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Are certified translations required to support a due diligence process?

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As global trade increases, our clients at TW Languages Ltd are experiencing a wide variation in legislative requirements from country to country. This has been reflected in a significant increase in the number of requests for certified translations as clients make them part of their due diligence process.  Documents have included business, technical and scientific translations relating to tenders, certificates, invoices and working practises, etc.

Each country has its own level of qualification for certified translators which means that they are only able to provide a service in that country. While TW Languages Ltd is recognised as a ‘sworn’ translation company in the UK, we also have systems and procedures in place so that we can arrange certification in other countries. Whenever notarisation is required, we have an excellent working relationship with Ken Wilcock, Notary in Manchester.

But is a certified translation really necessary in order to demonstrate due diligence?  We think so.

Since the purpose of each certification varies, it is therefore important to take an individual approach to each request. If you would like to see a few examples of  why certification should be part of a due diligence process and some of the challenges which clients have faced please send your email address to jp@twlanguages.com and we will be happy to share this information.

Our facts:

– TW Languages Ltd does not charge for UK certification as this is part of our translation and/or proofreading service.

– With our global team of ‘sworn’ translators, we can arrange for documents to be certified in most countries.

– Allow extra time for certified documents outside of the UK as original copies are required in the post.

For further information contact a member of the translation team at TW Languages.

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MAS-business growth offers financial support re business and website translation

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SME manufacturing companies who are looking for business growth should contact Manufacturing Advisory Service.

MAS can provide a free review of your business, a tailored action plan and match funding.

Ideal for business growth via exporting and financial support for professional translation services for business and website translation.

Visit www.mymas.org or call/email TW Languages and we can put you in touch with the relevant contact.

 

 

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Translation Project Manager keeping sane in a hectic schedule!

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Emma Taylor, Senior Translation Project Manager at TW Languages manages to fit in the gym, raise money for charity, as well as, keeping sane in her hectic day in the office. Working with her translation project management team she takes the same winning approach in how she manages numerous multi-lingual projects for business, technical and scientific translations. She ensures the quality for each project is of the highest standard and deadlines are met.

Emma’s story:

After moving offices with TW Languages I decided to join the gym at The Heath Business and Technical Park. With the gym being on site it was an easy way to try and fit exercise around my busy work schedule as Senior Translation Project Manager at TW Languages. 

After catching the running bug and signing up to complete the Bupa Great Manchester Run in May this year I decided to raise money for a charity very close to my heart , St Ann’s Hospice. With a very close friend of mine experiencing their care and support when her mum was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2011 her and her family have been fundraising ever since. St Ann’s Hospice requires £16,000 per day to keep their three sites open and as a team the family have raised just over £14,000 through various events, they are aiming to raise £16,000 by the end of next year!

After raising £632.99 as part of a team for the Manchester Run I donned my running shoes again last weekend for the Salford 10k and I’m pleased to say ‘improved my personal best’!)

To make a donation directly to St Anns Hospice please visit

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A quick guide to working with translations

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A quick guide to working with ‘translators’ written by Jack Porteous, UKTI London’s Language and Culture Adviser is a clear and simple guide to working with ‘translations’. He actually refers to ‘translators’ however as the UKTI helps UK-based exporters succeed globally, from a commercial basis the focus should be on business, technical and scientific translations, and generally in more than one language. I would suggest that translation service providers are more qualified to provide this service.

From a global perspective the translation industry has over 25,000 commercial language service providers with approx 45% of providers in Europe. There is the suggestion that 60% of the global market comprises of language service providers who have 2 to 5 employees, with 17% employing 6 to 10 employees.

Some of the differences between a translator as opposed to a translation service provider can be seen in that service providers produce multi-lingual translations; work within a wide range of market sectors; project manage to meet deadlines irrespective of any catastrophes along the way; have larger translation memory databases etc.

However, the common denominator for both translator and translation service provider is that both are providing a service to the client. All parties must have a clear understanding, trust and transparency in what work is being undertaken and the level of quality expected.

An overview of the article:

You’ve spent hours agonising over the minutiae of your marketing materials, days making your website word-perfect, and months producing the perfect sales brochure. Now you’re looking to export and need it all translating – so how can you guarantee that your translator gives a true representation of your company and products?

Trusting someone from outside of your company with such an integral part of your communications can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are my top tips for working with translators:

 1. You get what you pay for

2. Prepare your materials for translation

3. Communication, communication, communication

4. Who is it for?

5. Check and check again

Buying translation is far more complicated than buying a real, tangible product and it’s important to get it right. Botched translation can be expensive to put right, and the consequences of not getting it spot on first time can be much greater than you might think in terms of your reputation and your bottom line. You don’t want to get lost in translation, so make sure you are confident with your choice of translator and work with them to ensure the end product reflects the strength of your company and products.

jackporteous@uktilondon.org.uk  https://ukti.blog.gov.uk/2014/07/17/a-quick-guide-to-working-with-translators/#comments

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TW Languages member of IOE and listed as a translation expert

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TW Languages is business member of the Institute of Export and listed on www.export.org.uk  as an ‘expert‘ in offering business and website translations as well as support and advice on international communication.

