Bulletin Articles

A few years ago, Birmingham City Council in the UK decided to take a firm stand on what it clearly regarded as one of its most pressing issues. It was time to take action against… the apostrophe. Suddenly, apostrophes were to be banned from its signs. It was clearly too much like hard work to decide whether or not to insert one and, if so, where to place it. So “St Paul’s Square” became “St Pauls Square”. More recently, the UK’s leading bookseller, Waterstone’s, announced it would be dropping the apostrophe from its logo. This … Continue reading

One of the most fascinating – and, at times, irritating – aspects of translation is where there is no direct one-to-one relationship between words in the source language and the target language. Take the word ‘conductor’, for example. In English, the word covers a variety of meanings. In Swedish – a language closely related to English – each meaning is covered by a different word. Get it wrong and there could be hilarious consequences. Yet no English speaker, on reading in a review of an orchestral concert that ‘X is an excellent conductor’, would be … Continue reading

An often quoted Golden Rule for translators is that they should translate only into their native language. This seems straightforward enough. But what if your native language has many variants? As a British translator, I am occasionally asked to use American English (AE) in the target document. (More often, neither British English (BE) nor American English is specified and I am left either to ask or make an educated guess.) I believe honesty is the only option and always inform the agency that, while I am fairly familiar with the major differences between BE and … Continue reading

Some may call it an inability to switch off from work; others may call it ‘maintaining a professional interest’. Language is everywhere. As a translator, it is impossible to switch off completely ­– not even in the most glorious of surroundings. The surroundings don’t come much more glorious than those of the Alhambra in Granada, which I recently had the fortune to visit. Yet my memories are not just of Moorish architecture, breath-taking views of the city below and the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada. I must have spent a whole five minutes marvelling at … Continue reading

It’s is becoming increasingly valuable for businesses to be able to communicate in local languages. This short article re-emphasises the importance of adopting multi-lingual marketing strategies and forming partnerships with professional translation agencies. Businesses relying on basic online tools will struggle to reach out to local markets and build credible brands. http://www.managers.org.uk/news/essential-communicate-local-languages-b2b-arena

An often quoted Golden Rule for translators is that they should translate only into their native language. This seems straightforward enough. But what if your native language has many variants? As a British translator, I am occasionally asked to use American English (AE) in the target document. (More often, neither British English (BE) nor American English is specified and I am left either to ask or make an educated guess.) I believe honesty is the only option and always inform the agency that, while I am fairly familiar with the major differences between BE and … Continue reading

Read this wonderful story about Tan Yap – a 97 year old man who offers free sign language lessons. Tan Yap taught sign language to deaf children in the past but is now interested in offering his knowledge to the elderly who have lost their hearing. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/11/12/nation/12308627&sec=nation  

Naughty deaf dog who couldn’t be trained is finally brought to heel using SIGN LANGUAGE. This badly behaved, deaf dog was impossible to train after being mistreated by its previous owners. But with patience and hard work this dog has mastered 50 commands and this is all thanks to Rosie Gibbs, a sign language enthusiast, who used a basic form of sign language often used on children to train him. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2217961/Naughty-deaf-dog-trained-finally-brought-heel-using-SIGN-LANGUAGE.html?ito=feeds-newsxml  

Tweeting in itself is a very simple task. However, for the programmers that enable this simple task can require several thousands of lines of coding. Dog is the new programming language that is going to make the lives of programmers much easier. Read more about it in this article. http://www.technologyreview.com/news/429544/new-programming-language-makes-social-coding/  

cross-language variations. Eighty-five percent of languages can be sorted into two categories in terms of sentence structure: those which follow the structure of subject-verb-objective (“the girl kicks the ball”) and those which follow the structure of subjective-objective-verb (the girl the ball kicks”). Researchers have up until very recently not fully understood why these two different categories exist. However, researchers have drawn from information theory to try and uncover this mystery and their hypothesis will be presented in the next issue of the journal Psychological Science. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-theory-linguistics-functional-cross-language-variations.html  

Translating can seem pretty straightforward – take one word or sentence and translate it! However, the process of translating a word or sentence is in reality a very difficult task. Read the following examples of simple words that have proven incredibly difficult to translate. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nataly-kelly/untranslatable-words_b_1949795.html  

Measuring the brains of young recruits at the Swedish Armed Forces Interpreter Academy before and after language training has shown that learning a foreign language enhances brain-growth. Researchers found that the hippocampus, the area of the brain that is involved in learning and spatial navigation, developed in size after intensive language learning. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-language-brain.html  

A team of software engineers and British Sign Language users has developed a new software application able to translate sign language, almost instantaneously, into text that can be read by individuals who do not understand sign language. This technology is the first of its kind in the world in that the technology allows the sign language to be translated into text and read immediately on a laptop, netbook, Smartphone or any other portable device. http://phys.org/news/2012-10-portable-language-traslator-automated-text.html  

