Translation for import/export businesses

Posted on February 21, 2012 by enigma

If you’re the owner of an import/export business or an export management company you’ll know that international trading is big business, but not without its language and cultural hurdles.

Although English is the international language of business, it would make poor business sense to rely wholeheartedly on this convenience when you are trading with overseas suppliers. It only takes one misinterpreted communication to damage your reputation, lose money, your supplier or customers.

Knowing and understanding the language and cultural nuances of your imported product’s country or the country you are exporting to, will aid smooth business practice and ensure longevity of your business relationships. However, we’re not all adept at picking up new languages, which can lead to problematic communication resulting in shipping delays or worse offending your supplier or customers.

At Enigma Translation our professional translators can help you navigate this potentially fraught business minefield with expertise in the source language, target language and cultural and business etiquette of the country you are trading with. Your specially assigned translator can assist you with all your translation requirements from the financial translation of invoices, emails and letters to the communication and response in your supplier’s language.

Other areas we can help you with:

Importing goods/services

Translating product descriptions, user guides and manuals and labels
Translation of all documentation required for importing – from shipping and handling documents to licences and permits
Translation of country regulations regarding importing

Exporting goods/services

Writing product descriptions, user guides and manuals in the target language of the country you are exporting to
Bilingual and trilingual packaging and labelling – for instance a French-English label is required for Canada, an Arabic-English label for the Middle East and a Finnish-Swedish label for Finland
Advise you on your product’s name and packaging design in regard to cultural sensitivities to avoid religious, social or political taboos – colours and numbers have different connotations in different countries
Advise you on whether your product’s name is easy to pronounce in the target language and if it has any negative connotations
Advise you on whether your product will be better received as a quintessential product of its country of origin or whether it would do better if its name is translated into the target language
Preparing export documents in the target language if necessary
Understanding the country regulations regarding exporting

And for those essential face to face meetings with your supplier or customer here or abroad, a professional interpreter from Enigma Translation will ensure you make the right impression and that everybody is ‘on the same page’.

Whether you are trading in China and need help with Cantonese, Mandarin or Putonghua or are trading in Europe, we can help with our knowledge of over 114 languages. Contact us for translators and interpreters on +44 (01604) 750 799, by email or visit our website for a free instant quote. And of course you will find us on Facebook.

Having a preferred supplier for your translation needs

Posted on February 16, 2012 by enigma

Have you had your hair cut or your car serviced recently? If you have, then there’s a really strong chance that you visited your hairdresser or your preferred garage. And you’ve probably been using their services for years.

Why do we return to the same provider time and time again? We may well be creatures of habit, but it’s more likely to be because we’re happy with the service they provide, we feel our needs are being met, we trust them, we know what we’re getting and we feel valued.

My Supplier
Over time we accrue all sorts of preferred suppliers to meet our needs from plumbers, doctors, dentists and hairdressers. So surely it makes perfect sense if you are looking for a translation service, especially on an ongoing basis, to find a company that fits the criteria you apply to your personal choices.

Can you see where we’re heading with this?!

Make Enigma Translation your preferred supplier
Well like any blossoming relationship the more time we spend working together, the more we will get to know you, your business and translation requirements.

We can provide professional translators who are fully qualified in the source language, a native speaker of the target language and in addition have expertise in the area you require support. Thus ensuring an understanding of the language’s nuances, the cultural differences and the context in which your document is written.

Together we can build a glossary of terms to aid continuity across all your translations by using the relevant terminology and keywords for your industry. Also in-house jargon specific to your products or services will be at hand to ensure accuracy and maintain context.

Our extensive team of professional translators and proof-readers work closely together ensuring translated text is checked and then checked again with a fresh pair of eyes as standard.

We can also help you with copywriting, editing and desktop publishing as well as providing professional interpreters for the spoken word too.

Getting to know us
By using our services regularly you will see what can be achieved and can be sure we will meet your deadlines quickly. We can usually do this within 24 hours or super fast with our same day service if urgently required.

For example we recently completed an urgent translation for a one page brochure from English to Turkish in less than 4 hours. The instruction arrived at 10.50am and was ready by 14.26pm on the same day. We also completed the certified translation of Russian financial statements into English in just 5 hours. We received instruction at 2pm and our client collected the finished work at 7pm, again on the same day.

If you want the same quick, accurate and consistent service and want to make us your preferred supplier for your translation needs, all you need to do is get in touch. Call us on +44 (01604) 750 799 or email us and of course you can find us on Facebook.

