12 months in review at Dixon Associates

At Dixon Associates, we have been providing many legal interpreters over the last 12 months. Interpretation jobs have ranged from clients attending court to clients working from home, and assisting with consultations, to interpreting essential medical appointments for patients. We have also continued language interpretation for the Wolves football team, which is always enjoyable!

As far as translations are concerned, as you can imagine, some of the work we have done in the past year have been Covid-related such as PPE instructions, social distancing regulations, medical trials, work signs and contracts. However, we have also been busy with legal translations, translating powers of attorney, contracts, wills and medical records for insurance claims, all essential for progressing with sales, purchases or claims.

Some clients have had their operating and maintenance manuals translated into their target markets, ready for export, getting ahead of the game, and all of their paperwork in order.

Website translations are more important than ever before

We have also seen an increase in website translations. Clients are realising now, more than ever, how powerful and important their website is to sell their company’s services and products abroad. We cannot recommend translating your website enough. Those of our clients who have had their websites translated into their target sales markets have seen a significant increase in their sales to these countries. Even if it is just a landing page, or summary page, the facts speak for themselves:

• Users are 5 times more likely to purchase from a site with information in their own language.
• 72% of consumers say they spend all or most of their time on websites in their native language.
• 56% of consumers say the ability to obtain information in their own language is more important than price.

Matched funding is available with the European Regional Development Fund – please do contact us on 01902 312988 for further information, as we have helped to successfully secure funding for several clients for internationalisation of their website.

Automated translation tools are no match for skilled interpreter

We have (unfortunately) also seen an increase in proofreading assignments and re-translations!

In a bid to save costs, we have seen that some businesses are turning to Google Translate (who can’t resist a freebie!) and then realise that a machine cannot understand nuances or contextualise and so end up getting their text re-translated. 

For all its ability to produce an instant response, which is fine to get the gist of a foreign email for example, it is not an effective communicator, so caution should be used with this tool.

The most common languages we translate

In the last 12 months we have seen an increase across the board in the number of languages we translate for our clients. The top languages we are currently translating are: 

No. 1 – Spanish with a lot of translations in the legal and medical field, closely followed by, 

No. 2 and 3 – French, Spanish, Czech, Polish and German, more specifically technical texts then

No. 4 and 5 – Italian and Russian, most definitely for commercial use and for the foodstuffs industry.

So the “traditional” languages we have always translated still appear to be popular, which is a great sign for businesses and importers and exporters.

Are you looking for a translation specialist?

We look forward to working with you and continuing to do what we have always done, translate and interpret, using qualified and experienced linguists. Whatever the next 12 months may bring, you can rest assured that we are here to support you every step of the way.

Please do give us a call on 01902 312988 or email us at info@dixon-associates.co.uk for a quotation or simply for some advice.

We are Often Asked the Question… Can “Google Translate” be Relied Upon?

It can be, for a quick translation of, e.g. a menu, if you are on holiday abroad and want to find out exactly what you are eating.

But it cannot analyse a text, its context and the subtleties of a language and a machine does not have a sense of humour or understand emotion or cultural values, so cannot always find the perfect words for a particular text.

We have in fact, seen disastrous results for translation. We were recently asked to proofread a contract by a client who had “run” this through Google Translate. The end result was so confusing and ambiguous, that we had to translate the whole document from scratch.

For example, the word “run” has numerous definitions in the English dictionary. It means everything from move quickly (I can run quite fast), to administrate (the election will be run by the Board), to operate (first, run the washing machine without a load), to publish (we should run this story in the newspaper)…. this list is endless!

How can a computer know which “run” you want to run with?

Also, we are hearing that some companies who have used free translation platforms have had the confidentiality of their documents breached and some of their data published online after using online translation tools.  

So, as a translation agency, we would say for professional, corporate translations, a definite “no”. Google Translate should not be relied upon.

As a Portuguese native speaker and translator, I would consider “Saudade” to be one of most beautiful words in the whole world and sadly, it has no English equivalent. The precise meaning of this word is connected to Portuguese culture.  Considered untranslatable by many, the word describes a rather specific longing or nostalgia. Although a beautiful concept, it is also a nightmare in its own way.

So how can one replicate the nuances of a word without undermining its true meaning or the feelings it conveys? It is a tough question and it leads to an even more complicated answer: with difficulty. However, that is the beauty of it and the beauty of translation. Here, at Dixon Associates, we encounter many of these issues and handle them with care and professionalism, based on many years of experience in translation.

We believe that a precise, professional translation of a document as important as a website, brochure or label is a necessity and not a luxury.

We hope you value your business and you feel the same.

I look forward to hearing from you again soon.

Inês
Dixon Associates
Portuguese Translator, Interpreter and Project Manager

Brexit Translation Gaffe Demonstrates the Need to Get it Right First Time and Every Time

Last year, the Government’s White Paper made native speakers flinch and created the wrong impression.

When the UK Government translated the executive summary of its Brexit White Paper into the 23 other official EU languages, you would have hoped it had been done properly and accurately in order to be taken seriously.

