Every science consists of atleast two component parts - (a) pure science that is theoretically oriented, and (b) applied science that is research and testing oriented. The nature of social science text to be translated could be of two types - (a) creation and exchange of information of research purposes, (b) the use of this knowledge for practical application (applied science), advertising, for trade and commerce etc., by scientists and technologists. Therefore, the social science documents to be translated could be of different nature such as research papers, dissertation, thesis, monographs, textbooks, pamphlets, catalogues, manuals, handbooks, brochures, advertisements and othersales materials, etc. each one of these will have its own characteristic features of subject, content, language, purpose and style. All these different types of documents need different kind of approaches and treatments at the hands of a technical translator.

     The main aim of technical translation is the transfer of information from one language to another. Unlike literary and aesthetic translation that involves, besides other things, transfer of rhyme, rhythm, meter, style and other aesthetic features, the advantage of technical translation is that it is specialized and comparatively restricted in range, and therefore easy to translate. This notion may hold true to some extent in case of physical and natural sciences, although it has some problems of its own. This, however, cannot be taken for granted in case of translation of social sciences texts as the latter disciplines deal with human behaviour which is dynamic and is a mystery in itself.

     Social science processes, concepts and terminologies are much more vague and culture-specific, in comparison to their counterparts in physical and natural sciences, and therefore, quite often seem untranslatable or are actually difficult to translate. Translation of social science texts may not be as creative as translating literature, but it is nonetheless difficult as it requires a sound knowledge of the subject and its related fields, besides an intimate knowledge of the two languages and the culture they represent. Translation activity here is not only a bilingual activity but bicultural as well.

     Although the primary concern of a technical translation is transfer of information, and yet this process necessitates an element of creativity, to create an equivalent text in the target language with its distinct structures, semantics, pragmatics and style etc. Technical writing can be distinguished by its content, subject matter, type of language and purpose. While the content is necessarily technical, language may have a greater frequency of technical terms. The purpose is practical - transfer of information. The technical translator, however, does not have to be content with a mere transference of information but should be able to communicate efficiently the same and create a similar effect in the target language.

     With the realization of importance of science and technology in the development of a nation, technical translation has assumed a greater significance all over the world. Science and technology in recent times is being used as an instrument for the attainment of national goals and for saving the mandkind at large.

     The UNESCO Statistical Yearbook rates English as the number one source language from which translations to other languages have been undertaken. This is closely followed by French, Russian and German. There is an increasing tendency in many countries to publish their scientific research - particularly the social science research in their own languages. More than 50% of the scientific literature available world wide is in languages other than English.