5 reasons to love Enigma Translation

Posted on February 14, 2012 by enigma

February is a romantic month with Valentine’s Day slap bang in the middle and its synonymy with leap year marriage proposals by women. Ladies did you know this year is a leap year? You might want to ‘save the date’ and surprise your partner by proposing to them on February 29th 2012.

Whilst you’re in the mood for love why not consider the following 5 reasons to start your love affair with Enigma Translation?

1. I love you in 114 languages
Our global network of over 2,000 professional translators can say I love you in over 114 languages if that’s what you need. We cover an extensive range of languages from the familiar to the less familiar and also same language country variations.

We know words are important and no more so than when popping the question. So if you want to impress your soul mate by asking him or her to marry you in their native tongue or like the romantic idea of asking in another language, get in touch for a quick turnaround. We can’t guarantee they’ll say yes, but we can guarantee they’ll understand your proposal.

2. Love specialists
Now Enigma Translation can’t claim to have specialist knowledge of your intended, but we can claim that our translators have expertise in many specialised subjects. In fact we’ve dedicated a whole page on our website to our extensive list for you to take a look at.

So if you ask us to help you with translation regarding marriage legalities, we will say ‘I do’. Or if you need our translation services for understanding the financial legalities of buying your first love nest, we will be happy to carry you over the threshold so to speak.

3. Love is blind
Whatever your translation requirements, you can be blissfully happy in the knowledge that proof-reading of your translated documents comes as standard. Our professional proof-readers are loved-up with words and can complete 8,000 a day.

We know your reputation is at stake and it just wouldn’t do to ask your beloved to spend the rest of his or her ‘parrot’ with you, when we all know you mean ‘life’. Yes it would be a memorable proposal, but for all the wrong reasons.

4. I wanna hold your hand
At Enigma Translation we don’t just translate, we interpret too. If your meeting is an urgent matter of the heart, be it love or medical one of our professional interpreters can be there for you.

Whatever the diagnosis, broken heart or not at least you’ll understand what’s being said. And your interpreter will keep whatever’s been said confidential, even if it’s just your ego that’s bruised.

5. As fast as Cupid’s arrow
If you need your translated declaration of love or your marriage licence in order before hot-footing it to Vegas or Gretna Green, we can have it in your preferred language tout suite (that’s immediately). We offer a same day service for when love just can’t wait.

And for those of you who aren’t as impulsive or relish a little more time to pluck up the courage, we can usually complete the work within 24 hours.

What do you think? Should we give it a go? Call me! Here’s my number: +44 (01604) 750 799 or send me a note by email or Facebook!

The different languages Enigma can translate

Posted on February 9, 2012 by enigma

If you’re an avid reader of our blog you’ll know that Enigma Translation’s professional translators are able to translate over 114 different languages. But do you know exactly which languages those are?

The familiar ones
Our global network of over 2,000 professional translators cover a multitude of widely used languages across the world. From European languages including the Romance group of French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian and Catalan, to the languages of Asia: Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Malay to name but a few.

But not just…
Of those familiar languages we also translate variations. For instance when we say we translate Chinese that also includes Cantonese, Mandarin and Putonghua. Of the Norwegian language we are also equipped to translate Bokmol, Nynorsk and Riksmal.

The same language can also be spoken in different countries resulting in more variations. The French language differs in Africa, Belgium, Canada, Switzerland and Luxembourg. The German spoken in Austria and Switzerland is different to the German spoken in Germany. With Portuguese translation we can translate the African and Brazilian variations too. And with Spanish, the Latin American variants as well.

The not so familiar ones
Our professional linguists can also translate less familiar languages listed here:

Basque – or Euskara spoken in the Basque Country in Spain located on the French-Spanish border in the western Pyrenees

Belarusian – belongs to the Slavic group of languages and is spoken in Belarus but also in Russia, Ukraine and Poland

Dari – belongs to the Indo-Iranian group of languages and is spoken in Afghanistan along with Pashto

Faroese – belongs to the Insular Nordic language group and is spoken in the Faroe Islands and also by Faroese people in Denmark

Farsi and Persian – both spoken in Iran

Galician – belongs to the Romance language group and is spoken by the Galicia people of north west Spain

Gujarati – belongs to the Indo-Aryan language group and is spoken in Gujarat State on the west coast of India

Hebrew – modern Hebrew is predominantly spoken in Israel

Lingala – is a Bantu language spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo

Tamil – belongs to the Dravidian language group and is spoken in southern India, Sri Lanka and Singapore

You can find a complete list of the languages we can translate on the Enigma Translation website or contact us if it’s not listed as we may still be able to help you. Whether your translation needs are for business or for a personal matter, we speak your language.

