Archive for the ‘Translation Services’ Category

Costs of Translation Services in the UK for Immigrants Soars by 40%

Thursday, December 16th, 2010

The UK government are again calling for tougher language tests for new immigrants as costs associated with translation services in the UK have risen by over 40% in the last year, although there has been a plight to reduce the cost of translation services.

Labour, the previous government of the UK laid out £100 million to cover translation services across government and the judicial system while it pledged to slash the bill. Although last year the cost of translation services in this are rose to £140 million.

There have been critics suggesting that these costs are a waste of money and that immigrants should face tough new language tests before entering the country. While this may be a better solution, there may be alternatives to reduce costs for translation services within the government and public sector organisations through centralised translation systems which avoid having to repeatedly translate similar or identical documents. Systems such as Global Voices Video Interpretation system are also new and innovative ways in which to reduce costs of translation services in the UK.

Tags: Translation, Translation Services, Translation Services UK
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The Importance of Choosing a Quality Translation Service

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

Yet again we are seeing examples of why it is so important to choose quality over value when choosing translation services. In the news this time a Prison in the UK made a major mistranslation in an information pamphlet for Russian inmates, instead of ‘Exercise Yard’ it had been translated as ‘Execution Yard‘. Luckily this error was picked up in the draft stage of the document, but still highlights the fact that quality control is crucial during translation projects, no matter how big or small.

The chief inspector of the prison commented that: “You could treat it as a bit of a joke unless you were that prisoner and you didn’t understand how the British prison service worked and came from a country that still had execution yards. It wouldn’t be a funny thing for him.”

Of course he is right in the fact that some countries may still have execution yards, and even the smallest of errors can mean an entirely different thing to the reader. This highlights how important choosing a high quality translation service with experience in the relevant industry is over choosing the lowest cost, because nine times out of ten the lower cost translation will end up costing you more in the long run from having to translate again.

We have experience in providing translation services for Prisons, and realise how important it is to avoid errors like this, to find out more about Global Voices translation services visit our website.

Tags: Mistranslations, Russian, Translation Quality, Translation Services
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Google adds Latin to Translation Service

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010

Last week, Google increased its automated translation service by adding the ability to translate Latin to Google Translate.

It is the 58th language to be added to the automated translation service, and is the only language that has no native speakers. Latin is no longer used in the modern world except for one or two special cases.

Google sees the main use of it’s Latin translation service will be by students, around 100,000 US based students study classical language every year.

It has to be said though that as of the time of writing this article, latin translations on the tool are not completely accurate, although it can be used for a bit of fun to translate those old Roman scripts or that motto you wanted to know the meaning of.

Google Translate of course produces better translations over time as more people use the translation service and contribute better translations, although machine translations will never be 100% accurate or produce quality translations. Global Voices translation services also cover Latin translations, and if this is a service you require or any other language combination for that fact then visit our website www.globalvoices.co.uk.

Tags: Latin, Rare Languages, Technology, Translation Services
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Polish Translations Soaring in Edinburgh

Friday, June 25th, 2010

According to The Scotsman, the number of hours spent translating health information into Polish by the NHS has soared taking up nearly 13,000 hours of translation.

Polish speakers are in fact now the largest minority group in Edinburgh with over 40,000 Poles living within the capital(1). The growing number of Polish residents and demand for public services provided in the Polish language has led to over £700,000 of expenditure on translation services by health chiefs. In contrast, only £500,000 was spent on Polish translation services in 2008 and NHS Lothian say the increase is due to the higher usage of health services amongst non-English speakers.

Specialised interpreters are often needed during health visits, even if the patient is competent in English. The complexity of a diagnosis and the language used means that many patients need interpreters present for reassurance and a solid understanding of what is going on. Global Voices is an experienced company when it comes to medical interpretation. It is the largest supplier of interpreters to NHS Forth Valley and surrounding areas. Global Voices has also noticed a trend developing in Central Scotland over the last couple of years where Polish interpreters are often the most in demand when it comes to interpreting for public and health services.

The Scotsman also states that of the 26,100 hours spent face-to-face interpreting in NHS Lothian, 12,490 were for Polish with Chinese second most popular and then Arabic, Turkish, Bengali, Portuguese and Russian interpreters also being well used.

(more…)

Tags: Edinburgh, Interpretation, NHS, Polish, Translation Services, Video Interpretation
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Wallace Would be Embarrassed for Scottish Trade

Friday, February 26th, 2010

LANGUAGE experts based in Stirling say William Wallace would be embarrassed by the lack of foreign skills possessed by Scottish companies.

Translation and interpreting agency Global Voices are situated in the shadow of the Wallace Monument, a memorial to arguably Scotland’s greatest hero and a man who could speak two languages as well as his own. They are worried about Scottish firms’ ambivalence to the importance of foreign culture and language in business.

: Global Voices sits underneath the Wallace Monument (Stirling)

It is well known that Wallace was fluent in French and Latin as well as his mother tongue, but today more than 700 years on you would be lucky to find a Scottish firm conversant in more than one language.

Luigi Koechlin, who runs his agency from Stirling University’s Innovation Park, has interpreters and translators to cover all of the world’s languages, but he fears Scottish companies could lose out on millions of pounds of business if they do not address their language inequality soon.

William Wallace knew the value of understanding different cultures and tongues. The English underestimated him thinking he was a barbarian and he managed to win great victories over them.

“However, I think he would be a bit embarrassed that we expect everyone else to speak English instead of making the effort to train employees or call on agencies like ourselves to help out when it comes to breaking down the language barrier.”

And he adds:

“The world is getting smaller year by year in the business sense. It is turning into a United Nations of business and anyone not embracing the fact is going to struggle. It is unrealistic to rely on everyone speaking English.”