Machine manuals should be in the language the people using the machine can read, and in any language the law of the destination country requires. For the EU, that means an official language of the member state where the machine is placed on the market or used.
Most Indian makers write manuals in English. That suits many markets, but not all, and translation is usually your job to specify and check.
The EU rules
Under the Machinery Directive, the manufacturer supplies the "original instructions" and, where needed, a "translation of the original instructions" into the language of the country of use. A machine sold in Germany needs German instructions, even if the original is in English.
The new EU Machinery Regulation, which applies from 20 January 2027, keeps this principle. Instructions must be in a language easily understood by users, as decided by the member state concerned. It also allows instructions in digital form, with a free paper copy on request at the time of purchase.
Safety warnings and markings on the machine itself also need to be understood by users. Pictograms help, but written warnings must be in the right language too.
Other markets
- In the US, no single federal rule sets the manual language for industrial machines, but employers must train workers in a way they understand, and clear warnings matter for product liability.
- In Canada, the province of Quebec has French-language rules for product documents such as directions for use and warranty certificates.
- In the Gulf and North Africa, customers and authorities often expect Arabic alongside English.
- In Latin America, Spanish or Portuguese manuals are usually expected by users and may be required for some product types.
Check before you sell
These are general points, and language rules can change. Confirm the requirement with your importer of record, a compliance adviser or the relevant authority before you sell. If you resell machines to end users, ask your customers what their safety officers and inspectors expect to see.
Getting a good translation
Machine translation of a technical manual is risky. Terms for guards, interlocks and emergency stops must be exact. A wrong word in a safety step can cause an accident and a legal claim.
Agree in the purchase order who translates, who checks and who pays. If you translate locally, ask the factory for an editable English master that matches the machine as built. Then have a technical reviewer in your country check the translation against the machine.
Also ask for the controller and HMI screens in your language where the software allows it. Operators read alarms more often than manuals. Our list of manuals and documents that should come with a machine covers what to translate.
Next step
We check that manuals match the machine and your order before shipment. To agree a document and language plan, book a free sourcing review.