The Institute of Translation and Interpreting at the Winterthur School of Applied Linguistics joined forces with the Swiss Association of Translations, Terminologists and Interpreters (ASTTI) to organise a professional development course on translating certificates, for translators working in any combination of languages. Course participants practised key skills in relevant areas in a hands-on fashion, to learn how to translate certificates professionally. Qualified legal experts gave their input on specialist areas, while experienced translators led interactive workshops to teach the essentials of research and usage, and participants got to know the characteristic problems in this particular translation area.

At a time when migration is increasing worldwide, the translation of certificates, qualifications and other professional documentation is become ever more important. TRANSLATION-PROBST Ltd. is well aware of this trend, which is why we were also represented on the course, allowing us to pass on the insights we gained in professional translation of certificates to our network of experienced professional translators. Thus we continue to offer our clients guaranteed reliable and accurate translations of their certificates.

A recognised and highly secure service

TRANSLATION-PROBST Ltd. is recognised by Swiss notaries and registered with several embassies as an official translation agency.

All of TRANSLATION-PROBST Ltd.’s data transfer meets the same exacting security standards as online bank transactions.

Marina Specialist translators and proofreaders, Terminology, Translating Certified translation company, Dolmetscher, Specialist translators, Terminology, Urkunden

In the blog post Get the better of sneaky errors in your texts – thanks to our “ready-to-print” service we asked you for your own experiences about mistakes that were discovered too late or just in time. We received the following story about reports in several media sources:

As Düsseldorf is the host city of this years‘Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), Düsseldorf Marketing & Tourismus GmbH produced an exclusive city guide. Over 100 pages, visitors can find information about the music competition as well as gastronomy, nightlife, culture, shopping, attractions and events in the area.

Error with implications: “Gay’s Day of Action” instead of “Schools‘ Day of Action”

Instead of the phrase “Aktionstag der Schulen (schools‘),” the misprint “Aktionstag der Schwulen (gay’s),” slipped into the German version of the brochure, and was subsequently translated into English as “Gay’s Day of Action.” Embarrassing, as it should actually have read “Schools’ Day of Action”. The mistake had to be covered with a sticker in 65,000 copies of the German brochure and 35,000 copies of the English version. On the front cover, readers were greeted with “Wielcome to Düsseldorf.” As there was no time for the brochures to be reprinted, the superfluous “i” had to be painted over 35,000 times.

It might have been an amusing mistake, but it probably led to additional costs as well as unnecessary stress. Such errors can hurt personal, religious or ethical feelings and can have communicative, economic or legal consequences. This is why we offer our customers a free terminology service as well as a free “ready-to-print” service.

Control terminology and sneaky errors with TRANSLATION-PROBST Ltd.

Our terminology service gathers important concepts and specialist terms and ensures their consistent use in all languages. With our “ready-to-print” service we check all documents that have been translated by us before completion to ensure that translations have been implemented correctly and that no errors have slipped in.

Avoid communication breakdowns with TRANSLATION-PROBST Ltd.’s quality guarantee.

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Our Professor Tell is a true original. And he always hits the target! With a sharp eye, he aims at his target and shoots with a steady hand. His accuracy with the crossbow is legendary – he is a top-quality marksman. That is why he carries the title of “Professor” and is the symbol of TRANSLATION-PROBST Ltd.’s quality guarantee.

So that you hit the target with your target audience, your translations and texts are always proofread by a professor after being translated by a native-speaking specialist translator. This ensures that you receive quality translations that fit the technical and social context and that are consistent with your Corporate Language. All at the best price.

Entrust your translations and texts to us – because accurate translations and texts are worth their weight in gold. And as you know, you can’t go wrong with gold!

Professor Tell is giving away gold

Because accurate translations and texts are worth their weight in gold, Professor Tell is giving away a Swiss gold bullion coin every month. The first will be given away today, Friday 29th April.

Become a fan now and win gold

Would you like to win a Swiss gold bullion coin? Then visit Professor Tell’s Facebook page now and become a fan. Or have a go at the online crossbow competition! Tell gives away a Swiss gold bullion coin every month to one participating fan.

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What is the difference between twittering, tweeting and chirping? None at all. Read here about why it is disadvantageous for a company to use different terms to describe the same concept, and how TRANSLATION-PROBST Ltd. can help you for free!

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Every company has its “own language” that develops over time. It shapes company image and recognition, builds confidence among the target group and increases positioning in search engines. Constructing a standardised terminology in all languages is critical in marketing texts, but it also pays off for SMEs, the backbone of the Swiss economy. Keep your Corporate Language under control with TRANSLATION-PROBST Ltd.’s free terminology management service and shine with consistent texts and translations.

Read the reports about Corporate Language and TRANSLATION-PROBST Ltd.’s terminology service in the magazines “Marketing & Kommunikation” and “KMU-Magazin” as well as the interview on SuisseEMEX‘s online platform.

admin Specialist translators and proofreaders, Terminology, Translating, Uncategorised Marketing translators, Marketing translations, Media coverage, Terminology, Texts that are tailored to your target group

We are always being asked how we are able to deliver better texts and translations with a quality guarantee. In addition to our unique quality assurance process carried out by professors, our terminology management and terminology service are cornerstones of quality.

