Wolfestone Translation Blog

Guest post by Christian Arno, Director of Lingo 24.

If you would like to write a guest article, contact us at sales@wolfestone.co.uk or visit our website: www.wolfestone.co.uk.

Congratulations – you’re multilingual and you’ve got your translation qualifications, accreditation and some contacts in the industry – but how do you now transform your talents into taxable income? With full-time positions increasingly hard to come by, it’s lucky for you that you’ve picked an industry where it pays to go freelance. Being your own business isn’t all working-from-bed and midday television, though – consider the below pros and cons of becoming a freelance translator.

The good

The upsides to going freelance are numerous: you get to control when and how often you work; you can pick and choose the projects, ensuring varied and interesting work; once established, you may be able to charge a higher rate as a freelancer than what you would earn as a full-time employee, especially if you’re qualified to specialise in a particular area, such as business or IT; you can choose to either join a translation agency, who will bring you work but may charge a fee or percentage of earnings, or to strike out on your own and reap the benefits of your hard work building contacts; and you’re free to move and travel as you please – as long as you have a computer and the internet you’re in business. Getting established is no easy task, but online translation communities like Proz.com can be invaluable for advice and contacts, and once you’re settled with a database of reliable clients you’ll never look back.

The bad

The major downside to going freelance is maintaining a regular stream of incoming work – one week you may be swamped with projects, while the next you may find yourself spending more time making tea than translating documents. Dedicating your downtime to fostering relationships with potential clients is the best way to ensure you don’t get caught short – keep a regular stream of communication open with existing and potential clients and you’ll find the extra hours spent on the phone and email pay off financially in the long run.

Being self-employed also means managing your own accounts, invoicing and tax records – setting aside a block of time each week to catch up on administrative duties is the only way to make sure you don’t end up buried under a mountain of paperwork at the end of each financial year. Of course, going freelance also means you’re not entitled to general company benefits like pension schemes, holiday pay, sick pay and health insurance – even though you can take a holiday whenever you feel like it, you’ll need a well-maintained budget to make sure you can always pay the next month’s rent!

The ugly

Sorry to break the bad news, but when you go freelance, the only person who’s going to make sure you get paid is you. Keeping on top of your invoices by ensuring they’re sent error-free and on time, then keeping a close eye on which get paid, and promptly but politely following up on those which don’t, will help to ensure your hard work doesn’t disappear into an administrative black hole. Also, unless you have a tech support team for your home office, it’s up to you to make sure you’re digitally connected all the time – no phone and no internet means no business. Now get out there and start hustling!

In the age where English comes to dominate the planet, the fate of smaller languages spoken by lesser numbers is often forgotten.  At exactly the same time as we debate the pros and cons of English taking over the world, other languages which have been spoken for tens of thousands of years are rapidly dying.  One such example occurred last week, when Boa Sr, the last remaining speaker of the Bo language, died.

With her death, a language amongst the very very oldest spoken by mankind – some 65,000 years old – passed into history.  An expert on the languages of the area said that her loss was tragic as it robbed us of the chance of discovering how languages evolve.  Indeed, there are only a few dozen Great Andamanese tribespeople left.  When they leave us, another 10 languages will be consigned to history.

At a human level, there is the fact that for the last 30 years of her life, there was no-one left with whom she could converse in her mother tongue.  She adapted by speaking Hindi and a colloquial mixture of other Great Andamanese, but not everyone can master another language.  Even those who can will never quite be at their ease using a second language.

That said, not every minority language is doomed to die out altogether.  If the decline can be checked in time, a minority language can be preserved, and, given time, brought back to the rudest of health.  One such example is the Welsh language.  At one point, it was considered simply a matter of time before Welsh would die out.  However, certain steps were undertaken – the key one being its reintroduction as a language used in schools – and it is now estimated that one in four Welshmen can speak the language to conversational level.

Indeed, many of these pupils achieve near-native fluency in the tongue despite having monoglot English parents and family.  Quite frequently they become indistinguishable from those whose mother tongue is Welsh.  This is proof that no language need ever die out if the will to preserve it is there.  It is simply a matter of having this desire to save a living language.

