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Newsletter July 2008

Another six months have passed and once more we reach for the electronic pen and paper to report on what we hope is of interest and to give you an update on our activities since the beginning of the year.

A diversity of subjects, interesting venues

The first six months of the year were marked by a wide variety of conference topics at interesting locations with various language combinations.

Anniversary celebrations

A number of our clients celebrated anniversaries and SIMCONSULT interpreters were there to ensure that communication went smoothly:

In Hamburg in January we interpreted at the first of these celebration events. It was the 40th anniversary of D + H Mechatronic, one of the leading suppliers of smoke and heat extractors in modern buildings.

In May Syskoplan celebrated its 25th anniversary in Gütersloh, assisted by a team of SIMCONSULT interpreters who also interpreted German and Italian at the shareholderss general meeting the day before the great event.

Solarlux, manufacturers of conservatories held its 25th anniversary celebrations In May near Osnabrrck. Interpretation was provided in German and English.

 

On the road

Transport in the broadest sense was on the agenda at another series of meetings, for instance: the meeting of the UITP, International Association of Public Transport, hosted by Hamburger Hochbahn. The languages required were German, English French and Spanish. Later we interpreted at the meeting of EAIVT, the European Association of Independent Vehicle Traders in the Atlantic Hotel in Hamburg.

Another mode of transport, short- haul aircraft, was the subject of an event at Airbus in Finkenwerder. The occasion was the first ever delivery in Hamburg to a Hamburg-based airline, Hamburg International, of an A319, the smallest and very popular short-haul jet in the Airbus family.

 

Goods in the delivery chain

The International Forwarding Association held their annual meeting 2008, hosted by the Hamburg forwarding agents, Apex International GmbH, in Hamburg. The IFA is an association of international medium-sized, independent forwarding agents. The conference languages were German and English.

 

You cannot tell a book by its cover

AIDA was not an Italian opera to be interpreted, but the meeting of the International Association for Insurance Law in Hamburg with interpreters for German and Spanish.

Another musical title, Hamburg gets the Rhythm, headed another event in Hamburg in June. However, it had nothing to do with music or dance, but it was a symposium on the treatment of arrhythmia applying interventional electrophysiology. For this symposium we engaged our colleagues who are specialised in medicine.

 

Chemicals and food, but not on the same plate

ChemTrend, a company based in Norderstedt, specialises in the manufacture of high-tech parting agents used in a wide variety of applications in industrial processes. In June ChemTrend organised an international meeting in Hamburg with interpreting into German and English.

Quality of life in inner cities, joie de vivre for city-dwellers, health and nutrition were topics discussed at the meeting of the organisers of retail markets, a branch of WUWM, the World Union of Wholesale Markets. Although retail markets are part of our everyday lives, it is interesting and indeed surprising to learn of the complex task of organisation needed to hold such markets, but also to keep them in line with the growing expectations of the purchasing public. One fact we discovered is that Hamburg is European league champion when it comes to the number of retail markets in the various local districts.

Wind turbines in the North Sea and the Baltic

For the fourth time in succession SIMCONSULT interpreters were working at the Windstärke08 - Course Offshore congress in Bremerhaven, organised by the Wind Energy Agency. The first congress was started in May 2005 and it has been growing rapidly since, in the light of current findings on climate change and the search for renewably energy sources. Wind at sea as a reliable source of energy is particularly topical at a time of drastic increases in oil prices.

 

How do interpreters cope with such diverse subjects?

In our last newsletter we wrote about the need of interpreters for careful preparation for every conference.

With 70 to 80 assignments a year covering a wide range of topics an interpreter cannot provide quality service without careful preparation before each meeting. It starts with reading up on the topic in general and then studying carefully the terms and expressions specific to the individual client, including acronyms and specialist vocabulary.

To enable the interpreters to prepare each assignment thoroughly, they rely heavily on the insight and cooperation of the client. To prepare well, the interpreters should have at least a programme or agenda in advance of the meeting, together with background documents on the subject and ideally, copies of presentations to be made. Any such information is treated with the utmost confidentiality as a matter of course.

 

Our internet portal

Nowadays many presentations are drafted in the form of powerpoint or PDF files with many MB. About the middle of last year SIMCONSULT set up an internet portal to which our clients can upload files direct and the interpreters can then access them with a link, or SIMCONSULT can make the documents available on our server. This makes life easier for all concerned and avoids the problems that arise when trying to send large email attachments.

 

Document translation an important part of our business

SIMCONSULT also uses the same portal to process translation orders. Since early in 1996 we have always handled a certain volume of written translation orders, but over the past 2 or 3 years this area of our business has expanded. What is important for us and our clients are translators whose specialist translations are accurate in terms of content, but at the same time do not read like translations. It is also rather unusual to find a conference interpreter and a translator in one and the same person, nevertheless the two have a lot in common. SIMCONSULT translators always work into their mother tongue. We engage translators known to us personally in many countries and in many parts of the world, which is not a problem with the possibilities of todayys global communication on the internet. This is where our portal has proved its worth for us, our translators and especially for our clients.

 

Website revamped, Newsletter 10 years old

Our website has once more been brought up to date, complete with new texts and a new photograph. Exactly 10 years ago SIMCONSULT drafted and distributed the first newsletter. At the risk of sounding trite, it really does seem like only yesterday. May we take this opportunity to thank you, our readers, for the interest you have shown in the newsletters over the years.

Wishing you lots of sunshine for the rest of the summer, until we hear from each other again,

 

Your SIMCONSULT-Team

You are looking for an interpreter or translator

for languages including Arabic, Chinese, English,

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Tel.: +49 (0)152 22 86 14 87

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