The Institute of Export is a long standing professional membership body representing and supporting the interests of everyone involved in importing, exporting and international trade.

TW Languages is always pleased to offer support and advice regarding translation and overseas communication and have had numerous calls from IOE members.

Recently a member contacted us for guidance as they were baffled by all the information they had received. They were new to exporting and become inundated with information. Having recently signed up to a UKTI programme, they were receiving funding; using translation services but didn’t know if the rates were competitive; as well as having access to material as a member of the IOE.

We were able to provide some structure to the myriad of information received, as well as an analysis of translation costs to ensure the rates they were paying were competitive. We also gave indicators as to what to consider when selecting translation and interpreting services.

To summarise we were able to help them “see the wood for the trees” and have a greater understanding that they “know what questions to ask” to get the information they require.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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British readers lost in translations as foreign literature sales boom

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If like me you enjoy reading translated novels you’ll appreciate that translating a novel is not only a skill but an art!

Popular Scandinavian authors including Jo Nesbø and Stieg Larsson are driving growing domestic demand for translated books.

British readers are devouring foreign fiction in record numbers amid a mini-boom in translated novels, inspired by the success of Scandinavian authors such as Jo Nesbø.

Surging interest in foreign literature in recent years has been sparked partly by the success of Scandinavian fiction – notably Stieg Larsson, whose Millennium books have sold more than 75 million copies in 50 countries, and popular television dramas such as The Killing.

In 2012, Hesperus Press, a tiny British firm, sensed potential in a comic Swedish novel that went on to become a European publishing phenomenon after major British and American companies rejected it. Hesperus bought the rights to Jonas Jonasson’s The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, which went on to sell more than 500,000 copies.

Chris White, fiction buyer for Waterstones, said that, blockbusters apart, there are “plenty of translated titles we’ve discovered recently which have sold in their thousands”. He singled out The Collini Case, a legal thriller by Ferdinand von Schirach, one of Germany’s top authors, which has sold 29,385 copies – “more than the last John Grisham” – eclipsing some homegrown novels that barely sell a few hundred. “The perception of translations isn’t what it was perhaps 10 years ago,” he said. “They are just treated as great books.”

Full article:  http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/aug/24/british-readers-translations-foreign-literature-sales-boom-stieg-larsson-jo-nesbo

 

 

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Not a good idea to use the internet to translate foreign contracts

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Business technical translations produced at TW Languages include contracts, you will know when dealing with lawyers, barristers etc., that the terminology used is specific to this industry and therefore legal translations are costed accordingly.  It’s always an apprehensive time signing any contract and even more so if the contract is in another language. We usually suggest to our clients that the translated contract can be in a format that is side-by-side with the original source contract. This will ensure that all parties will be on the ‘same page’ when discussing the finer detail of the contract.

The following article highlights some of the implications when the ‘smallprint can be missed if using the internet to translate a contract.

Overseas homebuyers are running into problems because they try to cut costs by using the internet to translate foreign contracts. Those who don’t want to pay for an official translator are increasingly relying on online services to help them understand legal documents in Spanish, French or Greek.  But these services are only meant for rough translations, and can mean users miss nasty bits of smallprint.

Lost in translation: Misunderstandings in contracts could end up costing homebuyers more than expected.

Some buyers who signed Spanish contracts lost their homes because they were built on illegal land. Foreign property expert Simon Conn says: ‘Some people might think they can save money by using a free translation service. But misunderstandings in the contracts could end up costing people a lot more.’

In one example the Spanish word ‘censos’ appeared in a document. This normally means ‘survey’ but here meant ‘leasehold’, so the buyer was locked into a contract completely different to the one they had wanted.

The above article is from MONEY MAIL (published: 09:11, 28 May 2014 | UPDATED: 09:24, 28 May 2014)

 

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Translation of long German words: a phrasebook for show-offs

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5 phrases that visitors to Germany might use to impress the locals, ranging from 41 letters to 80 letters!  No wonder translating into German is challenging! Not necessarily needed for the business traveller!

Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz

63 letters  Translation – officially out of use since 2013, this means “law for the delegation of monitoring beef labelling” – When to use it? While quizzing the hotel chef about his sauerbraten.

Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän

41 letters  Translation – Danube steamship company captain- When to use it – earn your place at the captain’s table as your cruise ship sets sail from Passau.

Donaudampfschifffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft

80 letters  Translation – Association for Subordinate Officials of the Head Office Management of the Danube Steamboat Electrical Services – When to use it – after a dozen schnapps with the aforementioned captain.

Massenkommunikationsdienstleistungsunternehmen

46 letters  Translation – companies providing mass communications services – When to use it? While looking for a biergarten in which to watch the big football game.

Sozialversicherungsfachangestelltenauszubildender 

49 letters Translation: a trainee assistant social insurance broker – When to use it? While discussing Bayern Munich’s footballing dominance, for example: “This year’s Bundesliga title race was as boring as a Sozialversicherungsfachangestelltenauszubildender”.

