Mind the Gap

UK translation company certified to BS EN Size:92nd in the world in 2011, today 75th (turnover) Staff: 64 (Southampton, London, Stockholm) Languages: English, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish Clients: 290 translation companies worldwide Teams: Translation (4-7 per language) Account Linguist (2-3 per language) Project Management (15) IT (1) Management (5) 2 © Sandberg Translation Partners Ltd 2012 STP Nordic

3© Sandberg Translation Partners Ltd 2012 Head Office

Industry:Associations (7+) Other: CSA, TAUS, TWB, NTIF Tools: Partnerships Universities: In the UK and the Nordic countries Talks about the commercial world Workshops Internships Job vacancies 4 © Sandberg Translation Partners Ltd 2012 Cooperation

5© Sandberg Translation Partners Ltd 2012 What we expect Translator applicants with a translation BA or MA English and at least one Nordic language Linguistic studies in their mother tongue (language they translate into) Ability to use computers and different software applications Ability to use language both creatively and methodically Ability to work independently Ability to cooperate and communicate with colleagues Ability to cope with time-related stress Attention to detail 1300 – 1800 (English) words a day

6© Sandberg Translation Partners Ltd 2012 What we expect Project Manager applicants with a translation BA or MA Knowledge of translation industry Knowledge of translation processes Ability to multitask fast under pressure Aptitude for problem-solving and creative thinking Ability to communicate – polite, clear, factual and concise Knowledge of tools and aptitude for learning new technical solutions Advanced computer skills Ability to establish good working relationships with clients and suppliers Ability to work within a team but also to work and think independently

7© Sandberg Translation Partners Ltd 2012 What we get Language lovers People who like translating creative texts and literature Perfectionists Limited knowledge of the technical aspects of the work No knowledge of the varied career prospects in the industry

8© Sandberg Translation Partners Ltd 2012 What we get Issues with 1) translation quality Applicants don’t pass our translation test Understanding of source language Understanding of subject matter Target language skills EN translators – relatively weak Nordic source language skills 3 years of BA language study plus 1 year of MA Translation Studies Nordic translators – strong EN source language skills 7 years of language study at primary and secondary level plus 3-5 years at university Many struggle with grammar and punctuation > Translation Studies must include study of the target/mother tongue

9© Sandberg Translation Partners Ltd 2012 What we get Issues with 2) speed and commercial realities K nowing daily capacity Working to tight deadlines Checking progress in the course of the day Working on a number of projects in a day Knowing when to stop > Stress Keyboard skills to maximise speed Stay away from the mouse – keyboard shortcuts for main applications

10© Sandberg Translation Partners Ltd 2012 What we get Issues with 3) knowledge of CAT, MT and QA tools STP works with ten different CAT tools – many more in the market Machine translation solutions and post-editing as a task Quality assurance applications Understanding Purpose: to remove tedious, repetitive tasks Principle: how they work Experience To know what can be done with them To be able to do it To be able to do it fast

11© Sandberg Translation Partners Ltd 2012 What we get Issues with 4) knowledge of the different job roles the industry can offer In-house positions at translation companies today consist of mainly non-translation tasks Project management Revision, post-editing, terminology IT (software, hardware, tools, localization engineering) DTP Vendor management, sales, quality management Understanding To introduce these as career prospects To arrange internships so that students can try out the different roles

12© Sandberg Translation Partners Ltd 2012 Mind the gap Induction training (1-2 weeks) Company overview, Intranet, Companyweb, attendance, security, H&S Outlook, Messenger Windows Explorer folder structure Translation tools Dictionaries and online searching Translation project management database Translation and Revision Guidelines Quality Management System Shadowing a senior employee CPD Translators: all work fully revised by a senior colleague for 1-2 years Project Managers: build up volume gradually over a year (from 1 to 100 project components at any one time) Varied tasks, training, feedback, keeping in touch

13© Sandberg Translation Partners Ltd 2012 Mind the gap Internships (1-6 months) Time: How long Months at MA level, shorter taster ones at BA level Timing: When During the studies, during holidays, time abroad Pay: Paid or unpaid National legislation on minimum wage, other funding Tasks: Meaningful Isolate suitable tasks in the process, allocate resources for tutoring Benefits: Long-term Employees, freelancers, reputation

14© Sandberg Translation Partners Ltd 2012 Mind the gap Or even CLOSE the gap by working more closely together? Universities: Industry specialisation a part of MA courses Companies: Provide course content and help to teach it Associations: Coordinate internships

Bridge the Gap