Newsletter
SIMCONSULT - Newsletter July 2009
It has been more than six months since we sent out the last newsletter. Like everyone else, we too have been waiting with bated breath, watching the news of gloom and doom in the world of business and finance.
Looking inwards
Such bad news is of particular concern for small and medium-sized enterprises finding it difficult to forecast what lies ahead for the rest of the year, trying to guesstimatee the outcome of the credit crunch in our field of business.
Our findings so far: We are still receiving many enquiries for conference interpreting, but we find that our clients are much more careful with their budgets than in the past. In general we now have to offer more alternative solutions before we clinch the deal, which means a lot more work for the office.
Looking back
In the past six months we have had some very interesting conferences on many different subjects in various fields.
Looking deep inside
At the beginning of February a specialist team of medical interpreters worked for the 7th time in succession for Schäfer Congress Organisation at the Diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopyy symposium in Düsseldorf. Schäfer Congress Organisation has also hired us to interpret for Endo Club Nord in the CCH Congress Centre in Hamburg in November later this year. This is the largest endoscopy congress in the world at which the SIMCONSULT medical interpreters will interpret in the booths for the 12th time in succession.
Looking out to sea
The usual team of SIMCONSULT interpreters who have been in from the start, worked for the 6th time for Windenergie-Agentur Bremerhaven/Bremen e. V. in Bremerhaven at the Windforce09 Course Offshoree conference. The event took place this year at the spectacular new Atlantic Hotel Sail City in Bremerhaven. There was a record number of 530 participants listening to more than 40 presentations over the three days. Offshore wind, a reliable source of renewable energy, is now producing electricity on an industrial scale and in the next few years more and more electricity will be supplied to the German grid. Good work certainly does take time.
Looking along the 8th meridian
On the 25th of June a team of our interpreters worked at the long-awaited opening of the unique Klimahaus Bremerhaven 88 Ostt in Bremerhaven. In future it will be possible to visit the Klimahaus and experience at first hand all the climatic zones and the effects of climate change, starting from Bremerhaven and continuing along the 8th meridian around the world. The journey takes us first to Switzerland, to Sardinia, to the Sahel, Cameroon, then across the Antartic, followed by Samoa, Alaska to Langeness Hallig in the Wattenmeer and finally back to Bremerhaven.
To quote the guest speaker Bob Geldorf, making an urgent appeal to humanity in the light of climate change: The Klimahaus is not an exhibition. It is a love letter to the world.
Looking to the skies
In April we interpreted for Airbus for the delivery of a new aircraft. It was the latest design of an A321 for TACA International, San Salvador. The aircraft was loaded for its ferry flight with 12 cubic metres of medical supplies as a gift for local hospitals donated by the Airbus Corporate Foundation and the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund.
Looking at the financial markets
We were very pleased to receive a repeat order from Fidelity FIL Investment Services GmbH for a roadshow in June. The roadshow started in Munich, the next city was Düsseldorf followed by Stuttgart, the tour ending in Leipzig. We recruited local teams in each city.
Looking at the 8 UN millennium development goals
In June we had two conferences on development cooperation and the role of women in achieving the 8 UN millennium goals. The first event was a symposium to mark the 25th anniversary of the Marie-Schlei-Verein which has been working for all these years on small-scale and micro-projects in southern countries, supporting women in self-help schemes. Many well-known women from politics and public life were joined by members of the association to express their commitment to this important cause.
Susan Fergusson-Günther, a SIMCONSULT partner, and Barbara Derboven interpreted free of charge at the panel discussion, part of the Frauen geben 8 UNIFEM Project supported by The Hunger Projectt at the NDR studios. The event, chaired by Maria von Welser, featured impressive discussion contributions on the fate of women and children suffering poverty and hunger in developing countries. It was a privilege for SIMCONSULT to support this important project with this modest contribution.
Looking down from the gallery
George Drummond, one of the SIMCONSULT partners, and a distinguished colleague from Poland had the honour to interpret for the Senate at the renowned Matthiae-Mahlzeit from the gallery in the Hamburg City Hall. According to historical records, the Matthiae-Mahlzeit was first held in Hamburg in 1356. It is thus the oldest banquet still celebrated in the world. Nowadays there is always a guest of honour from abroad and a guest of honour from Germany together with around 400 other guests, including consular heads. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, Donald Tusk, and Chancellor Angela Merkel were the guests of honour at the Matthiae-Mahlzeit 2009.
Looking at Man's trusty follower and servant for thousands of years
At the beginning of June we worked at a symposium accompanied by a demonstration on a subject that does not appear too often in our calendar of events. The symposium in Futterkamp in Holstein featured a particular breed of Arabian horse, the Shagya. The participants, breeders and aficionados of these noble, versatile horses, came from Germany, Austria, France, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Romania and the USA.
Looking beyond interpreting
Although interpreting is our key competence at SIMCONSULT, we also offer top-quality translations, as we already mentioned in previous newsletters. Many of our long-standing clients have been regularly using our translation service for a number of years for languages such as English, French, Italian to name but a few.
Here's looking at you
In our newsletter this time we concentrated on conferences and events we have covered since the beginning of the year and we hope you have enjoyed reading about our various activities. So we will close by wishing you a great summer and until autumn here's looking at you!
Your SIMCONSULT-Team