Wolfestone Translation Blog

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.

I am currently studying PR and media at Swansea University and decided that it would be useful to assess my strengths and weaknesses, as well as to get hands on experience in the chosen field of study through a work taster.

At the end of my placement here I consider that the chance of working within the Marketing and Sales Department of Wolfestone Translations has been really useful. Firstly, I am starting to understand how important it is to know the background of the company you are working for, as it helps you deliver better customer services. This was relevant both to creating customer newsletters, but also performing marketing research in the US market. Secondly, I got acquainted with softwares such as ACT!, Dreamweaver 8 or business oriented internet services such as Link Market and Swiftpage 5, which are really important in managing customer databases or designing various materials. Last but not least, the work taster gave me the opportunity to improve my writing and screen-based designing skills.

On the whole, the atmosphere in the office is relaxed and the environment can indeed be called international and culturally diverse. Also, my colleagues have been really helpful in answering the questions I had about various tasks, as it helped me improve my skills.

Georgiana Avram, Romania

Do you want to do an internship at Wolfestone? Visit our website www.wolfestone.co.uk!

I finished my Bachelor´s degree for Translation and Interpreting in July 2009, after four years of intensive language learning and a lot of translating and interpreting work I thought the logical step would be to immerse myself in the practical side of translation and apply for the Leonardo DaVinci scholarship.  It is good to be trained on the theoretical aspects of a certain field of knowledge, but nobody ever teaches you the reality of an everyday job and that is what I needed next.

It wasn´t difficult to apply for the internship at Wolfestone Translation: I found an advertisement at the Europlacement website and from there onwards they made the application procedure easy and convenient. It has only been a week and I am already sure of having chosen the correct means to my goal.

The experience has been very valuable so far, and I have felt comfortable in the working environment since the very beginning. The team is really friendly, and the multicultural and young staff made my first days very instructive and pretty entertaining! At the office, I have been assigned with many different jobs of a diverse nature, which prooves that the team really appreciate my commitment to the job.

I have felt like one  of the team, and have enjoyed the challenging tasks I have been assigned since the very first day. Honestly, I thought that the internship would be a thorough guide, step by step, to the basics of translation and their daily implementation. It hasn´t been like that but even better: I have been taught how to do things by my own means and gained experience, which is challenging and very useful. Furthermore, it is really rewarding to get involved in the work environment and its own dynamics and achieve certain goals –meet deadlines, improve my writing skills, etc.-. The sincere dedication to their tasks makes you want to learn from them (and as fast as you can) so they´re not only being encouraging but also motivating!

What´s more, the labour dynamics here are well organized and professional which, at the same time implies the job being pretty demanding. Fortunately, my tutor, Emma, has explained to me in detail what everyone´s role within the company is and has given me helpful advice on how I should do my job. In only a week´s time I can say that I have not only put into practice my translation skills but also got to learn the dynamics of a business, the importance of the work environment being relaxed and motivating and of course, practiced my English. What more could I ask for after a single week of placement?

Maria Sáez,

Spain.

Do you want to do an internship at Wolfestone? Visit our website www.wolfestone.co.uk!

Translating is not simply a matter of taking one word in one language and putting it into another. You also have to take into account the fact that what one culture or nation sees as good may be seen as bad by a different group. What do I mean by this?

Well, one prime example is happening right now. Some of you may have noticed that we have a layer of white stuff on the floor at the moment. It’s called snow. It’s the reason it took you 6 hours to get to work today. And, with the exception of 5-year olds throwing snowballs, most of us are already pretty fed up with it. But not everyone.

My sister in law is South African, and, not surprisingly, when she was growing up, she didn’t see much of the snow. This means that she really enjoys snowfall, because she associates it with novelty and pleasure. In comparison, most Northern Europeans associate it with inconvenience and cold. (In addition, most of the rest of Northern Europe also laughs at our utter incompetence when dealing with more than two flakes of it, but that’s another story). So, how do you translate the sentence “I groaned when I saw 10 inches of snow on the floor”? Not everyone would groan.

