That MOJ contract again
Hardly a week goes by without this cropping up again. A senior judge in the UK, Lord Justice Aikens, criticised Applied Language Solutions (ALS) for double booking an interpreter and preventing the start of a trial. He said it would be monstrous if a person who was cleared of a crime had to remain in prison because no translator (interpreter) was available.
ALS is a member of the Association of Translation Companies (ATC) in the UK and the ATC Chairmen issued a press release last week saying that while the ATC recognised the need to reduce language costs in the public sector, it warned about any dilution in the quality of language industry delivery.
We applaud that.
19/03/12
That MOJ contract
Somehow we thought that the Ministry of Justice 4-year contract award to Applied language Solutions (ALS) wasn’t going to go according to plan. Designed to cut costs, the service is failing to provide timely services in some areas. For instance, it took two weeks to supply an interpreter to the West Midland Police and in some instances foreign suspects have been released on bail because of the lack of available interpreters. ALS has vowed to improve performance and increase resources but their problems are compounded by the unwillingness of some former police interpreters to work with ALS because of claimed poor treatment.
Since ALS was awarded the MOJ contract, the company has been sold to the Capita Group with a reported upfront payment of £6.7M and a further £60M if ALS meets profit targets over the next 4 years.
15/03/12
It’s worth saying again
The popularity of language study in the UK schools is in steep decline after it became an optional subject in 2004. The steepest decline has been in French and German. To arrest the decline, the authorities are contemplating an English Bacalaureate which will include a language module. About time we say; it was utter madness to drop languages in the first place. English is a dominant language in the world, but it may not always be the case. Also what often gets overlooked, is the valuable insights into other cultures that language study gives.
Ding-Dong!
It’s that time of year again to wish all our clients and suppliers a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. 2011 has been another good year for WORDtrans. Times are financially tough for a lot of businesses, but WORDtrans helps companies expand into foreign markets to open up new opportunities. Give us a call and let us help you.
Should UK immigrants be forced to learn English?
An Indian is currently suing the UK government under the Human Rights acts because he cannot receive a entry visa to join his wife already in England until he has at least a basic knowledge of English. He says he’s too old to learn and accuses the government of racism. Is the government right to insist on this knowledge? We think so. Learning a language is never easy, but how can someone expect to remotely integrate, let alone add something positive to their new environment, without even a grasp of the basic language? 15/11/11
Why translate? Because....
94% of the world population do not speak English as their first language and 74% do not speak English at all.
.... isn't that a good enough reason to use WORDtrans' services?
See, the Germans do have a sense of humour!
The German airline, Air Berlin, is considering asking its flight attendants to make some announcements in regional German dialects after a YouTube video taken by a passenger of one of its attendants speaking Swabian became a web sensation with 30,000hits. Instead of standard High German, flight attendant Michaela Bahnmüller, decided to speak in dialect after her plane landed in Baden-Wurttemberg’s capital of Stuttgart, where Swabian is proudly spoken.
Bahnmüller told the daily Stuttgarter Zeitung that the decision to do so was “relatively spontaneous” because she wanted to show passengers a little bit of local culture. Bahnmüller has done the announcement a few more times since, she told the newspaper. “People are excited,” she said. “They laugh and say ‘that should be done much more often.”
Apparently, Air Berlin executives agree. They’ve asked passengers on the airline’s Facebook page if flight attendants should make more announcements in regional dialects.
We haven’t seen the video, so we’re not sure what was said but this might have been appropriate as plane landed:
Di will I gau hoa gau hoaße, which means: I´ll throw you out pretty soon!
06/09/11
Confusing times in court
Just a few weeks ago the Justice Minister announced in Parliament that a UK company (Manchester based) had been awarded a £60 million contract to supply language services. Clients include the courts, tribunals and some police force services. The announcement stirred up huge arguments about the bidding process and the eventual apparent selection. We say “apparent” because some UK-based freelance interpreters are claiming in the confusion that reigns, the Ministry of Justice has not confirmed that the contract has in fact been awarded. Watch this space
31/08/11
Tri-lingual Europeans
A new project, funded by the European Commission and a partner is to set up an online Language Observatory by December 2012. The main purpose of the project is to analyse the best ways to implement language policies and provide objective tools for solving everyday communication problems.
The project was established earlier this year to create an interactive website concerning multilingualism in Europe that will work as an online observatory.
Soon, the EU will be home to 450 million Europeans from diverse ethnic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds. There is enormous pressure for citizens to be able to understand and communicate with their neighbours and for migrant workers to learn languages to improve their chances of finding work.
The main goal is to enable Europeans to speak their mother tongue plus two foreign languages. The portal will attempt to document good practice on language learning. For example, the site will provide suggestions about the best time to begin learning a foreign language and how many languages can be learned at the same time.
The aims are laudable but it’s difficult to see how this will work in practice. For instance, in the UK, learning a foreign language is not compulsory in schools (although this may change in the near future). If your first language is English, you may learn one other language, but it is rare indeed to find any English speaking native that is even remotely fluent in two other languages.