A great article from Oliver Smith, Telegraph’s Digital Travel Editor (to read the full article go to the following link) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/germany/10966002/Long-German-words-a-phrasebook-for-show-offs.html

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Is Google translate being policed?

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Is Google translate being policed? The answer is No. No one checks or reviews the results of the input of translation. Google translation database is built through crowdsourcing, anyone can add their interpretation of a translated text.

The overall concept of Google translate is excellent and an immediate tool to get the gist of a translation. But it can be ‘pot luck’ which languages produce more accurate translations, with no consistency in the results.

For business and technical translations it’s always recommended to use ‘human translation’ or at the very least get the translated text proofread. The translation of a website requires an extra level of quality as this is the ‘shop window’ of a business. To substantiate the comments above the following highlights a recent example of Google translate Russian to English text from an ‘Instructions for Use’ technical manual:

НЕ ВКЛЮЧАЙТЕ ПИТАНИЕ

Human translation:         Do not turn power on

Google translation:         Do not include meals

 

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What is included in the cost to translate a word?

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What is included in the cost to translate a word? At least 10 activities!

Quoting for a job is fairly unique in the translation industry compared to other industries in that:

– Translation is based on ‘an actual cost per word’ and in some languages the cost can be based on per character, per line etc.
– There is a lower cost per word where translation CAT tools are used.
– Cost is associated with time hence business, website, technical and scientific translations take longer and therefore at a higher cost per word compared to general translation.

A quotation will give the fixed cost however the variable factor as to ‘what is included in the cost to translate a word’ can include at least 10 activities as listed below:

  1. Assessment & Analysis
  2. Translation Memory Software
  3. Format files
  4. Project Plan and team selection
  5. Communication, Selection and Administration
  6. Translation by native professional translator(s)
  7. Proofread by native professional proofreader(s)
  8. Checking in-house to the source material (list of activities)
  9. Re-checking in-house (list of activities)
  10. Sign-off, send to client before deadline

 

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Is a work colleague the best person to translate the company’s website?

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Just because a work colleague is fluent in a foreign language it doesn’t necessarily mean they can translate a document that’s fit for publication!

It can be a false economy to use work colleagues or friends to translate text for business, technical, scientific or website translations unless of course the individual is a qualified translator or highly experienced in translating.

Once a poor translation has been produced it’s time consuming and costly to improve the text. It will take a proof-reader plus editor to rewrite the material to bring the translation to an acceptable level, and it’s unlikely that the text will be of the same quality as a translation completed by a professional translator.

A recent example can be seen in a request we received from a Client to proofread a translation which their work colleague had translated. The proof-reader’s comments speak for themselves.

​“As far as proofing is concerned, it is hopeless, as the text is not really a text, plus the translated words were randomly translated, and do not relate to the client´s business.

The text needs more than a proof-reader. All I can suggest is a GOOD translator will use a proper TM (translation memory) for consistency. I know that re-writing such bad texts is worse than translating them.”

At least the Client requested that the text be proofread not all companies do this but assume the translation must be good because it was translated by a foreign speaker!

 

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TW Languages is working with Timber Trade Federation

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TW Languages is working with the Timber Trade Federation in offering a certified business and technical translation service to members for documents relating to timber and wood products . Since the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) came into force in March 2013 ‘Operators’ must have a sound due diligence risk assessment system which satisfies the Regulations’ legal requirements.  The translation service we provide has the benefit of cost saving as well as meeting legal requirements in producing certified translations.

Benefits:

– 5% discount for TTF members on translation costs

– Further reductions in cost as all translations for TTF members are stored on one *TTF translation memory database

(*all documents for translations from TTF members are run through our TTF translation memory database where we are able to identify words which have already been translated, these words incur a lower rate).

– Satisfy some of the Regulations’ legality requirements for due diligence.

 

The new EU Timber Regulation forms part of the EU’s efforts to stamp out the international illegal timber trade, which is still estimated to be worth billions of Euros a year, contributes to deforestation, deprives often poor producer countries of tax revenues and curbs the ability of local populations to derive a legitimate income from sustainable and legal forestry and timber production.

The EUTR makes it an offence to ‘first place’ illegal timber on the EU market, whether that’s sourced from outside the EU or grown within it – and the definition of illegal is that of the country of origin.

The EUTR also obliges all companies, which first place timber or wood products on the EU market, termed ‘Operators’ under the Regulation, to assess the risk that they come from illegal sources. To do this, they must operate a sound due diligence risk assessment system (DDS), which satisfies the Regulations’ legality requirements. This will generally involve quizzing suppliers on their proof of legality and ensuring products are backed with relevant records and other documentation.  The Operator must obtain a range of verifiable information from this process including; product description, timber species, country of harvest, quantity, name and address of supplier and trader, and documents indicating compliance with all applicable legislation.

Criteria for assessing risk also comprise assurance of compliance with applicable legislation, including certification schemes, and third party verification. Prevalence of illegal harvesting of specific tree species should also be taken into account, as should the prevalence of illegal logging in the country of harvest, the complexity of the supply chain and whether UN or EU sanctions on timber imports apply.

For further information:  www.ttf.co.uk