What role does terminology management play in a translator’s daily routine?
Evelyne Antinoro, one of our translators, tells all:

TP: To what extent do our terminology lists make your work easier?
EA: Terminology lists make my work easier, because I always have the correct terminology for each customer to hand. I don’t need to think much, just look in my Translation Memory to see how I translated the term for this customer the last time. I have everything to hand in the list or glossary. I always work with two monitors so the terminology list is always at my fingertips.

TP: How much quicker do you work with terminology lists?
EA: I can’t say exactly. But I am quicker, because all I have to do is look at a list or in my glossary for the customer’s terminology.

TP: Can you tell us how much time – on average- you save with existing terminology?
EA: That really depends on the length of the text. It could be a few minutes for each text. If there are several texts, if the text is long, or when a customer is new to me and I’m not familiar with their terminology, it can also be a few hours.

TP: Which translation software do you work with?
EA: I work with Wordfast.

Evelyne Antinoro

TP: Do you use Excel tables or MultiTerm termbanks?
EA: As I said, I work with Wordfast and I use Excel tables. This tool allows me to “feed” my glossary. So I save my language pair from the terminology table as a txt file and import the data into my glossary. This way I have all the right terminology to hand, and it can save a lot of time. I can add the correct term into the translation with just a few clicks, without having to type the whole word. It means that I can be sure there are no typing errors in the phrase, and it also saves time.

TP: Isn‘t using Excel tables a bit laborious?
EA: No. I only save terminology of certain customers – the biggest ones, for whom I translate a lot of files. For all the others I look for the terminology by using the search function in the Excel table. Copying the term is quick and easier than looking it up in several glossaries and online.

TP: What do you do when you can’t find a term in your terminology list or anywhere else?
EA: (Then I wonder why it’s in my text but doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world J.)
It’s already happened to me several times- they’re usually compound words. If possible, I “break down” the word and look for its meaning and translation in glossaries and online. If I can’t find the translation in Italian, then I’ll look for the English translation. Normally I have a bit more luck and understand the gist at least – what it’s about and what is meant by the term. If I understand the meaning, I’ll look for the corresponding word in Italian (or French) in the same context. Context is always important. Through “successive approximation,” I find the right translation.

TP: What tips would you give somebody who’s just starting to work with terminology lists?
EA: You can look at a terminology list as a customer-specific glossary. It’s a good idea to have a look at the terminology list before you start the translation – then you know which terms have already been entered. If you don’t know a word or a specific term, look in the terminology list before looking in a glossary or online.

As you can see, using terminology lists is very advantageous. Our terminologist Sonja Portmann is constantly updating our existing lists with the approval of the customer. Therefore, it’s very important that you download the latest version of each list. How do you know if you have the latest version? Sonja Portmann writes the date of the latest update in the file name.

Have you had similar experiences or do you want to share ideas with other translators? Tell us about your experiences here on our blog!

Marina Siedl (Project Management) & Sonja Portmann (Terminology)

Joshua Specialist translators and proofreaders, Terminology Corporate Language, Terminology, Translators with terminology, Wording

For nearly a year, thanks to our partnership with SDL, the leader in computer-assisted translation tools, our average day lookes like this:

When a customer orders a job, I send the existing translations and terminology list to the translator via e-mail. The translator then opens the package in SDL Trados and translates it directly in the programme’s workspace. The programme makes translation suggestions by continuously accessing the Translation Memory and the Term Bank. This is very useful for instruction manuals for example, in which many similar phrases and expressions are often used. Last but not least, Trados automatically retains the original layout of the translated document – ensuring even greater efficiency.

We use your company’s terminology in our translation – you benefit from the latest technology.

Marina Copywriters, Editing, Proofreading, Specialist translators and proofreaders, Team, Translating Corporate Language, MultiTerm, SDL Trados, Technology, Technical translations, Technology, Terminology, TRANSLATION-PROBST

What constitutes a professional translation?  What sort of translation helps you to sell more? Find out by reading our blog posts and the SuisseEMEX expert interview with Roman Probst.

A picture apparently says more than a thousand words. But good pictures are rare. When I look at a picture, it tells me a story. But for me to share it, to be able to understand and assess it, I need to connect with people, and I do this by speaking or by writing. Language is needed for that, and that’s where TRANSLATION-PROBST comes in.

Roman Probst

Avoid using dictionaries or automatic on-line translation packages to translate sentences into a foreign language. Because words can be ambiguous, phrases are not normally easy to translate into another language. Translation software can be helpful, but it doesn’t come close to what a human translator can do – it lacks common sense and the understanding of the message of a text.

For a business it can be very costly for an advertising campaign in a foreign country to be misunderstood or even offensive to potential customers.

What constitutes a professional translation?

Many of our 300+ translators live in their home countries. They only translate into their mother tongue – the language they’ve known since childhood, that they use every day and in whose environment they live. As a result they understand the socio-cultural context of the translation’s target audience. They are specialists in their field, and are updated daily on the latest developments. We are particularly proud of our quality assurance, as every text is proofread by a professor.

So that’s what constitutes a professional translation: a transfer in meaning of your original text that is precisely tailored to your target audience. That way you are guaranteed to get your message across!

admin Editing, Proofreading, Specialist translators and proofreaders, Translating Marketing translators, Marketing translations, Roman Probst, Terminology, TRANSLATION-PROBST, Advertising text, Texts that are tailored to your target group