Time between overhauls (TBO) is the manufacturer-specified operating interval, usually expressed in flight hours or cycles, after which an engine or major component must be removed and overhauled to restore serviceability. In technical documentation, it appears in maintenance planning documents, engine manuals, service bulletins, airworthiness limitations, and reliability programs as a mandatory or recommended life limit for continued airworthiness and operational approvals.
In translation, TBO appears in maintenance planning documents, engine and component maintenance manuals, lease agreements, reliability reports, and airworthiness limitation sections. Translators must distinguish mandatory overhaul limits from recommended or on-condition intervals, and preserve units, calendar limits, and cycle limits because operators and regulators use these values for maintenance scheduling.
A common error is translating TBO as 'total operating time' or 'service life,' which suggests retirement rather than overhaul. Another is presenting the interval as guaranteed or exact for all operators, ignoring that regulatory approvals or operating conditions may change it. This can misstate lease return conditions or airworthiness obligations.
EASA and CE certification impose language requirements on maintenance and safety documentation. These terms carry airworthiness and liability implications, so they are rendered against the governing standard rather than translated freely.
Angel Translation locks terms like this into a project terminology base before expert review begins, so the same source term resolves to the same target term across every document in a submission — and stays consistent in the next revision. See the 8-step AI + expert workflow.
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