Wolfestone Translation Blog

I am frequently asked how it is that I go about translating a document. That obviously depends on a range of different variables, such as how long it is, how technical it is, how much vocabulary I will have to look up and many other factors. For current purposes, I will assume that we are referring to a simple certificate.

There is a great need for translating documents such as birth and marriage certificates, all the more so in these days of flexible and mobile labour markets. Firstly, you create a template which can be used for future certificates, as there will be similar certificates. Secondly, you check whether there are official translations for certain terms (for example, the German “Führungszeugnis” is referred to as a “Certificate of Good Conduct”, even if the person in question has a police record extending several pages.)

Then there is the document itself. Most of these certificates are fairly straightforward – either a person was born on 01/01/01, or (s)he wasn’t. There is no grey area with room for interpretation. Then all the relevant details must be checked, such as reference numbers and telephone numbers. This all being done, the document is e-mailed to the client. This, again, is usually quite straightforward. There might be slight changes of spelling in names and places if the original document was written with a different alphabet, but these rarely take long to correct.

Finally, a printed copy is made and stamped, a certifying letter is written and the letter goes in the post. The client then has a legally usable translation of their original for whatever uses that they need it.

For more information visit our website www.wolfestone.co.uk!

Communicating with people from different countries is becoming more and more important. We encounter people from different countries not only when we go on holiday but at work and in our own towns. You are now just as likely to need a few words of French to order something from the menu when visiting France for a business meeting or while on holiday. Companies need proper business translations and getting it right is critical, if you want to make a good impression. It is easy to make mistakes when translating, IKEA once tried to sell a workbench called FARTFULL, It was not well received so they had to change the name.

Overcoming the language barrier is becoming one of the most critical issues of current times. People, businesses and governments are all trying to come up with solutions to their needs in order to live, work, travel or operate abroad. It is for this reason that language training continues to be a fast growing industry, as people across the globe find learning a foreign language for life, work, travel or love to be absolute necessity. International organisations are paying for business translation services at an astounding rate. Why are they so important? They are an integral part of communicating with other cultures and building strong relationships, critical for the future success of the company. Militaries are also investing large sums of money in creating translation equipment for troops in foreign countries. And as long as people from different countries continue to speak different languages, this need will not lessen, the importance of translation will only increase.

For more information visit our website www.wolfestone.co.uk!

Hi! I’m Roy and I’m one of the co-founders and Operations Director at Wolfestone Translation. I just thought I’d say a few words about the upcoming ATC (Association of Translation Companies) Conference being held at the School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London. I and my business partner and co-Director, Anna Bastek, will be delivering a presentation alongside our PR consultant Jacqui Malpass of 50Five. The subject of our talk will be ‘Working with a public relations consultancy to drive sales’ which fits into the overall theme for the conference – “Strategic Partnerships for Growth and Future Success”. Last year’s event was excellent, we attended as delegates, and we really hope that this year we will add something to the overall success of the conference. I sit on the National Council of the ATC and I know that an immense amount of time, effort and thought has been given to make this year a triumph! Wolfestone are very proud to have been asked to speak alongside the major players in the translation industry, it just shows how far we have come in the last few years!

For more information visit our website www.wolfestone.co.uk!