Get in touch by calling us on +44 (01604) 750 799 or by email and of course you can find us on Facebook.

The importance of proof-reading

Posted on February 7, 2012 by enigma

At Enigma Translation we believe that proof-reading comes as part and parcel of the translation service to ensure accuracy and avoid errors. We appreciate that even the tiniest translation mistake can lead to big problems for you as an individual or a business.

That’s why we use a separate professional proof-reader to the professional translator on all of our projects.

A no-brainer
It has nothing to do with a lack of faith in our translators’ abilities, more an acknowledgement that the mind doesn’t need to see or process every letter in a word to be able to read it and understand what it means. Basically it fills in the gaps as it processes the information presented. So mistakes are not always seen as mistakes…

‘Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs psas it on !!’

The mental exercise you’ve just undertaken is from a spam email that has been circumnavigating the Internet for years, but showcases exactly what we mean. Our brain recognises enough letters in each word to quickly reassemble into a tangible order that we can understand.

Which is why we believe it is imperative that translated text is proof-read by a fresh pair of eyes – our professional proof-readers – to double check the finer details and ensure the following:

That it is free from typos, spelling and grammatical mistakes
That it uses the relevant terminology and phrases for its target audience
That it retains the original context and meaning of the source text

Then and only then are we happy to call the job complete and hand the translation over to you.

All in a day’s work
Our professional translators can usually complete an impressive 3,000 words a day and our professional proof-readers a staggering 8,000 words a day. Both are highly qualified in the source and target language providing a consistent, accurate and polished translation.

Their efficiency also allows us to offer a fast turnaround too with translations usually completed within 24 hours or on the same-day when necessary.

There’s no room for error with Enigma Translation. Get in touch for our complete translation service on +44 (0) 1604 750799 or via enquiries@enigmatranslation.co.uk and via Facebook.

Hire a professional interpreter

Posted on February 2, 2012 by enigma

Did you know we offer an interpretation service as well as a translation service here at Enigma Translation?

What interpretation services are available?
Generally there are three main types of interpretation services: consecutive interpretation, simultaneous interpretation and whispered interpretation.

In layman’s terms, consecutive interpreting requires the interpreter to listen to the person speaking in the source language before delivering the vocal translation in the target language. The conversation happens in segments allowing the information to be vocally translated in manageable portions.

Simultaneous interpreting however requires the interpreter to deliver the vocal translation in the target language whilst the speaker of the source language is still talking. The interpretation happens in real time.

Whispered interpreting is a form of simultaneous interpreting used for small groups of people who don’t understand the source language amongst a larger group of people who do. The vocal translation is literally whispered or delivered in a quiet voice alongside the source language conversation.

How can an Enigma interpreter help you?
Our professional interpreters have expertise in many specialist areas including: Legal, Medical, Financial, Technical and Marketing. You can see the full list on our website.

This means not only are our interpreters fluent in the source language you need help understanding, but can vocally translate into the target language with expert knowledge of the terminology and practices used in that field.

Help in legal situations
For instance you may need an interpreter with you for a solicitors meeting, a day in court, at a tribunal or help with police matters. Or with an estate agent or solicitor when buying or selling a property overseas.

Help in medical situations
For peace of mind in what can already be a stressful situation; our medical interpreters can help you understand your diagnosis and further treatments and procedures that may be required. For instance, a consultation with your dentist, your doctor or at the hospital, in fact any medical scenario you might find yourself in.

Helping individuals
We can provide a professional interpreter for any type of meeting you have, perhaps with your employer or manager. We recently provided interpretation services for Primark and one of their Czech employees. Or perhaps you’d like an interpreter on hand during a job interview to ensure you understand the procedure and any tricky questions that arise.

Helping businesses
A professional interpreter can be a great support in meetings with overseas clients here or abroad. Not only will they keep the channels of communication open, but their familiarity with business and cultural etiquette will help you avoid any business or social faux pas.

In whatever area you require our interpretation services our professional interpreters will observe your need for confidentiality and remain impartial.

Professional interpreters at the ready
Our professional interpreters are well versed in bridging the communication gap in over 114 languages and help both businesses and individuals, often at short notice. So if you find yourself urgently needing our help, give the Enigma Translation office a call on +44 (0) 1604 750799 or on our mobile +44 07930326698.

You can also get in contact via email enquiries@enigmatranslation.co.uk or Facebook.

