Some Advice and Guidance for Exporting

Exporting is fantastic, but it can seem like a lengthy and daunting process. At TranslatorsVillage, we strive to make life as easy as possible and we believe that languages should not be a barrier when breaking into foreign markets. This is why we have put together a brief guide for buying translation services...

When you need a document, text, communication or article to be translated it can be difficult to know how to get it done. Many non-linguists will consider that anyone with a minimal knowledge of the two languages involved (translations go from the Source to the Target language) should be able to translate anything with the help of a dictionary. Unfortunately that isn't the case. That is the equivalent of saying if someone knows how to drive a car they will be competent to repair the brakes as well.

A competent linguist may well be able to provide the "gist" of a text but how confident would you be that they had not left out any vital detail or been truly faithful to the original? Understanding the general message is a long way from recreating the full meaning, tone, register and intended impact of the original text.

A few things about translating you might find useful:

1. All linguists are NOT translators

2. Translators should only translate INTO their native language

3. Translators should be experts in the subject matter

4. Online translation software is good but not for everything

We are happy to share with you few things about translating you might find useful.

1. How is a text translated

2. How to know the translation is good quality

3. How to deal with "cultural" issues

4. What to ask for when asking for a quote.

5. What is website localisation

6. When to pay for translation

At TranslatorsVillage we know about language and translation and we are always available to provide informal advice about effective communication in English - or any other language.

Just contact us if you have are interested in getting our answers to the above questions or for any further guidance.

November 2015 Newsletter

                                                          November 2015 Newsletter

Our monthly newsletter, after what we planned as our networking month, could not contain better stories and adventures. Great experiences, great lessons to learn, great way to do things differently and getting excellent feedback from all people. What an amazing learning experience.

International Translators Day

The starting point of our adventure. We decided to celebrate with your yearly  “Language Awareness Flashmob”. Not many attendants, which shows that we need to improve our organisational skills in this area, but such a precious feedback, that we are already planning 2016!

In 7 years in Leeds, the piano in the picture, at the Leeds Train Station, is the first message (after short term messages for the Tour de France) we have seen. We have to admit that the translation may not be the best quality I have seen, but at least it is a start!

We've always said that languages ​​and music were closely related. Here we go!

Leeds Business Week

What did I like most from the opening day? Hearing debates on issues that most concern us all, from different angles. We liked the message of Making Noise that reminded me the film shown at the Leeds International Film Festival twice: Sound of Noise. All is connected.

Seven years in Leeds now, a city that fascinates me, I can only endorse what was said by the panel: Leeds is diverse, but most important it is agile: the mix of the can do mentality and the passion for everything undertaken is a real gift with a great potential.

We were asked what we can do individually to help to improve areas we all know need extra support one way or another. I think we all can help with what they are best at, connectivity, education, mentoring. We can help to improve global communication. Making noise in the global arena. Leeds has many things to export and that will help to have a better Leeds.

And we have thousands of more experiences to tell about this amazing week. Thanks again to Yorkshire Mafia and to all participants for sharing their ideas (and some pictures) with us.  We wrote a short summary in our blog, but much more coming soon.

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Thomas Friedman, in The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, wrote, "The world has been flattened ... global collaboration and competition – between individuals and individuals, companies and individuals, companies and companies, and companies and customers...have been made cheaper, easier, more friction-free, and more productive for more people from more corners of the earth than at any time in the history of the world."

As companies have gained increased access to new potential customers around the world, the need for support has increased.

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Growing our digital presence internationally

MundoSpanish, an online platform that provides an excellent service to all companies that are in contact with Spain one way or another. Great model to help the digital arena to expand with the traditional touch of person to person approach. Congratulation to the prize they collected on Wednesday; well deserved. We don’t realiae how important it is to people to know about us, but not as a company, but as individuals. Thanks MundoSpanish for helping with this effort. In exchange we helped with the English version.