The German text was labelled “Deutsche” rather than “Deutsch” on the UK Government website and a native reader called the language used, “sloppy and colloquial”. The French translation called “a principled Brexit” “un Brexit vertueux”, which has a moral connotation which was not revealed in the original English and the Croatian paper adopted a term for the United Kingdom that is now out of date!

Whilst the content could be understood, and in fact, the errors were subsequently corrected, what impression does this give to the rest of Europe about the UK?

We have always been known to be the lazy nation, expecting everyone else to speak our language. Due to the lack of foreign language teaching in primary schools, we are immediately at a disadvantage when it comes to our European counterparts, but we should realise that the written word counts in order to stand up and be counted.

Neither a business or a government should cut corners or costs when it comes to translation, or make the mistake of considering this to be of secondary importance when it comes to dealing with the rest of Europe or in fact, the rest of the world.

Anyone who has learnt another language knows that only the very experienced and qualified, and indeed, talented, will come anywhere near speaking it to native standard. The written word is just as, if not more difficult.

Writing a formal document in another language is what we do, as expert translators.

On receipt of a document for translation:

• It is assessed for its purpose and target market and translated accordingly.
• Only native and qualified translators are used for our translations with at least 5 years of experience in their specialist field.
• The final versions are edited and proof read by an independent linguist to ensure 100% accuracy.

It is clear, that this quality control process was not adopted by the UK government.

Let us be clear:
If you are sending an email which has been roughly translated into the foreign language and which may contain some linguistic errors, that may suffice, as long as it avoids confusion. The emails will then have done their job. Texts or informal emails which may sound a little odd to native speakers are ok, if their point is understood. However, a formal message, like a government document, addressed to speakers of another language, needs to be 100% correct.
We understand that many senior civil servants do not speak another language, but what they fail to understand is what speaking another language means!

Many companies do realise the importance of translation and work with us on a regular basis for the translation of their websites, contracts, operating manuals and specifications. We are happy to help provide a professional and accurate translation in this respect.

Other clients approach us, after they have cut corners, using unqualified and inexperienced translators, to “proofread” these translations. Most of the time, we have to start the whole translation from scratch, as unpicking and rewording takes more time and costs more money. We are happy to help in this process as well.

The remainder, do not come to us at all and their documents are published on the internet or in print. This then costs them their reputation. It is then too late for us to help here.

A recent example of an incorrect translation went viral and caused many problems for the renowned supermarket Asda, when shoppers in Cwmbran, South Wales saw a notice in their local store, offering “free alcohol”. It turned out, it was not quite their lucky day!

The supermarket had to explain the sign, in Welsh, had been translated by a colleague incorrectly. It should have said the somewhat different “alcohol-free” (“am ddim” as opposed to “di-alcohol”). The sign was supposed to guide shoppers to “alcohol-free beer” inside, however, in the beer aisle, colleagues wrote “alcohol am ddim” – meaning alcohol for free!

Simply because someone speaks a language or is native, does not mean they are qualified to translate it or even proficient at translating.

As professional, experienced, qualified linguists at Dixon Associates, we are and we believe the precise translation of a sign, website, corporate brochure, operating manual or legal document is a necessity and not a luxury.

We believe you should too. Global translations do not have to cost the earth.

Please contact us for further information about our services and fees.

Are you Doing Everything Possible to Increase Export Sales for Your Business?

The Internet is the window through which the world views your business. It is your company’s advertisement, brochure and representative. Most buyers no longer bother to save printed literature that is sent by post, assuming they will be able to find the same information and more on your website.

Customers use the Internet in a demand-driven way with little patience for a poor experience. Most users look at a company’s website long before making contact or requesting a quote. In a B2B world, national or international, the Internet may not necessarily be the place that purchases are made, but it is certainly where research is carried out before decisions are made.
If you were face to face with your client, you would be able to judge a customer’s reaction to your product or service and respond accordingly with explanations. Online, however you do not have such a luxury, If the customer is confused, only the most determined are likely to contact you with questions; most will simply leave the site.

So, focus on your customers, think about what their needs and expectations are, make sure you answer their questions and provide them in a language that is appropriate to them. Above all, ensure your site is easy to use and does not present barriers to your user’s searching and hopefully buying behaviour. If you are serious about exporting, then it is essential to have your website translated into the language of the target markets. The assumption that everyone understands English can no longer be relied upon. Is it expensive? Well, it could cost your business more by excluding it from these potential export markets simply because users do not understand your website, the products and the services you offer as a professional company.

Please contact Marie on +44 (0) 1902 312988 for further information. Cutting corners costs, professional translations do not have to.

Financial Assistance

If you are thinking of having your website translated into one or more languages, we may be able to help you with the cost as well as the translation!

Dixon Associates are continuing to work closely with the Black Country Chamber of Commerce and the Department for International Trade and funding may be available for the international development of your company. So if you are thinking about translating your website into another language to increase export sales, do give us a call to see how we can assist.

Lack of foreign language skills is costing Midland businesses £10 billion in lost exports

Nearly 65% of the world’s online population is non-English speaking

Web users are 5 times more likely to purchase from a site that communicates in the customer’s language

55% of the online population wishes to access the Internet in their native tongue

Visitors stay on the page  twice as long if a website is in their own language

For further information, please contact Marie on +44 (0)1902 312988 or marie@dixon-associates.co.uk