The 11th annual European Day of Languages took place a couple of weeks ago. The day was established in 2002 by the Council of Europe to celebrate and preserve the linguistic diversity across Europe. It is amazing to think that there are currently around 225 indigenous languages in modern Europe. http://www.journalism.co.uk/press-releases/the-european-day-of-languages/s66/a550605/  

and language learning. The FAQ list includes questions such as: “what does ‘multilingualism mean”, “are languages important for business”, and “how good are Europeans at using languages”. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/12/703&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en  

The word ‘app’ has been added to the 19th edition of Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Other new phrases that have been added to the Brewer’s Dictionary include “double-dip” and “downsize”. The Brewer’s Dictionary is great for individuals wanting to learn the origin of modern phrases. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0cf087b8-07c8-11e2-8354-00144feabdc0.html#axzz284XKGdDF  

The last person to have spoken the Kaurna language of the Adelaide Plains died in the late 1900’s and the language subsequently died. However, a recent spark of interest in the Kaurna language means that the once dead Aboriginal language is now thriving. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-01/aboriginal-language-returns-from-the-dead/4289056  

Scholars at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago have researched thousands of Demotic words for over 40 years and the final entries of a 2,000-page dictionary were published recently. Researchers are now in a much better position to master the interpretation of Egyptian texts. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/18/science/new-demotic-dictionary-translates-lives-of-ancient-egyptians.html?pagewanted=all  

Janet Altman, the renowned linguist and interpreter has passed away. Janet spent the first part of her career as a professional language interpreter before becoming one of the most sought-after teachers in interpretation. This is a tribute to Janet Altman. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=421183&c=2  

New psycholinguistic findings suggest language is not as complicated as previously thought. This article explains in more detail what the researchers found and what this means for psycholinguists, neuroscientists and other language related sciences. http://www.rdmag.com/News/Feeds/2012/09/general-sciences-language-is-simpler-than-previously-thought/  

Play Dictionary is a new word game app, created in an effort to bring the fun element back to learning. Thanks to this new app expanding ones vocabulary has never been more fun and interactive! The co-founder of Play Dictionary Larry Brunken is hoping it will encourage more people to learn and play together. http://www.examiner.com/article/play-dictionary-app-puts-some-fun-into-learning-definitions  

If your organisation is serious about exploring new global markets? It is important you get your communication strategy spot on. This means not relying on machine translation, literal translations or assuming that English is the preferred language of communication. Working with professional translation agencies is therefore vital. http://www.multilingual-search.com/the-rising-need-for-linguistic-adaptation/13/09/2012/  

Ma! Iwaidja is a great new language app designed to preserve endangered languages. The app has attracted the interest of many groups involved in the documentation of indigenous languages in Africa, Australia and the Americas. The creators of Ma! Iwaidja are hoping the app will protect many of the world’s more rare languages from disappearing. http://phys.org/news/2012-09-app-endangered-language.html  

Partnering with professional translation agencies is the solution to accessing consumers across different countries, languages and cultures. This article highlights the importance of translation in terms of reaching foreign markets “from first contacts by letter or through interpreters at international meetings, to draft agreements and contracts, and finally sales literature and user manuals”. http://kontax.com/Translation_the_key_to_gaining_and_keeping_foreign_market_share-769-en.html  

Recipe for social media: stir in language, culture, …When developing a social media strategy consider aspects such as language, culture, religion and humour, especially if your company has a global customer base. http://www.eturbonews.com/30998/recipe-social-media-stir-language-culture-religion-and-humor  

McDonald’s have been forced to apologise to the local Hmong community after having produced an advertisement in the local Asian dialect that resembles nothing but a jumble mess of characters. Relying on free online translation tools is not good enough and it can in many cases end in an embarrassment. http://consumerist.com/2012/09/mcdonalds-learns-it-shouldnt-trust-free-web-translators-when-it-comes-to-its-billboards.html  

http://www.eturbonews.com/30998/recipe-social-media-stir-language-culture-religion-and-humor When developing a social media strategy consider aspects such as language, culture, religion and humour, especially if your company has a global customer base.

