How we helped translate the L-39 Skyfox aircraft documentation for AERO Vodochody
Client: AERO Vodochody AEROSPACE a.s., (“AERO”)
Field: aerospace and defence industry
Scope: approx. 1.8 million words (documentation, standards, reference materials)
Languages: Czech, English, Russian
Savings: 43% of costs (over CZK 2 million)
Services: technical translations, terminology management, translations of data modules (.xml), technical support, consultations
Period of collaboration: 2022–present
AERO is the largest aircraft manufacturer in the Czech Republic, and it is also the largest manufacturer of jet trainers in the world. Its core focus is the development, production, sale, and servicing of military aircraft and civil aeronautical equipment.
Starting point: a state-of-the-art aircraft, inconsistent terminology, and tight deadlines
In order to export the L-39 Skyfox to Vietnam, the manufacturer needed to translate extensive technical manuals and safety documentation from English and Czech into Russian.
Due to historical reasons, Russian remains the standard language in military and technical contexts in Vietnam. To ensure the local army could operate the modern aircraft safely and efficiently, precise translation of the documentation into Russian was essential to fulfilling the contract.
What were the biggest challenges we faced in this project?
1. Enormous amount of data
The volume of aircraft documentation was exceptionally high. It included service and pilot manuals, bulletins, various educational materials and presentations. The project also involved localising data modules for the aircraft’s avionics systems.
This meant dozens of hours of consultations, multiple on-site visits to the production plant by the project lead, and intensive discussions across a wide range of specialised terminology. The goal was to align terminology across the reference materials and standards provided, as well as older translations of documentation originally produced in Russian. All of this was carried out in a secure environment, with a strong focus on data protection.
2. Inconsistent terminology
With over 1,700 employees, AERO developed its aircraft documentation simultaneously in three languages – English, Czech, and partly in Russian. The project included around 2,000 pages of reference materials – drawings, standards, and existing translations – to support the translation process.
In the development of such a complex aircraft, documentation is produced simultaneously across multiple departments – from designers to avionics suppliers. As expected, the documentation included terminological variations, with different terms used for certain components.
Our task was to harmonise the terminology – ensuring consistency across all sources, building trilingual dictionaries, and creating a unified glossary to support clear and reliable communication throughout the project.
3. Selecting the right team and meeting strict security requirements
The export project took place in a highly sensitive geopolitical context. Since 2022, working with entities linked to Russia has not been an option for this type of confidential material – such a risk was unacceptable.
Choosing the right translation team was therefore critical. We needed native Russian speakers with proven expertise in complex military and aviation terminology – and no ties to the country. A trusted team of native speakers was assembled from other post-Soviet countries who met the strict language, technical, safety and security requirements for defence industry projects.
4. Tight deadlines and contractual risks
The timeline for delivering translation documents shifted as the technical data was finalised. However, the deadline for the full documentation translation was tied to the shipment date, putting AERO at risk of significant contractual penalties if delays occurred.
This meant that work that was originally going to take a few months had to be done in the span of just a few weeks. By significantly expanding the translation team and optimising processes to fully leverage translation memory and glossaries, we were able to accelerate delivery. As a result, we met the deadline without compromising quality, ensuring the client avoided any penalties.
“We usually encounter two types of relationships on a project. Some clients keep things formal, while others come to see us as part of their team – in short, as colleagues. After the initial face-to-face meetings and process setup, our relationship with AERO clearly evolved into the latter. The translations themselves made up just about a third of the overall workload. The rest involved terminology management, team coordination, and close oversight – mainly my responsibility. From a process standpoint, it might have been easier to stay in a purely vendor role – but after months of close collaboration, the project became a real passion for me. I poured huge amounts of energy, time and effort into it, which is not uncommon in such long-term projects,” says Michaela Grunclová, head of the project department, looking back on the collaboration.Our role: from quality translation to technical solutions
We entered the project as a partner with long-term experience of technical translations in the defence and aerospace industries, a strong technological background including CAT tools and terminology databases, and ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 17100 (quality of translation services) certifications. The translations were carried out using the Phrase platform, certified to the ISO 27001 (information security) standard. Our in-house specialists who understand the language side of things as well the technical specifics helped us a lot with matters such as working with source code or processing files in less common formats. Over time, we grew from a language service provider into a trusted technical and terminology partner.
