Anuga is the world’s largest trade fair for the food and beverage industry which takes place every two years in Cologne, Germany and this year’s event has already received excellent reviews despite the economic climate. David Nichols, Director, was representing the Translation People and he was able to report a phenomenal success. But first, here’s something we prepared earlier…

Cologne is brimming with cultural contrasts, where old and new stand together in a city renowned for its beautiful historical buildings as well as its innovative architectural gems. This duality can be seen everywhere, but especially in the cathedral’s age – finished in 1880, yet construction started as early as 1248. It is this heady blend of modern and traditional, old and young, which makes the city the perfect stage for Anuga.

Walking through the various food halls there can be no denying that the mixture of modern with traditional (for example, herbal teas with energy drinks, fresh produce with that which has carefully aged over time, state of the art equipment with older methods) demonstrates how Anuga provides the perfect combination of past and present and certainly does not forget to throw in a generous helping of future developments for good measure. The fact is that Anuga has something for everybody, just like Cologne, but even though exhibitors may differ in the produce that they offer, the one thing which remains the same is their passion and quality.

Back to David, who confirms that the Translation People will not only be attending the 2011 trade fair, but he hoped that Anuga would become a permanent fixture in their business calendar. “The food and beverage industry is one of the most diverse markets both in Europe and worldwide, but the Translation People have been working hard to establish a team of highly specialised translators and are more than well placed to deal with this demand. We will continue to strengthen our client base over the next two years, and look forward to 2011.”

The Anuga Trade Fair takes place every two years in Cologne and is the place to be if you are passionate about the food and beverage industry. The 2007 event attracted close to 7,000 exhibitors from 95 countries and more than 163,000 visitors (92,000 from outside Germany). What is unique about Anuga is that it hosts ten individual trade fairs which cover every aspect of the food and beverage sector. So, whether your passion is dairy products or bread and bakery, meat or vegetarian products, drinks, or technology and equipment – everybody is welcomed and catered for as manufacturers and wholesalers all come together under one roof in a tantalising array of industry services.

The Translation People have decided that the time is right to attend this year’s fair, having built up an impressive client base and developed a team of highly experienced translators in this industry field. It is the translation service of choice for well-known names in the food and drink sector such as Diageo, Chivas Brothers, Cranberry Ocean Spray and Beauchamp Foods, and also provides these services to the Manufacturing and Logistics industries.

These are exciting times for the Translation People, who are looking forward to attending such a prestigious trade fair and making new business contacts to forge lasting relationships in an industry within which it already has a proven outstanding track record. David Nichols, Director, will be representing the Translation People at Anuga where he is confident that new partnerships will be made with prospective clients – clients who are as passionate about their industry as The Translation People are about the translation services they provide.

The Translation People’s recent ‘business jargon’ research has certainly sparked interest from the media and Managing Director Steve Wilde was asked to appear on a BBC radio show to discuss the topic further.

Having highlighted some comical examples of how British business jargon can be lost in translation (our favourite being the literal translation of ‘Give me a ball park figure’ to ‘Give to me the diagram of the baseball stadium’ in Russian!), Steve was invited to the BBC Radio Manchester studios to take part in its weekly Business programme.

Steve said: “Our translation research sparked a really interesting debate. Our findings chimed with the experience of the other businesspeople on the show, who had their own examples of language and cultural barriers getting in the way of clear communication overseas.

“Like us, they felt that it was vital to keep business language clear and direct when trading overseas, and to seek professional translation services support for all major activity.”

He added: “I really enjoyed the experience of the live debate and hope I was able to provide some useful tips for businesses looking to develop their overseas trade.”

To find out more about our business jargon translation research click here.

With 472 exhibitors attending from 17 European countries, Expopharm has once again proved itself as the biggest trade fair in Europe for the pharmaceuticals industry. More than 25,000 visitors travelled to Düsseldorf this year meaning that, in spite of economic climate, visitor numbers grew in comparison to 2008.

The venue for this important annual exhibition is no coincidence: Germany is the largest market for pharmaceutical products with a turnover of some €38 million in 2008 alone. As the event was not only attended by pharmaceuticals companies, but also by service and IT systems providers, The Translation People had the opportunity to network with attendees and representatives from a variety of organisations. “The European Court of Justice ruling in May this year that EU member states can legislate on the ownership of pharmacies demonstrates a clear commitment to owner run pharmacies and as a result the general mood was very positive” says The Translation People’s Jasmin Schneider. As such, the event was well timed explains Jasmin further: “Many pharmacists have been waiting for the ruling before taking decisions regarding new investments.”

Opportunities for growth can be seen in particular in the Brazilian, Russian, Indian and Chinese markets. “The effect of globalization on the pharmaceuticals industry means that it is becoming increasingly important for organisations to work closely with a professional translation agency” says Jasmin. “There are, for example, more than 400 Indian languages, so it can be confusing to know which to use. The Translation People are well placed to advise on which is most suitable for your target audience.”