18 July 2011
Read this entertaining Blog of the Le Havre to Guise 400 kms bike ride:
http://ironbikers.wordpress.com/2011/05/23/le-havre-to-guise-400-kms-bike-ride/
05-06-11
He Just Kept On Pedalling
WORDtrans MD, David Arrowsmith, completed a 400 kms charity bike ride last week across France . He says he is still saddle sore, but happy that the task was completed without mishap. There is still plenty of time to sponsor him for this very worthwhile WW1 memorial fund at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/iron12 If this is your thing, the whole story can be read at www.ironmemorial.org. He’s also promising to produce a Biker’s Blog very soon. May 9th 2011.
A Race to Save a Language
Ever heard of Dusner? No? Neither had we, and no wonder when this ancient language of the remote jungle in Papua has only three known speakers. When severe flooding hit the area recently and many people lost their lives, there were very real fears that these may have included the Dusner speakers. Fortunately they survived and a prolonged study is now in place for Oxford University in the UK to document the vocabulary and grammar of this language which has never before been written.
Dusner has been overtaken in popularity by Malay but is still used in official ceremonies such as weddings and funerals. We wish this worthy cause well. Languages that are under threat should be retained and encouraged to flourish even if the don’t ever feature highly in requests for online translation services, or global translation services. 27 April 2011
Learning a second language is good for you – especially if your hair is greying!
A recent study in the US has found that people who have a second language are far less likely to suffer the effects from Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers are quick to point out that studying a second language will not prevent Alzheimer’s but it will delay the onset. Being bilingual exercises the brain and provides the reserves of power that will retain functionality even after dementia takes hold. Speaking another language exercises a part of the brain known as the executive control system in the frontal lobe that manages memory, learning, language and reason. Research found that learning a language surpassed the benefits of exercising the brain with crosswords, Sudoku and the like.
On average, bilingual people are likely to be about 5 years older than their monolingual counterparts if they are eventually diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
People who speak bilingually more or less every day derive the most benefits from exercising the brain, but learning and practising language skills at any point is very beneficial.
Figures for dementia sufferers worldwide are on the increase and with an ageing population, the problem is not going to go away. Learning a second language has never been easier and is within everybody’s reach. If you are not the classroom type, there are many professional language translation services that offer multi-media titles that are an excellent and convenient way to learn another language. Keeps your brain fit and helps you order your dinner in Paris, Rome or Beijing – can’t be bad, can it?
12 April 2011
Language Study in the UK Becoming Elitist
Recent studies have revealed that since teaching of foreign languages became a non-compulsory study topic in state schools, schools have quit language tuition in droves. By comparison, language study in private schools is flourishing. Kids of 14 years and more are twice as likely to study languages in private education compared to state schools. An offshoot of this is that thousands of youngsters are being excluded from top jobs in multi-national companies where language and translation skills are a pre-requisite.
English is, of course, a dominant world language and us English have always been reserved when it comes to learning foreign languages. However, even the most die-hard colonials have to acknowledge the retrograde steps that are being made today in the classrooms of our schools. Such is the turmoil of the curriculum of the UK’s schools in can only be a matter of time that the folly of this decision is realised and French, German, Spanish and even Chinese is back on the language menu. The alternative of top international jobs going to a privileged few is difficult to swallow.
6 April 2011
The UK lacks language skills
Leaving aside the UK language translation services and professional language translations, the remainder of the UK have limited language skills. The problem is particularly acute in the younger generations who are not “forced” to learn a foreign language as part of the national curriculum. Access to online translation services negates some of the pressure but there is no substitute for learning a language yourself. The British Academy warned that the lack of language skills will damage the UK economy unless action is taken. They are encouraging universities to persuade students to go back into the language laboratories and prevent the UK falling behind the requirements for global translation services.
22 March 2011
It’s that time of the decade again
Yes it’s census time in the UK. About 25 million homes throughout the UK are receiving census forms to fill in which tell the authorities such things as; the names of householder occupants, their ages, occupations, ethnic origin, date of arrival in the UK, etc.
Every decade since 1801 (apart from 1941) there has been a census throughout the UK and this has provided historians with a great source of information about life and times in the UK. One thing that has changed over the years is the ethnic mix of the population. It’s our guess that in the first census and probably those of the next century or so, there would have been no need for any questions about ethnic origin, or date of arrival in the UK. Percentages of foreigners settling in the UK would have been fairly small and certainly not enough to warrant much in the way of translations or interpreting.
Oh, how times have changed. In recent years, the UK has seen huge influxes of people coming to live in the UK and for many of them English is not their first language. For the 2011 census, this means translations into more than 50 languages. The Office for National Statistics have provided translation booklets containing guidance and a sample questionnaire in more than 50 languages as well as audio versions of the information leaflet in the most widely spoken languages in the UK. There are also dedicated helplines available in over 50 languages.
