This term refer to the software interface that is being requiered by the machine to work with another one, in this case it seems that the plotter needs a driver (a software component) to work with pdf, postscript and other.

Hello Fernanda:

Your question is about the translation of the English expression “plot drivers” to Spanish in the environment of IT (Information Technology).

Also you try to check if your own suggestion: “controladores de esquemas” is valid.

ANALYSIS

The expression “plot drivers” includes 2 English terms:

1) plot

2) drivers.

I will begin for the analysis of the term “drivers”. Effectively, the translation of “drivers” in the environment of software of computers and IT is “controladores” like you marked in your question.

About “plot”, a common translation used in the software industry is “trazar”, “trazado” depending if you use of the grammatical function of the context: verb, noun, adjective.

This is the translation that you will find in the Microsoft Portal lingüístico. You can check for yourself at: http://www.microsoft.com/Language/es-es/Search.aspx

Also Microsoft Portal lingüístico translates “driver” as “controlador”. You can check this term in the same address: http://www.microsoft.com/Language/es-es/Search.aspx

Using the two translations suggested by Microsoft, the English expression “plot drivers” is “controladores de periféricos de trazado”.

But there is something new from the Real Academia Española that I would like to remark.

In the new edition of its dictionary of new Spanish terms, in the chapter of “Artículo nuevo, avance de la vigencia tercera edición”, the Real Academia is introducing these two new terms:

New Spanish term: “plóter” that means: “1. m. Periférico de una computadora que dibuja o representa diagramas y gráficos.” This is the Spanish version of the English term:“plotter”. You see, the Real Academía eliminated a “t” and marked with a written accent the letter “ó” because “plóter” has to respect the accent rules of the Spanish words that end in “r”.
URL: http://lema.rae.es/drae/?val=ploter

New Spanish term: “plotear” that means: “1. tr. Imprimir diagramas y gráficos mediante el plóter.”
URL: http://lema.rae.es/drae/?val=plotear

Now with the update of the terminology accepted by the Real Academia Española, we can also translate: “plot drivers” like: “controladores de plóters”.

In summary, you have two possible translations that are valid and easy to understand for everybody who will read the material that you are translating. You have to decide which you like more. Probably, you can use both with a special reference.

MY SUGGESTION:

Two options:

1) “controladores de periféricos de trazado” or “controladores de dispositivos de trazado” or “controladores de trazadores” in a short way: “controladores de trazado” .

2) “controladores de plóters”.

I hope my proposal helps you in your work.

Regards

Domingo

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES:
1) Microsoft Portal lingüístico.
URL: http://www.microsoft.com/Language/es-es/Search.aspx
2) Diccionario de la Real Academia Española
URL: http://lema.rae.es/drae/?val=ploter
URL: http://lema.rae.es/drae/?val=plotear