This article highlights the possible language barriers organisations may face when outsourcing multiple business processes to different outsourcing companies around the world and how it can affect organisational effectiveness. It talks about the negative impact language barriers can have on effective process implementation, teamwork and creating common goals and objectives. http://www.business2community.com/marketing/5-language-problems-when-outsourcing-to-multiple-bpo-firms-0250658  

Using the right language to communicate to your customers is vital, because the words you use help shape people’s perception of who you are as an organisation and what products and services you offer. To ensure you don’t marginalise parts of you customer base it is important that you can show your customers that you speak their language – the language used by an organisation should reflect the language of its customers. http://www.business2community.com/strategy/the-importance-of-careful-language-in-script-writing-0259883  

Embarrassing marketing errors made by global brands! From Coca-Cola’s brand name in Chinese “Bite the wax tadpole” to KFC’s slogan in Chinese “Eat your fingers off” ­ they are all examples of what can happen when translation is overlooked in multilingual marketing campaigns.http://www.searchlaboratory.com/blog/2012/12/translation-false-nots/

This is a superb article highlighting the value learning a new language or culture can bring to organisations around the world. It touches upon the vital aspects of communicating with foreign businesses, understanding (from an organisational perspective) when businesses should invest language, and which employees might benefit most from learning a new language. http://www.sbnonline.com/2012/08/how-learning-a-new-language-and-culture-can-be-valuable-in-the-business-world/?full=1  

This is an interesting article about the latest research into what it means to grow up in a multilingual environment. Researchers have drawn on psychology and linguistics to increase our understanding of how using different languages to express different emotions can play a role in children’s emotional development. http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Children_s_Health_200/Speaking_Multiple_Languages_Can_Influence_Children_s_Emotional_Development.shtml

Scientists are trying… Animal and language psychologists have for many years tried to teach animals the human communication system and have done so rather successfully. Koko the gorilla understands up to 2000 spoken words in English and can through the use of a special sign language express a range of different emotions. However, researchers in this field have taken a step further and are now trying to learn the language of dolphins, elephants, gorillas and other animals alike. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48692497/ns/technology_and_science-science/#.UC5E-6O8tbw  

A-level foreign languages decline alarms examiners. The number of British teenagers learning French, German and Spanish has fallen yet another year and it has prompted examiners to look at ways of making foreign studies more appealing. Meanwhile, the number of students studying Polish, Russian and Mandarin has risen. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/aug/16/alevel-foreign-languages-decline?newsfeed=true

What happens when famous comedians take their stand-up show abroad? Is humour universal? Can it be translated? Read the thoughts of Eddie Izzard, Danny Bhoy, Frisky & Manish, Paul Chowdhry, Milton Jones and Daniel Simonsen. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/features/lost-in-translation-the-fine-art-of-doing-standup-abroad-7999521.html  

It’s is becoming increasingly valuable for businesses to be able to communicate in local languages. This short article re-emphasises the importance of adopting multilingual marketing strategies and forming partnerships with professional translation agencies. Businesses relying on basic online tools will struggle to reach out to local markets and build credible brands. http://www.managers.org.uk/news/essential-communicate-local-languages-b2b-arena  

“Check out these new “Translating Glasses” – it’s amazing what technology will soon allow us to do”. http://smrt.io/NXA3Mm  

Although many in today’s world speak multiple languages the fact remains that most individuals prefer purchasing products and services in their native language. Although translation is only part of creating successful global brands, forming partnerships with professional translation agencies to reach local markets should never be overlooked. http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/08/speak_to_global_customers_in_t.html

What happens when famous comedians take their stand-up show abroad? Is humour universal? Can it be translated? Read the thoughts of Eddie Izzard, Danny Bhoy, Frisky & Manish, Paul Chowdhry, Milton Jones and Daniel Simonsen. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/features/lost-in-translation-the-fine-art-of-doing-standup-abroad-7999521.html

It’s is becoming increasingly valuable for businesses to be able to communicate in local languages. This short article re-emphasises the importance of adopting multi-lingual marketing strategies and forming partnerships with professional translation agencies. Businesses relying on basic online tools will struggle to reach out to local markets and build credible brands. http://www.managers.org.uk/news/essential-communicate-local-languages-b2b-arena

Thank you for the times you have helped up with translations into English. As you are aware we have been very pleased with our collaboration. I will gladly act as a reference for your potential clients.

Translations of annual and sustainability reports

One Of Swedens Largest Family Owned Holding Companies

I hope you are well and thank you again for the excellent work you have done with the translations so far!

Would you be able to help us with another translation?

April 2023

Legal Translations

Major Swedish Energy Company

Just thought you would like to hear the feedback from my Finnish and German colleagues… They are all very happy with the translations Stratcore has done, very correct and well translated 😊.

March 2023

Marketing and technical translations and creating journalistic-style web content

Swedish Food Tech Company

Just wanted to thank you for a remarkable interpreter you organised for us. She impressed us with her professionalism, being so calm in front of totally new audience and business area. Everything went well and we are looking forward to use Stratcore and Tuija's services again in the near future.

Communication Manager

Leading Global Brand Consumer Products

We often need texts translated quickly. This is when we simply could not do without Stratcore – they are always so reliable. They return our translations with total professionalism and always with the same happy smile. We really appreciate Stratcore and would like to thank them for a wonderful partnership.

Major global airline

Head Of Internal Online Communications

Stratcore adheres to the european standard for translation service requirements SS-EN15038