Data processing and localisation of data modules
The L-39 Skyfox technical documentation has been drawn up according to the ASD S1000D specification and a substantial proportion of the translations consisted of data modules drawn up according to this standard. In collaboration with our technological partner Phrase, we:
- set up the secure import and export of data modules in .xml/.xliff formats to the translation platform;
- split large files into smaller units to speed up translation;
- ensured efficient handling of source code and the assignment of texts to specific parts of the aircraft.
This allowed us to process large volumes of data while preserving structure, ensuring the translated content could be seamlessly imported back into the client’s systems.
Terminology management
Our analysis of the documents revealed inconsistent terminology across different departments. Our first step was to unify the technical language, ensuring the final documentation would be clear, consistent, and easy for end users to work with.
An EN–RU glossary was created, containing almost 15,000 terms, divided into thematic sub-glossaries such as the cockpit, avionics, maintenance, etc. Processes were set up for continuous updating and approval while also modifying existing translations made by the client’s internal specialists to match ours. As a result, pilots, instructors, and technicians now operate using a single, unified company language.
Security and confidentiality – the foundations of working in the defence industry
In the defence industry, data security matters just as much as translation quality. Translations are carried out on the Phrase (ISO 27001) platform, with access limited to only the essential information in line with internal security standards. Access is limited to the designated project manager and the core translation team.
The project was completed under supervision of the company’s executive director (Lukáš Utíkal), who was granted clearance by the Czech National Security Authority to access classified information at the “Restricted” level.
Confidentiality is part of our terms and conditions and an essential part of our work is the conclusion of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with the client and individual vendors. When required, we work directly within the client’s secure intranet – without sharing documents via email or external storage.
For AERO, we worked within the client’s internal infrastructure alongside our own secure systems. The client retained full control over data location, access, and usage at all times.
The results: successful export and a long-term partnership
In summary, here’s what the client gained by working with us:
- On-time delivery of complete documentation and localisation of data modules for the L-39 Skyfox aircraft.
- Standardised terminology aligned with international standards, along with the creation of a clear internal process for future work.
- Significant time and cost savings – using CAT tools and translation memory sped up the workflow and reduced translation costs by 43% (over CZK 2 million).
- A long-term language partnership. The successful L-39 Skyfox translation and localisation project was followed by other projects, such as interpreting Russian for foreign pilots at AERO and during training abroad. The interpreting is based on established processes and the unified terminology.
Jaroslav Bulánek, Head of Logistics / ILS Manager
“We work with České překlady for several reasons, including their translators’ expertise, the quality of their project management and, of course, their pricing policy. We truly value the professionalism with which České překlady has managed to translate hundreds of pages of highly technical terminology in various complex formats. If only we had known about them sooner.”
What can other export-oriented defence companies learn from this case study?
- Successful exports rely on high-quality language output. Manuals, standards, contracts and even tender documentation must be in a unified and unambiguous language, whether in Czech, English or Russian. Technical texts have their own rules, and any inconsistencies can lead to confusion in the use of the product as well as discrepancies during audits or certifications.
- Translating internally is often not enough. In large, technically complex projects, success depends not just on language skills, but on the right processes and smart use of modern technology. Relying on in-house staff to translate large technical texts only adds unnecessary workload.
- A specialist translation agency with the right technical expertise can handle the same volume of text faster, more cost-effectively, and without sacrificing quality.
Are you facing a similar challenge with aeroplane documentation translation?
From processes and terminology to strict security standards, we make sure your translations stay secure, confidential, and consistently reliable over time.