Glossary of terms

Posted on January 31, 2012 by enigma

If you follow us on Facebook you will have seen this post on our Enigma Translation page in the last few days:

“Many larger companies have their own in house culture, jargon and abbreviations and to outsiders it can be very confusing. In these situations a glossary of terms is very helpful. If one is not available then we can create one for future reference to ensure consistency and accuracy.”

We’d like to expand on this and what we can offer your business in the way of a glossary of terms.

What is a glossary of terms?
A glossary of terms is an invaluable tool for translators and is subject, client and project specific – think of it as ‘A Translator’s Guide to Your Company’. Basically it is a translated list of approved words and terms relevant to your company which have been generated by you and the translator.

They are company, product, service and subject specific and include relevant terminology used in specialised areas. For instance technical, medical, legal, marketing and financial terms as well as in-house catchphrases, jargon, abbreviations and strap lines etc. Essentially whatever terminology is particular to your business area, products or service.

How can a glossary of terms benefit your company?
If you regularly require translation of documentation for and from clients and business associates a glossary of terms will aid the translator employed to do this. It will ensure that your translator understands your business, brand, services and products resulting in consistent and correct terminology being used throughout your translations.

It will also be beneficial and cost-effective for further future translations as research and correction time is already reduced. By using the glossary as an aid, the translator or translators can quickly and efficiently continue translating in the same tone and context by using correct approved terminology.

And if you are considering translating into multiple languages it truly comes into its own as multilingual equivalents can be easily added to already identified and translated keywords and terms.

What can Enigma Translation offer?
Enigma Translation is happy to help with your translation needs, whether it’s for a one-off project or to offer long term translation support.

Our global network of professional translators are fluent in over 114 languages and are also experts in their own specific field including Medical Translation, Financial Translation, Legal Translation, Technical Translation and Marketing Translation. They are able to work with your own existing glossary of terms or to work with you to create one for future use. This will ensure that reliable and accurate terminology relevant to your company is consistently used across your translated documentation.

If a glossary of terms sounds like a useful tool to you, then get in touch to make it happen. You can call Enigma Translation on +44 (01604) 750 799, email us and find us on Facebook.

Translation for individuals as well as business

Posted on January 26, 2012 by enigma

We’re not sure if you know this, but Enigma Translation help individuals with their translation needs on a daily basis. Basically, we provide translation services and interpreters to more than just businesses.

There are many scenarios that take us abroad – holidays, work, study, owning a holiday let, relocating, retirement – either short term or long term. But all introduce us to a different culture and often a new language.

Generally as UK citizens we are very fortunate that English is a widely understood and spoken language across the globe, but when it comes to the written word sometimes our phrase book just isn’t enough. And even if you’ve been fastidious enough to begin learning the language of your destination, there will be circumstances when you will need expertise and translation in a specialised area.

When you might need Enigma Translation
Living in a foreign country is fun and exciting but it can also produce a lot of paperwork, which can become a minefield if it’s in a language you don’t understand.

Medical
Straightforward things like finding a new doctor or dentist may require registration and details of your medical history. Help with Medical Translation is vital to ensure any existing illnesses, conditions and medical requirements are conveyed and understood. Interpreters can be essential in these situations.

Legal
Perhaps there’s an issue with your work permit/visa and you need to seek legal advice. Or you may be legally obliged to pay taxes as a resident. Enigma Translation can offer Legal Translation of documents or arrange for an interpreter to be present at any meetings you might need with a solicitor.

Perhaps you’re marrying overseas. You may need to acquire a marriage permit or licence and of course there will be the marriage certificate. And if you decide to start a family you will need to register the birth of your son or daughter too. Again we can help with the Legal Translation of registration documents and certificates and Medical Translation of hospital documentation.

Property and Finance
Of course if you’ve relocated abroad be it for work, study, the summer or retirement, you’ll need somewhere to call home. We cover all aspects of Property Law Translation and Financial Translation so will be able to help you if you are renting, buying, letting or selling a property. We can also offer you the same support if you are managing this from the UK.

These are just a few examples of where our huge network of professional linguists and interpreters can help. For details of the 114 languages we are versed in and the other specialist areas we can offer translation, please see our website.

Don’t leave home without us
Put our telephone number +44 (01604) 750 799 and email in your phone and mark our website as ‘Favourite’, that way we’ll always be on hand when you need a translator.

Keep in touch on Facebook.

