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Multi-lingual websites and which are the best languages to start with?

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A multi-lingual website can pay real dividends in making your products more “searchable” on the internet, and in helping to drive more enquiries to you. The question of which languages to cover really depends on the current needs and aspirations of your business. English is by far the most widely used language in digital media. According to the website www.internetworldstats.com the most commonly used languages after English are (in order) Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Japanese, Russian, German, French, Malaysian.

Think about the markets you want to reach.  Prioritise your needs and plan to develop your website gradually.  Take particular care over the quality of your translations: only every using professional translators with good first-hand knowledge of the key markets and your industry.

Article from the Trade International Digest, Q & A  – Visit www.croner.co.uk/trade for more information

Comment from TW Languages:

We have a considerable amount of experience in translating websites and some advice is to keep the text simple, don’t play on words as this doesn’t always work in other languages.  Use a translation company who can localise the translated text to the target country, please note, machine translation doesn’t do this!

If you need any further advice, send an email – we’d be happy to help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Translation Project Manager vacancy

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Just graduated with an MA in Translation and looking to work in the Translation Industry as a Translation Project Manager?

We have a vacancy for a Graduate who is dynamic, creative and a logical thinker. Who has ambitions to use their newly acquired skills and knowledge to manage multi-lingual, complex, large translation projects.

Happy to work as a team player within the in-house Project Management team and support each other when the ‘going get tough’.  Strong communication, organisation and management skills are essential when working with the international team of translators based around the global. TW Languages works in 200+ language combinations so we have a varied and large team of translators and proof-readers.

We have an excellent reputation for customer service, quality and meeting deadlines, this is due to the Project Managers having meticulous attention to detail and understanding the business needs of the client. Before a person joins the company, we organise a Belbin profile assessment to identify ‘completer finisher’ skills.

TW Languages works with Memsource as a CAT tool and trains the Project Managers to be TM experts, as well as, how to provide support to translators who are new in using this software.

If you like a challenge and fit the profile highlighted above, as well as, have excellent written and spoken English language skills together with a European language, either German, French, Italian or Dutch please contact us. We would be happy to hear from you.

Send your CV and covering letter explaining ‘what your ambition is’ to Janet Perkins jp@twlanguages.com

For further details as to ‘who we are and what we do’ please visit www.twlanguages.com.

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Email overseas customers, language differences

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Question:       There have been a number of occasions where there has been a misunderstanding during email correspondence with overseas customers. I think this is due to language differences. I can’t possibly learn all their languages, so what steps can I take to avoid mistakes?

Answer:          This problem seems to be a lot more common than people are prepared to admit.  Email has become such a convenient method of international communication. It helps to overcome language difficulties as someone who struggles with their contact’s language can take the time to read, and if necessary translate the message and at the same time take care to compose their reply. It also helps to overcome time differences.

But the new media has introduced problems of its own, as you have found. There are a few simple steps to avoid misunderstandings.

  1. Read the message carefully, and consider any ambiguities. Don’t be tempted to read between the lines or use intuition to make sense of anything that is unclear. Anything you are not completely sure about, ask them.
  2. Acknowledge the email, stating clearly what you have understood, and what you are going to do.
  3. Keep your own written message simple. Write short sentences, avoid jargon, irony and humour, unless you are certain that the reader will understand.
  4. Get to know how your customer likes to communicate. Some people are confident in writing in another language, but less prepared to use the telephone. For others, it’s the reverse.
  5. Get to know your customers and win their confidence. If speaking on the phone, speak clearly and don’t rush.
  6. Repeat what you have understood and what you have said. If you have a telephone conversation and there is even the slightest chance of a misunderstanding, send another email straight away setting out what was agreed and what you are going to do. Always make your intentions clear.
  7. When something goes wrong, take time to analyse what happened and take steps to avoid a similar misunderstanding in future.

Visit www.croner.co.uk/trade for more information.

Comments from TW Languages

We work with a number of clients in supporting their ‘international communication strategy’. One of the methods used is to provide an immediate email service. TW Languages sets up a translation account for the client and accumulates the words translated within each email sent and received.  This is a quick and cost effective method of communicating with overseas businesses in their own language and culture. For those businesses who like to speak direct to their client, a conference call is a useful way of providing a personalised customer service. An interpreter is the liaison between all parties and again another cost effective and useful method of communicating.

If you would like more details in how TW Languages can help with your international communication please contact Janet Perkins (jp@twlanguages.com)

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Technical manual translation

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If you happen to be in need of a technical manual translation from one language to another, then here are six issues that you will need to consider.

1 – Ensure that the translation company you choose to go with is a ‘Certified’ translation company. This means that they adhere to a set industry standard which will be legally required on health and safety grounds when presenting a translated technical manual or other document.