Do you want to know more about languages? Or do you need a translation in an unusal language? Contact Wolfestone Translation.

The work of a translation company does not begin and end with translations. At Wolfestone we also undertake interpreting, transcription, localisation and voiceover projects.

In practice, transcription/translation and voiceover recordings go hand-in-hand. Quite often a client will have a video in a foreign language and will want to know what a speaker is saying. This first involves writing down what the speaker is saying in his/her own language (Transcription), rendering it into his/her own language (Translation) and then dubbing the translated words over the video footage (Voiceover). This is actually a lengthier process than is usually assumed. Transcribing 10 minutes of well recorded, clear speech will usually take 20-30 minutes. Transcribing 10 minutes of amateur recording can take twice as long. If, in addition, the speaker is not very clear, or the vocabulary is extremely complex, transcription can be a long, drawn-out procedure.

Then there is the translation. There isn’t really a lot to add at this juncture – translation is what we do every day here, and this is simply another translation.

So, then comes the voiceover recording. Again, many people assume that it is just a case of buying a £10 microphone from the local musical instrument shop and plugging it into a tape recorder. For best results, a good studio with modern equipment is necessary. The advent of the digital age has made recording considerably easier than in the old days with reels and reels of tape, but it has also made blemishes more undesirable as it is now relatively cheap to produce high quality recordings. A clear, articulate, well-paced speaking voice is necessary (which, again, is not as easy to find as could be presumed. There is a good reason why professional voiceover artists earn substantial amounts of money.) Rehearsing the text is always advantageous, particularly the longer and more unfamiliar words.

The key factor, however, is being relaxed when recording. This can make the difference between needing one take and twelve. As a rough rule of thumb, recording 30 minutes of audio will take 3-4 times as long. It is then edited, compiled and sent back to the client. And yet another 100% satisfied Wolfestone client enjoys the fruits of our labour, exactly as was planned from the very outset. For a quote, contact us at sales@wolfestone.co.uk.

Wolfestone Translation Director Anna Bastek has dominated the recent Swansea Bay Woman of the Year awards, winning her category for Swansea Bay Business Woman of the Year for Wolfestone Translation and then going on to take the overall title of “Swansea Bay Woman of the Year 2009” at yet another prestigious ceremony, in the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea.  This was the 6^th time the awards have been held, and she is thus adding her name to an elite group of very talented high achievers.  The awards were hosted by Sara Edwards, and the hugely anticipated guest speaker was Ruth Jones, of Gavin and Stacey fame.  All of Wolfestone’s female employees and Anna’s business partner Roy Allkin were present, and they elevated the noise levels considerably upon the announcement of this year’s winner.

Miss Bastek came from Poland to Wales in 2004, initially to write her thesis for a Masters degree in Marketing.  Upon completing this, she decided to pursue a business career in South Wales.  She undertook a 10 week GO Wales placement which resulted in her host company, Quantum CAD, immediately taking her on as a permanent employee.  She eventually became the Marketing Director, presiding over a growth of approximately 700% in turnover and an expansion in staff from 2 to 20.  This was not sufficient for her ambitions, though, and she decided to concentrate on building her own business.

Miss Bastek and her business partner Roy Allkin undertook in-depth research into several potential areas of business before deciding that the business sector with the most potential was translation and language services.  This area is on course, according to expert projections, to be worth an estimated £15 billion pounds by 2013 versus the current £9 billion.  Wolfestone Translation was founded, run at first in their spare time whilst they held down their day jobs.  3 years later, both are now full-time directors of the company and it is exceptionally well-placed to tap into the huge growth potential of the global translation market. Translation is the core business; however the company has developed a series of complementary language services that add to the diversity of operations. More recently, Wolfestone has developed a bespoke software package for translation companies which will help the company expand internationally as well as grow its team in Swansea.

As well as its 15 strong team in its Welsh HQ, Wolfestone has additional staff working from its US and German offices plus a network of 4,000 translators across the globe.

