Reineke Van Mierlo - Translator and interpreter NL-BE on LinkedIn: Still reminiscing about WISE Brussels 2024 💥 • 5 days of intense… (2024)

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🌎 Life is short, and the world is wide That's why I decided to move to Spain, about 8 years ago(Well, mainly because I wanted to improve my Spanish, but I also wanted to travel 😉)Best decision of my life ✨I've discovered a new life in a different country with its own culture , found a new home, met new people, made friends that turned into my second family, found love and enjoy life to the fullestAnd I've got some extras:Many ☀️ days (though not always)Delicious food 🥘The most gorgeous beaches 🏖️Lots of new dreamy places to visit (like this one) 🌴Who else has decided to go on an adventure and move to a different country? 🙋🏼♀️Which country was that and why?

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🛑 Stop telling us our profession is going to disappearIf you've been following me and reading my posts, you probably know I rarely talk about AI and the impact on our profession, mainly because:- I focus on quality (human) translation services and the value I can offer to clients- I don't want to give the use of AI in the translation sector more attention than it deserves (it’s just not that ‘good’ and ‘advanced’ as many people think)- Too many people are already talking about itBut, lately, many people have been telling me (and bombarding me with arguments of why) our beloved profession will disappear - and they all think they know better …I've run out of energy and arguments to defend my opinion, so I would love to hear yours! 👀Let’s create a very long list of reasons why we won’t be extinct in the near future!Comment below ⬇️⬇️⬇️

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💰 If your company is on a tight translation budget, don't make this mistake!⬇️⬇️⬇️A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to translate a project for a fashion brand - a client I had worked for in the past.Yet, contrary to other projects I had done for them, they now sent me separate sentencesIt very quickly became clear to me they had modified an existing text and had only sent me the modifications, probably to save moneyWell... think again ⬇️Problems:➀ The document contained both complete as well as incomplete sentencesAlthough this wouldn't be an issue in English as such, it might be very problematic in Dutch. The sentence structure in Dutch (and other languages) can completely change, depending on the first part of your sentence.e.g. [Tomorrow,] you'll get 50% off✖️ Morgen je krijgt 50% korting✔️ Morgen krijg je 50% kortingAlso, in Dutch, we split certain verbs and put other words in between the two partse.g. To get a discount, invite your friends [and family]✖️ Nodig je vrienden uit om een korting te bemachtigen en familie✔️ Nodig je vrienden en familie uit om een korting te bemachtigen➡️ If we, translators, only receive incomplete sentences, there's no way for us to know how to formulate/structure a sentence and as a client, you can't just copy paste the translation in your existing text, because chances are you'll get it completely wrong➁ No context was providedIt's might be very difficult for a translator to know what you are talking about if you don't give them any context.➂ I did not receive the existing translationSince I only received separate sentences, I assumed there was already a translation available of the existing text. Yet, I didn't receive that translated version to use the same translations. Chances are the translator will use different translations for the same words.➡️ In summary, instead of saving money, you're actually damaging your reputation with crooked translations, just to save a couple of euros. And trust me, a bad reputation will cost you a lot more.

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Still interested to hear your thoughts about this issue, as it's something I come across so frequently ⬇⬇⬇

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💡 Quick tip for brands who want to do business with Spanish companies⬇️⬇️⬇️Don't plan any meetings or business trips to Spain in August!Chances are no one will be there...It's common practice for Spanish companies to slow things down in August. Many companies, law firms, notary's offices and even public entities take the opportunity to enjoy their annual holidays during the hottest month of the year.So if you want to reach out to a Spanish company, it's better to do so before the end of July or starting from the 1st of September, when things get back to business as usual.But don't worry, I will be available for all of your translation and interpreting requests most of the time (though I will take some time off to enjoy the lovely Spanish weather) ☀️☀️

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