2 – Discuss with the company the time frame of your project. It will be best to make sure that they have the time and the capacity to undertake your translation project that fits in with what you require. You may also have future projects in the pipeline too, and so bring these up with them too so that you can ensure continuity in working with the same team.

3 – Check that they are using the industry standard translation software, (see note 1 – if they are ‘certified’ then they will be up to date on software requirements).

4 – Check the company that you choose to go with have experience in translating technical documents. Check for authentic testimonials from their clients.

5 – Ask yourself where you want your company to be based. Are you happy to do everything online? Or would you prefer to drop in, speak with someone face to face, and show them examples of physical documents?

6 – Consider the budget for your project before choosing your service provider. You will be better hiring a professional business who don’t charge the cheapest prices, but you can be assured that the quality of the work is guaranteed. Make sure that you have a sufficient amount set aside to see the translation of the manual through to the end.

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First time exporter, best countries

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As a first time exporter, what are the best countries to start with? It depends. Many potential exporters can rule out a number of countries straight away, or at least put them in a file for later. If your current products are illegal in some countries (for example, if they don’t comply with safety standards) or clearly in some way unsuitable (consider language and cultural barriers for example) then discount them for now.

Be careful to protect your intellectual property. If your products are patented, don’t consider markets where you don’t already have patent protection.

In most cases, the easiest place to start is in markets where the customer profile is similar to the home market. So if your products have a particular attraction connected with specific activities such as a sport or hobby, start with markets where that interest is particularly popular.

Consider practical issues such as distance, language and ease of access. British suppliers will often find that access to EU/EFTA/EEA countries is not subject to legal or technical barriers that may apply elsewhere. For small business, especial an owner-managed one, time may be a limiting factor so consider markets that are not too remote and can be visited without investing too much time or expense.

Keep your plans modest. Don’t try to conquer too many markets at once. Most exporters find that between one and three new markets at any one time is enough to start with.

Visit www.croner.co.uk/trade for more information.

 

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Professional translation services

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When you have a document or file that needs translating from one language to another it is always best to go with a professional translator. Depending on the nature of the document itself you may also want to consider going with a certified translation service, one that has a certification for quality in translation of official documents such as medical papers, immigration papers, or business reports.

Not everyone wants to part with their money in order to translate their documents, not with so many free ways to translate them available online. The problem with free online translation programmes such as Google Translate is that it doesn’t take into account the context of the words and phrases. These programmes tend to translate words and statements as literal, and it is well known that the English language (or any language for that matter) has many words and phrases with double meanings, etc. In fact, anyone who has actually tried to translate some phrases using Google Translate will know that while it certainly has it’s uses, it is simply not accurate enough for translating official documents of any kind.

It is therefore worth spending the money on professional translation services in order to have both the most accurate results that you can feel confident in passing on, and a mark of assurance in the form of certification that insures the quality. Bear in mind that the translation of legal documents, such as medical records and legal papers, will sometimes require by law that the translation services you use are professional and show this in some form of accreditation. Choosing a professional service to do this work for you will give you peace of mind that you have an accurate translation, and also it will come with the insurance on their part should any queries about the document arise.

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Website translation services

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When you run a website for local services you will be looking for an online target audience that is local to you, that is a simple fact. But, quite often a website business will have a desire to attract visitors from all over the world, or from as many countries as possible. This is especially true for a website translation services that have a goal of attracting clients who are from different language speaking countries.

Websites offering translation services will want to target an audience from many different countries, that speak many different languages. Translation services websites will be looking to sell their services not only for translating professional documents and files from English, but from other languages too. Therefore it is necessary to make it so clients who speak other languages can find the business website when searching online.

This may be achieved through having pages on the website specifically targeted in certain languages in order for then to be found via Google search and other search engines.

A Certified translation services, which has a lot of dealings with clients from all over the world, will encounter many different languages in their daily business interaction. It is important to get the SEO for the website correct considering these languages, be it French, German, Spanish, or others. A professional SEO company who knows about working with translation service websites will have this type of niche expertise in targeting the necessary clients using various languages, phrases and keywords.

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What are certified translation services?

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When having official documents professionally translated, be it of a legal nature, financial papers, health notes or other files, you will be required to prove that it has been translated by a trustworthy and reputable translation company. This is where you will need certified translation services – they provide you with the stamp of approval that will likely be required from your documents.

When you see that a translation company is Certified then you know that it has been approved for accuracy, and carries an official stamp of approval to assure high standards and industry compliance. A professional translation company that is Certified will assign your documents a unique reference number so that each one is traceable, should there be any queries or problems. A certified company will also carry a certain level of insurance that covers and shoulders the responsibility should anything go wrong.