Being digital is great, it is easily accessible, immediate and visible to everyone, great advantages difficult to benefit from if not handled properly. Our online presence provide all of those and we provide the human side of it, incorporating online models of interaction into your processes with offline support.

Welcome to Globalization. Communicate effectively with culturally diverse people.                                                  Which language is right for you?

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_________________________________________________________________________________Translators, please, don’t forget to update your availability, so clients might benefit from your presence at TranslatorsVillage.

TranslatorsVillage, the cornershop with 1.000 translators 

Arguably, Blanca Gonzalez has a worldwide passport, history and even DNA. She says that as Asterix, she fell into the cauldron of translation at birth and grew up inspired by languages at a time in Spain when there was little knowledge of what was beyond the Pyrenees. After starting her career and holding different positions and responsibilities in the industry for two decades, she opened her own corner shop, her own ‘village’ of translation:  : TranslatorsVillage.

This online initiative developed in Leeds for the world, is a platform that brings together more than 1,000 translation professionals over the five continents; a community, a tool, an online marketplace that allows you to compare candidates and prices with a common denominator: all jobs have the seal, the filter, accountability and guarantee of the company. "If you search for an English to Spanish translator on the internet, you get back 73 million results. How do you choose the right one? I thought that a translation should not be more difficult than choosing a holiday destination, booking a hotel or a plane ticket. And that's what drove me to create TranslatorsVillage", said the Spanish entrepreneur who, in this project, has two English travelling companions: Graham Webb and Katie Lovell.

The three main differences in approach for this platform are:

1. They don’t operate as an agency making revisions that, sometimes, imply "impossible deadlines with dubious results."

2. They are a channel of translation and interpretation professionals from countries where services are offered in different ways and with disparities that can be very costly both in terms of quality and price.

3. TranslatorsVillage is a ‘real time’, transparent online marketplace that allows for an efficient hiring process whilst reducing unnecessary surprises and avoiding fluctuations in costs or results.

With these advantages and the backing and support of a solid brand, the portal offers the best translation proposals according to language combination, sector, availability and budget. Not only this, but there is an average reduction in price of between 30% and 40% compared with prices from agencies, assures this experienced professional. They also have a support centre to locate a professional if there aren’t any available or personally advise to, and telephone support to hire via the traditional offline channel. "We want to open paths that allow any person or business that need a translation to be put in touch with the best translator available. For that, we identify and work with experienced professionals who share our values ​​and philosophy. We like to think we deal with people, not companies,” Blanca said in an interview with MundoSpanish.

 

SPECIALIZED IN SUPPORT IN EXPORTING

Given the rise of increasingly dynamic global trade, TranslatorsVillage has specialized in this area with an ‘Exporters Translation Pack’ that enables companies to pay a fixed monthly fee to continuously translate all materials needed to enter or establish themselves in foreign markets. With regards to the most in demand languages for Spaniards, there’s no surprise that English takes the number one spot, followed by Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and French. There is also a growing demand for Arabic and Eastern languages, ​​a trend in line with new markets for Spanish companies. In terms of the subject areas, it is very diverse but legal texts, contracts and proposals, menus, e-learning and texts belonging to the digital industry all stand out.

With this contribution to the translation industry, Blanca Gonzalez explores the legacy her father gave her, and evolves to blend into the environment of the 21st century. Age-old tradition and new technologies. “I'm always looking for innovative ways to help people benefit from and enjoy the wealth of multicultural experiences”, concludes this lively entrepreneur, who was born in Germany and after travelling through several countries, says she does not feel expatriate, but a "nomad" ... and now perhaps more than ever, because the cloud lets you to be in any and every place all at once.

Link to MundoSpanish article online

Translated by TranslatorsVillage

TranslatorsVillage en MundoSpanish

Conoce TranslatorsVillage, el rincón de los 1.000 traductores

Podría decirse que Blanca González tiene un pasaporte, una trayectoria y también un ADN internacionales. Dice que, como Astérix, se cayó en la marmita de la traducción al nacer y creció inspirada por las lenguas en un momento en que en España ni se conocía lo que había más allá de los Pirineos. Tras iniciar su carrera y pasar por diferentes puestos y modalidades de la profesión durante dos décadas, esta salmantina ha montado su propio rincón, su propio ‘pueblo’ de las traducciones: TranslatorsVillage.

