The €50 Million Translation Error That Grounded Airbus Planes

In 2006, Airbus faced one of the most expensive translation-related disasters in aviation history. The problem? A seemingly minor inconsistency in technical specifications between their German and Spanish manufacturing plants.

What Went Wrong

The wiring harnesses for the Airbus A380 were manufactured in two locations: Hamburg, Germany and Puerto Real, Spain. Both teams were working from technical documentation, but there was a critical discrepancy in how measurements were specified.

The German team used one version of the CAD software; the Spanish team used another. When the fuselage sections came together for assembly in Toulouse, France, engineers discovered that the wiring was 41 centimetres too short to connect properly.

The Cost

The error resulted in:

• A two-year delay in A380 deliveries
• Direct costs estimated at €4.8 billion
• The resignation of the Airbus CEO
• A 26% drop in EADS share price

Lessons for Technical Translation

This disaster underscores why technical translation requires more than linguistic accuracy:

• Terminology consistency across all documents and teams
• Unit standardisation (metric vs imperial, regional variations)
• Version control for translated technical documents
• Subject matter expertise from translators who understand the field

At Lingo Service, our technical translation team includes engineers and specialists who understand that precision is not optional—it is essential.