They have also been astute enough to recognise complimentary business opportunities which are fast becoming substantial money-spinners independent of the main company.One example of this is Bluestone Systems, which came into existence when Bastek and Allkin realised that there were unrealised possibilities not just in translating company websites, an area fast developing, but also construction and maintenance of these sites as a precursor to the translation project.

So, which of her many achievements is she most proud of and what does Anna Bastek see as her future?

“I am extremely proud of how I have built a successful international and award winning business from scratch, in the worst recession since 1930s” she said.  “I have only been in Great Britain for a few years, and there have been significant challenges to overcome, but I now have a young, dynamic and successful team. We have offices in Germany and the US, purchased our own premises and more than doubled our turnover year on year. I am currently focussing on developing the Wolfestone brand still further, as there is still a huge opportunity for growth in the translation industry, and I want to make sure that we take full advantage of this.”

“In the longer term, we want to expand our overseas operations.  Our office in the US has just opened, again with phenomenal potential, our German office is growing and I view it as imperative that we have a presence in all regions of the world as quickly as we can sensibly accomplish this.  We are currently looking at India, the Middle East, China and Russia, but those will be the starting points, not the end.”

“On a personal level, I am looking to gain complete financial freedom, which would help me travel more and, possibly, write a book.  I am also looking at venture capitalism in order to support innovative new ideas and help other people to achieve their potential.   There are so many women out there who could help grow the economy faster, so if I can act as an ambassador for female businesspeople; that would be a dream come true.   At some point I also wish to further develop my photography skills, a hobby which is also great for helping me relax.  I just need to find more time to do all this!”

So, if she was asked what her life’s motto is, what her ethos is, and what she is trying to do?  She is succinct and to the point.  The Swansea Woman of the Year quotes Sarah Tremellen of Bravissimo.

“I never saw a ceiling for it, I just thought it would be fun, setting up from scratch and making something from nothing.”

During a venomous 95-minute speech of Libyan dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi at the UN, his personal interpreter struggled to live up to the expectations and simply gave up after he got lost in translation.

Gaddafi’s interpreter was so frustrated after 75 minutes of translation that he shouted “just can’t take it any more”, into the live microphone in Arabic, following which the UN’s Arabic section chief Rasha Ajalyaqeen had to take over the proceedings and translate the final 20 minutes of the dictator’s speech.

“His interpreter just collapsed, this is the first time I have seen this in 25 years,” the New York Post quoted another UN Arabic interpreter, as saying. Gaddafi had bought in his own interpreters from Tripoli for the speech rather than use one of the 25 Arabic translators supplied by the UN, as he reasoned that he would be speaking a special dialect.

For more resilient interpreters! contact us at Wolfestone Translation

If you are serious about exporting your product to other countries, a good place to start is your website. On the web you are able to reach millions of people who are potentially interested in your product. Websites in only one language can only reach a very small amount of their prospective market.

Depending on your website content you may need a specialised translator, for example a technical or a medical translator. When you use a website translation service you can specify your requirements and be rest assured that a certain level of quality will be reached, ensuring that when you go live with your new language your message is accurately represented.

With a translation service you will also have the option to directly translate the html files that make up your web page. This will make insertion into your website that much easier. This means that both the translation process can be carried out faster, translations will be more coherent and the text will not need to be cut and pasted by your IT specialists. Instead the delivered files can be uploaded directly.

Many translation services also offer an amendment facility, which means if you want to change your website you can simply send the text over to the company that has thorough knowledge and understanding of your site.

In summary, if you want to reach the global market it would be more than beneficial for you to translate your website. Just ensure you use an experienced and professional translation service.

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!

Machine Translation is only suitable for rapid, draft-quality translations that provide you with the “gist” of the text. If you need a higher level of accuracy, please visit Wolfestone Translation for a range of fast turnaround, high-quality human translation services.

Machine translation is also called “automatic translation” or simply translation software. Machine translation software translates text in one natural language into another natural language, taking into account the grammatical structure of each language and using rules to transfer the grammatical structure of the source language (text to be translated) into the target language (translated text). Machine translation cannot replace a human translator for demanding applications such as legal or literary work, nor is it intended to. The term we use in the industry is ‘gisting’. Modern MT software should give you about 80% accuracy.

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