Another example would be the tradition in Western culture of celebrating victory by awarding the winner champagne. Although not as old a tradition as some (most notably champagne companies) would have you believe, it is nevertheless seen as a simple connection in our culture. Success=Champagne. However, in other cultures, champagne, being alcohol, is more associated with illegality than success. When Formula 1 expanded into the Middle East, the race winner received a bottle of a sparkling fruit juice-style drink instead. So, again, translating the sentence “The winner got the obligatory bottle of champers” is not necessarily as easy as looking up the word for champagne, especially if the winner would go to prison the moment he accepted his prize.

Finally, what do you do if the language you’re translating into simply doesn’t have an equivalent word for the word you’re translating? Many languages only have one word to cover the colours blue and green, which makes describing a set of snooker balls more challenging.

So, translating is about more than just learning lists of words for school test. You also need to get to know the people and the culture as well. Here at Wolfestone we work exclusively with professionals who have done just that. To utilise their skills, contact us at sales@wolfestone.co.uk.

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 is proud of its Welsh roots and would like to share with you some Welsh Christmas and New Year traditions, both past and present.

Y NADOLIG (Christmas):
The custom in many parts of Wales was to attend a very early church service known as “Plygain” (daybreak), Men gathered in rural churches to sing, mainly unaccompanied, three or four part harmony carols in a service that went on for three hours or so. The custom managed to survive in many country areas, and because of its simplicity and beauty is being revived in many others. After the service, a day of feasting and drinking would begin.

GWYL SAN STEFFAN (St. Stephens Day; Boxing Day – December 26th):
The day after Christmas Day was celebrated in a way unique to Wales and included the tradition of “holly-beating” or “holming.” Young men and boys would beat the unprotected arms of young females with holly branches until they bled. In some areas it was the legs that were beaten. In others, it was the custom for the last person to get out of bed in the morning to be beaten with sprigs of holly. These customs died out before the end of the 19th century, thankfully!

NOS GALAN (New Years Eve):
In England in many places it still is the custom that a dark haired man should let in the New Year for good luck. The man leaves the house by the back door just before midnight on New Years Eve, walks around and on the strike of midnight, knocks on the front door. The householder opens the door, and receives from the man the following gifts: salt for seasoning, silver for wealth, coal for warmth, a match for kindling and bread for sustenance. In Wales the custom of letting in the New Year was slightly different in that if the first visitor in the New Year was a woman and the male householder opened the door, that was bad luck. If the first man to cross the threshold in the New Year was a red haired man, that was also bad luck.

Some other Welsh customs associated with the New Year were: “all existing debts were to be paid”; never lend anything to anyone on New Years Day else you would have bad luck; and the behaviour of an individual on this day was an indication of how they would behave all year!

The most popular New Year’s custom was one that was carried out in all parts of Wales: the Calennig (small gift). On January 1st from dawn until noon, groups of young boys would visit all the houses in the village carrying evergreen twigs and a cup of cold water drawn from the local well. The boys would then use the twigs to splash people with water. In return, they would receive the Calennig, usually in the form of copper coins. The custom, in various forms, survived in some areas well after World War II, at least in the form of the chanting of a small verse or two in exchange for small coins.

http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Wales-History/WelshChristmas.htm

For a quote, contact us at sales@wolfestone.co.uk.

Yes, it’s that time of year again, when everyone celebrates the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ / goes mad buying stuff they don’t really need for people that they don’t really know and watching The Great Escape for the 37th time on Christmas Day. (Don’t laugh, in Germany it has been a tradition for several decades to watch a play called “Dinner for One” on Christmas Day). Yes, Christmas is celebrated very differently in other countries. Here are a few examples.

To start with, Christmas isn’t even celebrated on the same day everywhere. The national churches of, amongst others, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Serbia still use the Julian calendar as opposed to the Gregorian one. This means that they celebrate Christmas on January the 7th. The major countries of Central Europe (such as Poland, Austria and Hungary) go in the other direction, and their main celebration is on the 24th of December.

Then there is the meal itself. Turkey is not as universally common as would be thought. In the Czech Republic, carp is a popular meal to serve with the celebrations. In Finland, the dinner is most likely to be a Christmas ham. Greek families often prefer lamb.

