AI Translation Examples For Academic Journals: English-to-Spanish Samples

AI translation examples for academic journals are most useful when they show how to preserve a scientific claim in Spanish, not simply replace English words. The examples below pair English source sentences with Spanish versions for abstracts, results, methods, tables, figure captions, and AI-use disclosures. They are illustrative patterns, so adapt terminology and formatting to the study and the target journal.

Abstracts and results: preserve the strength of the evidence

Abstracts and results sections summarize what the study found, but their compact wording makes them vulnerable to subtle shifts. A translation can sound natural while changing an association into a causal claim, dropping a limitation, or making a statistical result sound more decisive than the source. Compare the English and Spanish claim clause by clause, including uncertainty and the population or outcome being described.

Abstract example: retain the study limitation

This is a reusable pattern for an abstract that reports an observed relationship while limiting its interpretation. Do not replace “was associated with” with “reduced,” “prevented,” or “led to” unless the study supports that stronger causal wording. “Estrés declarado” is one possible rendering of “reported stress”; check whether the paper uses a specific measure or an established term in its field.

When reviewing this kind of sentence, check whether the Spanish version preserves:

• The relationship: association, difference, or effect should remain the same kind of claim.
• The scope: keep the population, exposure, outcome, and comparison group attached to the same finding.
• The qualification: retain words that limit certainty, such as “may,” “suggests,” or “in this sample.”

Results example: report the statistic without interpreting it

The Spanish sentence reports the result; it does not label the difference important or clinically meaningful. A p-value alone does not supply that interpretation. The American Statistical Association’s statement on p-values cautions against treating a p-value as a substitute for scientific reasoning. For translation, the practical point is to retain the authors’ stated result without adding a conclusion.

Likewise, translate “no statistically significant difference was observed” without turning it into “there was no difference.” The second wording may suggest that the groups were identical, which is not what the source says. Preserve the distinction between a result that was not statistically significant and a claim that no difference exists.

Methods: keep procedures and measurements reproducible

Methods wording tells readers who took part, what happened, when it happened, and how measurements were handled. A translation that blurs a time point or changes a procedural term can make the method harder to interpret. The examples here are illustrative; the protocol and the manuscript’s own definitions should determine the final wording.

Participants and procedure examples

These examples show why faithful translation is not always word-for-word translation. “At baseline” should reflect the study’s timing, not a literal phrase that suggests a location. At the same time, do not add a sample type, instrument name, or storage duration absent from the source. If a procedural term is ambiguous, check the protocol or ask the authors rather than resolving the ambiguity by guesswork.

A short terminology record helps maintain consistency from the methods section through the tables and captions. Before translating a full manuscript, note:

• The English term and the Spanish equivalent chosen for this paper.
• Whether an abbreviation stays as written, is expanded in Spanish, or is explained at first use.
• Any term with multiple accepted regional or disciplinary equivalents that needs author review.
• Instrument names, registered names, and protocol labels that should match the study documents.

For example, “screening” can refer to preliminary assessment, detection, or checking eligibility, depending on the method. Choose the Spanish term that describes the procedure actually performed; a dictionary match alone may not identify it. Once chosen, use the same term wherever that procedure appears.

Tables and figure captions: translate labels, not data

Readers may consult a table or figure separately from the main text, so its Spanish labels and explanatory notes need to make sense on their own. Translate headings, notes, and captions while checking that each still identifies the same outcome, group, time point, and visual feature. The numbers, symbols, and data relationships are not material to “improve” during translation.

Table examples

Figure caption example

These are patterns, not a universal style sheet. Spanish usage and journal conventions differ; for example, the publication may prefer “Tabla” or “Cuadro,” and may prescribe a decimal separator or abbreviation style. Use the target journal’s instructions where available, and keep labels consistent across the manuscript.

For table and figure review, compare the translated display against the source and ask:

• Does each heading still name the same outcome, group, and time point?
• Do all values, signs, decimal marks, and symbols match the source file?
• Are abbreviations explained where the journal requires them?
• Does the caption describe the symbols, colors, or line styles actually shown?

For document translation, layout is part of the review: a correct label can still become confusing if it is separated from the relevant row or figure. Teams working from a PDF can see InOtherWord.AI’s page to translate PDF documents. Check the translated document against the source, especially where tables or figures carry information that is not repeated in the body text.

AI-use disclosures: describe the assistance accurately

A disclosure should say what the tool did and what the authors did next. It should not suggest that a translation tool verified the research, and it should not imply that authorship or responsibility has been transferred. The wording below is illustrative, not a substitute for a journal’s required form or placement.

Translation-only example

Language-editing example

Use the translation-only version only if that accurately describes the work. If the tool also generated text, summarized sources, or assisted with analysis, the wording may be incomplete. The ICMJE Recommendations address disclosure and authors’ responsibility in connection with AI-assisted technologies, while the COPE position statement on AI tools and authorship distinguishes AI tools from human authors. Check the target journal’s current instructions for its specific requirements.

Publisher rules can also be specific to their own publishing context. Nature Portfolio’s editorial policy on AI describes expectations for authors using generative AI. Do not assume that one publisher’s policy applies to another journal; verify the destination’s instructions before finalizing a disclosure.

Review the Spanish version before submission

Fluency is not a sufficient quality check for a scientific translation. Review the content most likely to change the paper’s meaning: claims, uncertainty, negation, measurements, group comparisons, and links between text and displays. For research teams, a bilingual subject expert can assess whether the Spanish wording still says what the study actually supports.

A practical review can proceed in this order:

1. Set the target style. Identify the journal and intended readership, then use its terminology and formatting rules where specified.
2. Mark fixed content. Compare numbers, units, instrument names, citations, group labels, and defined abbreviations directly with the source.
3. Check claims against the evidence. Look for shifts in causality, certainty, negation, comparison groups, and time points—not just grammar.
4. Trace terminology across sections. Confirm that outcomes and procedures use the same Spanish terms in the abstract, methods, results, tables, and captions.
5. Verify disclosure requirements. Read the target journal’s instructions and ask its editorial office if the required wording or placement is unclear.

If the source is a scanned PDF, text recognition may misread a minus sign, decimal point, or abbreviation before translation begins. Compare extracted text with the page image around equations and statistical results. InOtherWord.AI has a page for teams that need to translate scanned PDFs; verify recognized text and the resulting document against the original rather than assuming every character was captured correctly.

Practical recommendation: keep the English source beside the Spanish draft and review claim-bearing passages before submission. InOtherWord.AI offers AI-powered document translation; see InOtherWord.AI for the platform.

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