Fast turnaround

Posted on January 24, 2012 by enigma

At Enigma Translation we guarantee a fast turnaround for all your translation requirements. The work will be done accurately and on budget. In fact we’re so efficient we can even offer a same-day translation service for matters that just can’t wait or within 24 hours if you’ve a little more time on your hands.

For instance, last week we completed the certified translation of Russian financial statements into English in just 5 hours. We received instruction at 2pm and the client collected the finished work at 7pm. Now that’s a fast turnaround even if we do say so ourselves!

Globally well connected
That’s because we have a global network of over 2,000 qualified full time professional translators and interpreters with at least 5 years of experience providing translation in 114 languages. Get in touch for a speedy Financial Translation.

Today we have already provided a professional interpreter at short notice for a business meeting and completed the translation and legalisation of a CRB, much to the customer’s delight who commented “Thank you for dealing with this so promptly.” Have you got a Legal Translation you need help with? Call us.

Did you know?
Our translators can usually complete 3,000 words per day and our proof-readers can usually complete 8,000 words a day. And because we know accuracy is key, we use a separate proof-reader to the translator on all our projects.

Our linguists also have expertise in many areas where you are likely to need translation help: Legal Translation, Financial Translation, Medical Translation, Marketing Translation, Website Translation and Technical Translation. But that’s not all, we can help you in more specialist areas such as Film, TV and Video or even Biochemistry – you’ll find a complete list of specialist subjects on our website. Or contact us to see how we can help you.

In addition, Enigma Translation can provide proofreading, editing, desktop publishing and copywriting in any language.

Something else to brag about
This month alone Enigma Translation has provided a professional interpreter for a successful meeting between Primark and one of their Czech employees in Newcastle upon Tyne; completed the translation and certification of 5 documents from Chinese to English in less than 20 hours – one document only taking 5 hours – and completed jobs in Chinese, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Lithuanian and Italian ranging from birth, marriage, divorce and education certificates to reports and books.

Businesses and individuals use our fast translation and interpreter services for quick, accurate results on a daily basis. If you’d like to benefit from these too, call the office on +44 (0) 1604 750799, our mobile on +44 07930326698 or send us an email to: enquiries@enigmatranslation.co.uk.

Why not stop by our Facebook page and say Bonjour?

Medical Translation

Posted on January 19, 2012 by enigma

Enigma Translation‘s Medical Translation service covers a vast area and is highly specialised. Accuracy and efficiency is crucial as is expert knowledge of the medical sector, medical texts and hospital procedures in different countries. Without stating the obvious, a poor or timely translation could mean the difference between life and death.

Let’s face it when we find ourselves in a medical situation as hard as we try to process the information we’re given at the time, we often come away questioning whether we’ve fully understood what was said. What made sense in the doctor’s surgery, A&E or in the consultant’s room at the hospital is suddenly not so clear.

Don’t lose your head
So transport yourself to another country with a different language and understandably the situation can become a whole lot more scary and stressful. However if you find yourself in this predicament, be it requiring medical or dental assistance whilst on holiday or as a new resident in a new country, Enigma Translation can help.

Not only do we take the mystery out of the language but also out of the situation. Engaging the services of our professional translators to help with translating medical documentation can reduce the additional anxiety and stress of not fully understanding the situation or diagnosis.

On home ground
Perhaps on your return from another country you need to pass your medical documentation to your own doctor or insurance company. Enigma Translation can help with the Medical Translation of patient information papers, consent forms, prescriptions, test results and discharge papers to name but a few.

Of course you may have opted for a medical procedure or alternative therapies to be carried out overseas or the family pet may have travelled with you on holiday and needed veterinary attention. Many of these will generate medical paperwork that you may wish to have translated.

Make your business our business
On a business level perhaps you are providing a medical service abroad or dealing with medical documentation such as reports, journals, questionnaires, brochures or instructions for medical equipment that require translating. Again our professional team of linguists can help. We will assign a translator who is expert in the source language, target language and particular medical sector you are dealing with.

Also if you are running a restaurant or bar overseas and need to understand Health and Safety procedures in a foreign country and translate the documentation that goes with it, we can help with that too.

Medically speaking
In fact Enigma Translation has translation experience in all of the following medical areas: Oncology, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, Paediatrics, Radiology, Psychiatry, Preventative medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary, Alternative therapies, Health and safety, Public health and Pharmaceuticals.

Whatever your Medical Translation needs, Enigma Translation is here to help. Get in touch to find out more by calling +44 (01604) 750 799 or by email if you prefer. You’ll also find details on our website and our free instant quote facility too.

And if for any reason there are legal implications with your medical situation abroad, we can also provide legal translation.