Despite the census being the first that is available online, to cope with the demand the ONS is recruiting 35,000 (yes, 35,000) temporary staff. The overall costs for the 2011 census have spiralled to £480M from the £210M in 2001. It’s not revealed just how much of the budget goes towards translating and interpreting services but it’s sure to be a sizeable chunk.
15 March 2011
The World We Live In
Translation technology is improving all the time; none more so than in the field of communication. Google announced last week that their Android smartphone is capable of translating audio from one language to another. Imagine this; you are in Germany with your smartphone and you ask in English “Frau Jekel what’s for dinner tonight.” Your smartphone translates this into German and she replies in German. Your smartphone comes back with “Smashed potatoes and fried pork” Ok, the technology has some way to go, but you can see where it’s heading. Will it ever replace the professional translator/interpreter? For everyday run-of the-mill texts and calls, possibly; but for polished, professional, word-perfect texts for business? Not any time soon. 17-01-11
Happy 2011!
Happy New Year to all our clients and suppliers. We hope your year will be prosperous and enjoyable.
The jury is out on the future of the UK economy with the new VAT rates of 20% yet to take effect, but we remain optimistic after a very good trading year in 2010. Apart from one or two exceptions, the overall global economy looks robust and we hope that 2011 will allow us to continue to build the WORDtrans brand. We expect the Beijing and New York operations introduced by us in 2010 to play increasing roles in the coming months.
London, 06-01-11
WORDtrans enters the US
London, 23rd November – To follow up the August announcement of our operation in Beijing, WORDtrans has now also launched a service operation in New York, USA. The US team contact, Trahern Gemmell, will provide an “on the ground” operation for clients based predominantly in that time-zone and, working closely with the UK office, effectively manage on-going projects and provide key support to new and existing clients.
US contact details:
WORDtrans
PO Box 1968, Rockefeller Center
New York, NY 10185
E: us@wordtrans.com
WORDtrans moves into China
London, 2nd August 2010 – WORDtrans has opened an operation in Beijing to service its clients in mainland China and the Asia area in general. The venture will provide into/from Traditional and Simplified Chinese translations as well as working closely with the UK office to effectively continue management of on-going projects in the Chinese time-zone. Contact: china@wordtrans.com
PRINCE2 Project Management
WORDtrans uses PRINCE2 Project Management methodology for every project and Project Managers have attained PRINCE2 Foundation qualification or higher. PRINCE2 is the most widely acclaimed international project management standard and its implementation ensues that WORDtrans projects are managed to the highest possible standard. To WORDtrans’ clients this provides an assurance that projects will be completed on time, within budget and the deliverables will meet or exceed agreed levels of quality.
In MK, language count goes from 12 to 84
If Milton Keynes (MK) is typical of Councils in the UK, the burgeoning cost of providing interpreters to immigrants who do not speak English continues apace. In 2000 the Council employed just 20 interpreters and in 2010 the number stands at 300. The Community Language Service plan to recruit a further 20 interpreters and add Pashto to the list. Interestingly and unusually, the service is apparently self-funded. Daily Telegraph, 14-05-10.
The Computer says “no”
Little Britain fans will be familiar with this sketch. Well, pretty soon it could be saying a lot more! Voice recognition, which uses natural language processing, is still far from perfect but it has developed sufficiently to become integrated into mobile operating systems such as Android. There are the challenges of background noise, the 'ums' ‘ahs’ and 'erms' unrestricted topics, enormous vocabulary and unpredictable queries all of which have to be handled. Danny Bobrow, a research fellow at the American Palo Alto Research Centre (Parc) said teaching life-long lessons to machines is a never-ending job. "People take 15 or 20 years to really get to the place where we think we know everything, which is not true, as we find out as we go further on," he said. 27-04-10
Beyond Words
It was bound to be among the most popular items in the sale of space memorabilia at the Bonham's auction house in New York.
And, in the end, the document bearing Neil Armstrong's signature didn't disappoint. It was sold for $152,000.
Not a bad price for what some might describe as a simple piece of paper - except that besides the famous astronaut's signature, the document also has, in Mr Armstrong's handwriting, that famous phrase he coined:
"One small step for a man - one giant leap for mankind." BBC News
There’s one every 3 minutes!
Every three minutes a foreigner is given a British passport. In 2009, 203,865 people were granted UK citizenship, up 58% from the previous year. There were also 200,000 migrants who were told they can stay indefinitely in the UK but are not citizens. Daily Telegraph 28-02-10
Why we insist on positive identification for our interpreters
A Bengali court interpreter persuaded others to impersonate him in courts around the UK on 40 occasions when he was double-booked, Chelmsford Crown court heard. Akhtar Zaman, 25, of Woodford Green, Essex, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to defraud. The trial continues. The Times, 10-09-09
ISO 9000. For the fourth year running WORDtrans had zero failures in an annual review made by an external ISO9000 assessor. This clean bill of health demonstrates WORDtrans’ commitment to meeting quality standards for the benefit of our clients.
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