Then there are the presents so beloved of children worldwide. Many South American countries give presents on 6th of January. Argentinean children are especially lucky. They receive presents on both the 25th of December and the 6th of January. German children also traditionally get an additional set of presents, usually small things, similar to our Christmas stockings. This happens on the 6th of December.

However, one thing unites every country that celebrates Christmas. It is the joy of celebrating a magical event with your family nearby, for those with children it is the pleasure that they get from playing with their new toys on Christmas Day (whenever that may be in any particular country) and simply enjoying a few days of well-earned rest and relaxation at the end of the year.

Offices to let ranging from small one man rooms to large ten man rooms in Walter Road, Swansea (St James/Uplands).

The offices are located in the traditional professional area of Swansea with most local offices being occupied by solicitors, accountants and similar companies.

The building is within a 10-minute walk from the train station, bus station and city centre. The Uplands (with stores like Spar, Tesco Express, Boots, Post Office and others) are within 5-minute walking distance.

Serviced Office: fully furnished, with all the facilities inclusive in the price such as 20Mb broadband, IT connections, telecoms, managed reception, business rates, service charges and utilities all included. You also get access to an 8 person boardroom which you can pre-book. Another benefit is access to our IT team and a free cleaning service.

We have fantastic options available to you now with offices starting from £250 per month.

On Site:
24 hour access
24 hour CCTV monitoring
Double Glazing

Limited dedicated parking available (plenty of free roadside parking available locally)

Additional Benefits:
Shower
Kitchen
Receptionist from 9:30am – 5:30pm

If you have any questions or would like to view our offices please email us at mandy@wolfestone.co.uk with your name, telephone/mobile number and your requirements, and a member of our team will get back to you very shortly. You can also give us a call to arrange a viewing on 0845 000 0083.

Our office opening hours are 09:30am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday.

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.”

Oh yes, there’s more; we did not exhaust the world’s supply of daft translations last time. We barely even scratched the surface. Here’s another selection, this time focusing more on localisation and what can go wrong when a company thinks up a shiny new brand name and doesn’t check what it means with the locals.

As ever, brand names can go astray. The apocryphal story about the Chevy Nova (that it didn’t sell well in Spanish-speaking countries on account of “no va” being Spanish for “doesn’t go”) is just that – apocryphal. It didn’t actually happen. Neither did the Ford Pinto sell badly in Brazil, on account of “pinto” being Portuguese for “a man with a small…”, erm, never mind; because the Ford Pinto was never actually sold in Brazil at any point. (This was not necessarily a bad thing for Brazilians – the petrol tank in the Pinto had a nasty habit of exploding.) Bad brand names and slogans do, however, slip through the net.

French telephone company Orange thought their new slogan “The future’s bright, the future’s Orange” would drive sales in the British market. Whether this was achieved on the mainland is unclear, but it did the exact opposite in Northern Ireland. In that part of the world, green is associated with Catholicism, and orange is associated with the Protestant Orange Order. Vodafone and BT Cellnet weren’t too unhappy that Orange went for that slogan, though…

Then there’s the Italian mineral water brand “Traficante”. This sounds all Mediterranean and healthy, conjuring up pictures in the head of La Dolce Vita. It may well have done so in many countries, but not in Spain. In Spanish the word “Traficante” means “(hard) drugs dealer”.

Another unfortunate company was a Japanese tourist agency which decided it was high time to branch out into the English-speaking market. They no doubt had visions of starting to join the big guns by getting lots of high-spending Americans in. Unfortunately, most of their customers had decidedly, well, weird requests for what sort of holidays they were looking for. The company finally discovered that being called the “Kinki Nippon Tourist Agency” was always, always going to lead to this sort of problem.

Finally, when Electrolux decided to enter the American market, it spent quite some time and money thinking up a catchy slogan. And still they managed to come up with “Nothing sucks like an Electrolux”.

No, nothing sucks quite like not using the professionals who can stop embarrassing linguistic fiascos. And, as ever, here at Wolfestone, we’ll be happy to help you make sure that your customers are looking at your product, not laughing at your ineptitude.