There are many things that you should look out for when hiring a firm to translate your documents and files for you, such as reputation, ability to deliver the work on time, and price. However, using a service that is Certified is of utmost importance for both peace of mind and the legal aspect of the document translation being covered by insurance.

Other names that a company may use for being a Certified translation service are ‘Official’ or ‘Registered’. As long as they provide documents that are readily accepted by official bodies such as The Home Office and The British Medical Council, then they are likely Certified to translate your documents.

TW Languages Ltd is a full member of the ATC and is officially recognised as a translation company that is able to certify translation documents for legal purposes.

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Translation Agency – six things you should look for when hiring one

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When looking to hire a translation agency, it is important to do some research to ensure that you are choosing the correct agency for your needs, be it for medical notes for translation, legal document translation, instructions and technical information, or any other document, audio-file, pamphlet or book. Here are the six most important things to look for when hiring;

1 – Check that the agency’s area of expertise matches the expectation of what you require from them. This could mean language or area of translation, ensure that what you are looking for is confidently provided by them.

2 – The forms of translation that agencies will offer will sometimes differ between them. Ensure that they are able to deliver not only what you require now, but make sure that they have the scope to deliver what you may wish for in the future. This is good for continuation, as well as, developing a working relationship.

3 – Timescale is an important consideration. A reputable translation agency may very well have a lot of other current work with ongoing clients and may not always be able to complete new work from you straight away – be sure to enquire about the deadlines you may want when choosing who to go with.

4 – An agency who offers the cheapest tariffs should never be your sole reason for choosing them, however price is always an important factor to consider and discuss before forming any contract or agreement.

5 – Ensure the agency and their translators meet the required quality management standards. This will ensure that you have an understanding of the quality control they abide by.  This information can usually be found on the translation company’s website.

6 – Lastly you must check out the translation company’s reputation. Honest reviews and testimonials can usually be easily found with a little bit of effort, and often there will be some available on the actual company’s website. You want to know that they deliver a high standard of both translation work and customer service, plus meet deadlines.

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‘Eight-step coaching model’ manual now translated into French and Italian

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‘Eight-Step Coaching Model’ manual and ‘Pocket Guide’ available in English, French and Italian. An interesting business technical translation!

148 page manual is an excellent read.

For more details visit  or call OTD on 01527 570999 to see how the 8 Skill Coaching model can inspire your teams to achieve even more.

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What are the most frequently asked questions when buying translation services?

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The most frequently asked questions when buying translation services:

Q 1)        Who are the translators?

Q 2)        Will they have experience in the subject matter?

Q 3)        When can you deliver the translation?

Q 4)        What format will the translation be in?

Q 5)        What languages can you translate?

 

TW Languages response:

A 1)        TW Languages team of professional translators are selected based BS EN 15038 translation standards. They are highly qualified with years of experience in translating as well as being native speakers of the target language. The translators translate into the language of their mother tongue and generally live in the country of their nationality.

A 2)        As per BS EN 15038 translation standards the translators must have a minimum number of years experience in technical and business translations. As well as a translation degree they may also have a degree / qualification in the technical subject.

A 3)        We will always meet the client’s deadline for delivery. For large urgent translation projects we have the ability to increase the size of the translation team and therefore speed up the translation process.

A 4)        We ensure that the files are in a format that meets the needs of the client and are easy to work with i.e. DTP, website designers, contracts etc.

A 5)        TW Languages has worked with over 170 language combinations, ideally for multi-lingual projects.

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Case study in how certified business translations can meet legislative requirements

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CASE STUDY:

As global trade increases, one of the challenges organisations are experiencing is a wider variation in legislative requirements from country to country. This includes the European Union with 24 official languages and no common language policy. What are the legal considerations for British companies working with overseas organisations or suppliers to meet UK legislative requirements? This was a problem for one of our UK clients.

Our client had won a major contract in Spain and employed technical Spanish contractors on short-term contracts. They had thought they had taken a robust ‘due diligence’ approach in requesting English versions of the certificates and qualifications of each Spanish supplier. However, this was translated by a Spanish translator, recognised in Spain as a ‘sworn’ translator, but not in the UK. Although the client has been diligent in obtaining English copies of certificates etc., these were certified in Spain and would not be recognised in the UK legal system.

To provide a cost effective solution to this problem and ensure the client had translations that were fully compliant with the UK legal system. TW Languages proofread, certified and stamped the translations as ‘true copies of the original’ with no extra cost for certification.

The overall outcome is that the client has now reviewed their international strategy and extended their due diligence process to ensure all business translations are certified in the UK.

TW Languages is a UK sworn translation company.