Antonia Wolfrum, a graduate from Aston University in Birmingham, has been awarded The Translation People’s Excellence in Translation Award. The company has been sponsoring this award in cooperation with Aston University since 2005.

After the Aston University graduation ceremony in the Town Hall on Tuesday 30th March, Operations Manager Jasmin Schneider from the Birmingham office presented the 2010 Translation Prize for the most outstanding translation student to Antonia Wolfrum, who achieved a distinction on the “MA in Translation in a European Context” programme. As part of the prize, Antonia, who now works as an in-house translator in the Netherlands was also given the opportunity to take part in a translation project worth £200. Amongst the graduates was new Birmingham Account Manager Denise Sauer, who received her MA degree after successful completion of the same course.

The awarding of the Excellence in Translation prize to graduates is part of the corporation between the Aston University School of Languages and Social Sciences and The Translation People. The aim of this partnership is to raise awareness of the translation profession, in both the academic and business worlds, and to make the next generation of language students aware of the opportunities that lie in the translation industry. According to Jasmin Schneider, “Translation is a much misunderstood skill and we feel it’s important to raise the profile of the translation industry. Through this award we not only draw attention to the industry but also recognise where excellence in translation is being achieved at the same time.”

The Translation People congratulates all Aston University graduates and wishes them all the best for their professional futures!

From left to right: Denise Sauer (Account Manager in Birmingham), Jasmin Schneider (Operations Manager), Award winner Antonia Wolfrum

We understand that time is of the essence, that the highest quality is essential, that the recession has shrunk budgets and that there are hundreds of other translation companies out there who insist they will be the best at fulfilling all your needs. We are no different in that we too deliver the highest quality translation to meet your tight deadlines, we place your project with translators translating exclusively into their mother tongue, who have impeccable attention to detail and have passed our rigorous entry procedure with flying colours.

However and here comes our key differentiating trait, the thing that we believe truly does separate us from the competition: our dedicated Account Management team. We don’t get bogged down with segmenting a project to different teams. A number of our competitors have quotation teams, project management teams, delivery teams, complaint handling teams, sales teams, translator liaison teams to name just a few. While we are all for efficiency and processes, we don’t believe that passing you from pillar to post or losing you in internal bureaucracy will benefit you, your project or us. Should you choose to place your project with The Translation People you will have a direct line to one of our expert Account Managers, this person will provide you with a swift and thorough quotation, clearly detailing costs and turnaround times. That very same Account Manager will discuss your requirements with you, if you choose to go-ahead they will carefully select the most appropriate translators which match your specific project’s needs and then, once translated, the file will be delivered not by a stranger, but by someone who you have spoken to, interacted with, who you have explained your project to, who you have discussed any queries with and who understands your project inside out as he/she hasn’t let it out of their sight!

We operate this way across all four of our UK offices: Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and London. Our recently opened Paris office is also operating in this same way to ensure consistency throughout the company. Our high customer retention rate is testimony that this way works. Our customers come back to us time and time again, they ask to speak to their dedicated Account Manager; their Account Manager is happy to go out to visit them and discusses any new projects with them and makes sure that the same style, glossaries, terms and translators are used on their projects.

The Translation People stand for quality, consistency and dedication. Should you have a specific translation requirement and would like to test how we stand up against the competition, please call us now and have your first conversation with your new Account Manager to be.

Investing in improved systems software, opening new offices, taking new staff on and making a commitment to install a robust ISO process are all challenging decisions for a medium sized company. Of course 2009/10 is a period that has certainly made most management teams tread very carefully when making any increased demands on cash.

Our view has been that in order to survive and prosper in a recession you have to be good at what you do and then try even harder. We are proud to serve so many great names and we consider our client retention rate to be a credit to our account management team who take real ownership of all our clients’ projects.

So we have forged ahead in spite of the recession and we know that our investments are already having an effect, borne out by the fact that more new clients have come to us in the last 12 months than ever before.

However with the election looming, all the parties are queuing up to preach to the public on how there are no quick fixes. Hopefully the election result will be decisive and so will our new PM, not starving SME businesses but rather treating us as the fertile ground that will help the UK grow out of recession and continue to make new penetration into global markets. Many British companies who are forging new partnerships in foreign markets are experiencing extraordinary growth as a result of their efforts.

As 2010 progresses we hope that stabilising financial markets, decisive leadership in Number 10, and an improving export market will aid the recovery and give us, as well as many other British companies with business links around the globe, the confidence to make further investments in our businesses during 2010/11.

We’re on the lookout for a talented individual to join our team in Birmingham and are searching for someone with the X-factor in translation.Forget singing ability; we need someone with a passion for languages, keen knowledge of translation services, great communication skills and an excellent eye for detail – as the winning candidate will co-ordinate a wide range of translation projects for a variety of clients.

Nurturing new talent is important to us and we recently welcomed a former University of Bath student, Catherine Davies, on an intern placement to provide practical experience that has given her a real taste for working in the professional translation services industry.

If you are interested in becoming our new account manager and have a degree in languages, translation or interpreting, please contact our Birmingham office for more information.

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.”

The Translation People have recently invested in advertising space at Manchester Airport’s Terminal 3. The advert appears in three locations throughout the airport in light boxes 6 metres long.

In today’s busy world, with so many means of sourcing a translation services supplier companies can be overwhelmed by the options available to them. The Translation People have a colourful, bold brand, which this advert will help to cement in people’s minds. The Translation People are confident that increased brand awareness will result in increased requests from potential clients. This advert is just one step to improving brand awareness.

Steve Wilde, Managing Director, The Translation People, commented: “This year we are striving to reach our clients in new, innovative ways; we are really pleased with the advert at Manchester Airport and are confident that with the large number of business people walking through Terminal 3 our brand image will become firmly etched in the minds of the North West business community.” He also added: “The advert has only been up a number of weeks, but we have already received a number of enquiries from people who have spotted the advert”.

If you are passing through Terminal 3, be sure to look out for the sign.

The Translation People’s sign pictured at the airport.