Esta iniciativa online, desarrollada desde Leeds (Inglaterra) para el mundo, es una plataforma que reúne ya a más de 1.000 profesionales de la traducción en los cinco continentes; una comunidad, una herramienta y un marketplace online que permitecomparar candidatos y precios con un denominador común: todos los trabajos tienen el sello, el filtro, la responsabilidad y la garantía de la empresa. “Si se busca un traductor inglés español en internet se obtienen 73 millones de resultados. ¿Cómo elegir al adecuado? Pensé que una traducción no debería ser más difícil que elegir un destino de vacaciones, reservar un hotel o un billete de avión. Y eso es lo que me motivó para fundar TranslatorsVillage”, asegura esta empresaria española que en este proyecto tiene como compañeros de viaje a dos ingleses: Graham Webb y Katie Lovell. 

Las tres principales diferencias de la propuesta de esta plataforma son:

1. No operan como agencia aplicando márgenes ni realizando revisiones que, en ocasiones, implican “plazos imposibles con resultados dudosos”.  

2. Son un canal de traducción e interpretación hacia profesionales de países donde los servicios se ofrecen de forma diferente y con disparidades que pueden llegar a ser muy altas en calidad/precio.  

3. TranslatorsVillage es un mercado online ‘a tiempo real’ y transparente que permite contratar ágilmente, reducir las fluctuaciones arbitrarias y evitar desmanes en los costes o resultados.

Con estas ventajas y el respaldo de una marca responsable detrás, el portal ofrece la mejor propuesta de traducción según país, sector, disponibilidad y presupuesto, y consigue además un abaratamiento medio de entre el 30% y el 40% sobre el precio de las agencias, asegura esta experimentada profesional. Además, disponen de un centro de soporte, para localizar un profesional si no hay ninguno disponible o asesorar personalmente, y asistencia telefónica para contratar por el canal offline tradicional. “Queremos abrir caminos que permitan que cualquier persona o empresa que necesite el texto traducido se ponga en contacto con el mejor traductor disponible y para ello identificamos y colaboramos con profesionales experimentados que comparten nuestros valores y filosofía. Nos gusta pensar que tratamos con personas, no con empresas”, sentencia Blanca en una entrevista con Mundo Spanish.

ESPECIALIZACIÓN EN EXPORTADORES

Además, dado el auge del comercio cada vez más global y dinámico,TranslatorsVillage se ha especializado en este ámbito con un ‘Pack Exportadores’ que permite a las empresas disponer de una cuota fija mensual para traducir progresivamente todos los materiales que necesiten para su entrada o consolidación en mercados exteriores. Respecto a los idiomas más demandados por los españoles, no hay sorpresas y el inglés es el predominante con diferencia, seguido por el italiano, portugués y francés. Además, hay una creciente demanda de árabe e idiomas de países del Este, un tendencia en consonancia con los nuevos mercados de las empresas españolas. Respecto a la temática hay una gran heterogeneidad, pero destacan los textos del ámbito digital, legal, e-learning, menús, contratos o propuestas.

Con esta aportación al sector de la traducción, Blanca González ahonda en el legado que recibió de su padre y lo evoluciona para adaptarlo al entorno del siglo XXI. Tradición milenaria y nuevas tecnologías. “Siempre estoy buscando formas innovadoras para ayudar a las personas a beneficiarse y disfrutar de la riqueza de las experiencias multiculturales”, concluye esta inquieta emprendedora que vino al mundo en Alemania y tras recorrerse varios países, dice no sentirse expatriada, sino “nómada”… y ahora quizá más que nunca, ya que la nube le permite estar en todos y en cualquier sitio a la vez.