Obtain the document you want to translate. Read it thoroughly, marking places where speech is figurative. For instance, if the paper is about writing techniques and a sentence reads, "Writing clearly can be very hard," keep in mind that when you look up the comparable word "hard" in a dictionary or use a translation service, the word may well be translated in the literal sense as "solid" or "thick".
Read through your document, focusing on the sections with figurative language. Using a thesaurus, choose words that have the same meaning as the figurative language but are more clear. For instance, our sentence above states, "Writing clearly can be very hard". Instead of using the word "hard," use the word "difficult" or "complicated," words that cannot be translated incorrectly.
Use a translation program such as Google Translate or Babelfish to translate your document. Type the document into the translation program. If you prefer not to use a translation program, use your dictionary to translate your document, referring to Spanish grammar resources such as Dragget's Spanish Site, to ensure you use correct conjugations and sentence structure.