Practical steps for the translation of documents

Typewriter

Translation is the product of a series of processes; it’s not just a matter of converting something written in one language into another.

In this post, we’re going to provide you with some practical steps which will allow you to translate any document in a more methodical and professional manner.

In order to produce a high-quality translation that reads well in your target language, you have to be organised. That’s why it’s extremely useful to follow a well-structured methodology.Read more

Starting a business in Portugal

Porto

Today, we have an interview with Paula Pinto Ribeiro on how to expand your business within the Portuguese market:

Interviewer: Hi Paula, let’s get started with the questions for those who want to start a business in Portugal.

In your opinion, and from an economic point of view, where is the most interesting area to base your business? Does it vary depending on the type of business (factories, tourism, retail, offices…)?Read more

Interview with Paco Izquierdo of Rolled Steel

Metallurgy

Wikimedia Commons; By: Eugen Nosko, Deutsche Fotothek

Sabrina: What exactly does your company do and what is your role within the business?

Paco: Rolled Steel has a general involvement in the trading of steel and, of course, with the raw materials necessary to produce it. Our job consists of contacting producers and consumers with the aim of helping them to reach an agreement and make a sale.

We normally work with importing steel into Spain and exporting it elsewhere, too.

In terms of my job, I’m the company administrator. However, the business is based on trading, and my job essentially involves making contact with customers and producers to make sure they’re reliable and fast, and closing deals.Read more

How to open a branch of your company in Russia

Cathedral in moscow

CC BY-SA 3.0; By Alessio Damato

As promised in our last entry, here is the interview with Irena:

Hi Irena, thanks for giving us the opportunity to ask you some questions for those who are thinking of expanding their business in Russia.

So, in general, what do Russian customers value the most? What do you need to do to gain people’s trust and sell in Russia?

Read more

Opening a branch office abroad – Internationalising your company

Hamburg

Before starting a business or opening a branch office in another country, you should bear in mind that what works within your market may not work in others.

As well as the product or service itself, the legal side of things (legislation, bureaucracy, taxes…) is also extremely important, especially if you intend to break into a market in a country with a very different legal and administrative framework to that in place in the European Union.

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Interview with Marijke Foundation

Symptomatrix

Interview with Han Kruyswijk (Mr.), Secretary of the Marijke Foundation (December 17, 2014)

Aujourd’hui, l’intiative PerMondo, (qui offre des traductions gratuites pour les associations sans but lucratif) a un entretien avec M. Han Kruyswijk.

  1. What exactly is it what you are doing?

The Symptomatrix Team of the Marijke Foundation, we have developed a dedicated and scientifically based symptom checker, the Symptomatrix, for Early Recognition and Early Diagnosis of two Rare Diseases: Giant Cell Arteriitis (GCA) and Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR). The diseases are usually hard to recognize and to diagnose for family doctors and specialists.Read more

Art book Willi Baumeister – Creator from the Unknown

epub coverMondo Agit presents the translation of the art book Willi Baumeister – Creator from the Unknown, written by Brigitte Pedde and translated from the German into English by Michael Hariton.

This monograph provides an overview of the artistic work and life of Willi Baumeister (1889-1955). The book is available as an eBook, PDF and as a print-on-demand and published under the BY-NO-SA CC licence.

The English version was created in close cooperation between the Willi Baumeister Foundation and Mondo Agit in 2014. Free downloadable PDF versions of the German and English book are made available by the Foundation

Speak English? – Learning English in Spain

failure

The topic of education is something that has always interested me, but even more so now that I have children. So, one day, I began to wonder what the problem with the Spanish education system could be. Why do we in Spain not learn languages?

Teaching English in Spain is like many other things: a botched job. How can you hope to teach someone to speak a language without ever actually letting them speak?

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Fine-tuning brain function

Astrocyte

Today, we have another post on the brain. It’s based on a really interesting course that shares its name with a post I did a while ago. I have tried to not make it too technical, but have included some links for those who wish to read more on the topic. Anyway, I hope you find this as interesting as I do!

How can we optimise brain function?

The brain’s ability to adapt to our experiences (plasticity) allows us, through our own efforts, to increase our intellectual capacity.

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Don’t drink and translate

dangerous drinking

Translation from a neuropsychological perspective

As anyone who has tried it knows, translation requires a great deal of concentration and focus. In order to be able to translate, we must first gain an understanding of the text (generally in a language that is not our own) and later formulate it in another language (which, generally speaking, is our own).

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