exceeding certain performance thresholds (resolution, optical diameter, sensitivity). Amos must evaluate for each project whether the documentation is ITAR-controlled. If this is the case, the translation of this documentation is itself subject to the ITAR restrictions: the translator must be either an American national (US person), or the company must obtain an export licence from the US Department of State (DDTC) covering the disclosure of the technical information. In practice, we advise our clients in the space sector to have an ITAR analysis of their documentation carried out before entrusting it to us, and we work in close collaboration with their export compliance teams.
Is a translated ISO 9001 audit report enforceable during a TÜV or Bureau Veritas certification?
The enforceable value of a translated ISO audit report depends on the use context. The certification bodies such as TÜV Rheinland or Bureau Veritas Certificationcarry out their own audits in the language of the audited site and produce their own reports in that language. A translated audit report does not substitute for the audit itself. On the other hand, to present the results of an ISO 9001 audit carried out on a Namur site to a foreign client or partner (German, British, American), a translation of the audit report is perfectly admissible for information. If the use is legal (commercial procedure, due diligence for an acquisition), a sworn translation by a sworn translator registered with the Belgian FPS Justiceconfers on it an official legal value. We provide both types according to the intended use.