If you’re operating in your native country everyone speaks your language so documentation, signage and online material doesn’t need translation – or does it? What happens if your organisation has visitors whose English isn’t particularly good? Is that their problem as they’re visiting your country? Quite apart from it being good customer service to provide…
01234 271 555
How critical can translation be?
The language of art
In 2015 the Brandler Galleries sponsored the Translation Challenge and we talked to John Brandler about his perspective on the Challenge and the role of translation in the world of Art. Why did you decide to sponsor the Translation Challenge? “I thought it the students would find it interesting to have a more unusual piece…
5 mistakes international exhibitors make
If you’re planning to exhibit at a trade show or exhibition in another country don’t fall into any of these traps and you’ll have a much more successful experience. 1: Ignore Social media People who were planning to attend anyway may happen to pass by your stand, but if you use the power of social…
Language and its False Friends
When learning a new language, you might come across some words that look familiar because of a similarity to words in your native tongue. So, these words will be easy to remember, right? Unfortunately, in most cases, the answer will be no. While the spelling might be similar or even identical, the meaning might be…
The Language of Football
With the 2018 FIFA World Cup just finished, football has been the subject of conversations worldwide. Every nation has its own expressions and you don’t have to be a passionate football fan to understand them. Some football idioms have become part of everyday language, although not everyone knows that they originated on the football pitch….
Preparing to go global
Most people imagine that first you build your business in the local market, then take it national and finally global. However, the Translation Challenge’s first sponsor had a very different experience! Jane Malyon launched the English Cream Tea Company and within an hour of putting the company Facebook Page up, she had enquiries from five…
Doing business in another country
The German language can be confusing for both, native and non-native Germans. There are three different genders (feminine, masculine, and neutral), endless compound nouns, four grammatical cases, various ways to construct a plural, a certain word order, umlauts and several false friends. Having said that German language rules have fewer exceptions than English and, once…
Linguistic gymnastics
If your school English lessons are lost in the mists of time you probably know what grammar is all about, but what about syntax, semantics, synonyms, antonyms, rhetoric, not to mention punctuation? Even people who are good at English struggle with some of these things – and imagine what happens when you’ve got all these…
Cultural hazards
When you visit another country, you need to be aware of their culture and the behaviour that is expected. There are so many pitfalls to negotiate and it’s easy to offend your business connections by simply being unaware of a cultural taboo. For instance, did you know that it is bad manners to have the…
Off on your travels
To make an impact in a foreign market-place it is often essential to visit that country. This may be for a trade show or exhibition, a business expo, a visit organised by your Chamber of Commerce to introduce you to specific foreign markets or a visit to call on existing clients (and maybe find a…
Load More
