Translation Services Nottingham | London UK» SanTranslate.com

UK universities to attract more students to study abroad

SanTranslate.com — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:53:12 +0000

UK universities’ abilities to make the most of their web sites to attract UK students have received something of a thumbs-down from sixth-formers, an article on the Times Higher Educational web site today says. The gist is that university applicants want to hear a bit less from the universities themselves and a lot more from their students, reflecting wider web trends in respect of the value placed on peer reviews.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Af9V-vMZc

We can’t really speak for the UK students but we do know that De Montfort University in Leicester has been capturing the views and voices of their current international students in order to help attract their future overseas intake.

We provided interpreters in Mandarin, Thai, Lithuanian and Polish to help in the production of their new international video which intersperses essential information about the university with real students sharing their experiences of life there. De Montfort has international students from over 50 countries so it’s very much in their interests to make the most of the opportunity to provide the information that prospective students clamour for in a way that is readily accessible.

Since SanTranslate first set up in 2001 with the help of Nottingham Trent University we have worked closely with the international offices of a number of higher education institutions, including Nottingham Trent itself, the University of Nottingham, Goldsmiths College London, Imperial College London and the University of Wolverhampton, translating for them a wide variety of print and web based materials.

Cantonese needs proper skill to translate

SanTranslate.com — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:38:15 +0000

Since a political advisory body in Guangzhou in southern China proposed that TV stations should broadcast their prime-time shows in Mandarin instead of Cantonese in the run-up to the Asian Games there in November, protest voices have been increasingly raised, with rallies in Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

Although Mandarin, also known as Putonghua, was declared China’s official language in 1982, there are around 70 million Cantonese speakers in Hong Kong, Macau and China’s southern Guangdong province, and is widely spoken in overseas Chinese communities around the world so it’s easy to see how this recommendation could be taken as an attack on a long-established, widely-spoken language.

Mandarin language lessons became compulsory in schools in Hong Kong after its return to Chinese rule in 1997 and an increasing number of professionals began to learn the dialect after the handover as Hong Kong’s business links with the mainland have grown.

Whilst it’s understandable that the Guangzhou authorities might be keen to ensure that their region benefits as fully as possible from the opportunities presented by the Asian Games by ensuring that media coverage is widely accessible, it would be a great shame if this were a step on the way to the disappearance of Cantonese. With that, it would only be a matter of time before other dialects such as Hakka and Shanghainese which also add greatly to the richness of Chinese culture also vanished.

In the UK we are familiar with campaigns to keep traditional languages and dialects from around the country alive and, at SanTranslate, we would like to know that Cantonese will also continue to be spoken by future generations. It is a lovely dialect that easily allows for the expression of emotions similar to the way that body language can communicate an underlying emotional component to a conversation. For example, simply by adding the word “ga” – which corresponds to the English “isn’t it?” or “it is!” you can convey some subtle nuances.

Whilst Cantonese can present its own challenges in interpretation – especially in formal situations such as in court – we would hate to see this powerful dialect disappear.

Chinese to English Translation – who should you choose?

SanTranslate.com — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 11:14:31 +0000

As demand for Chinese-English translation grows, there remains a shortage of good Chinese-English translators. Choosing translators in China can prove cheaper than from a UK translation company but what you might gain in price you could well lose in terms of service and after-sales service.

At SanTranslate we have a policy of providing a value-added service which entails using our selected translators to draft your translation, followed by a review by native editors and a final edit by bilingual experts.

Since many of our clients are in the legal and financial sectors, this level of accuracy and attention to detail is precisely what they appreciate about the service they get from SanTranslate so why not contact us about your Chinese translation needs.

China & India: Trading with Asia’s Giants

SanTranslate.com — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 11:59:33 +0000

If your business is based in the East Midlands and you’re thinking about trading with India or China, then EMITA’s half-day workshop on 7th October in Nottingham is not one to miss.

The event will include:

insights into the next 5 years for the Chinese and Indian markets;
a business case study;
an exploration of the challenges that businesses can face when trading with China and India – and recommendations for overcoming them;
advice on how to develop long term relationships with partners and customers in China and India.

For more information and to register for the event, visit the EMITA web site.

Tourism in the East Midlands – a little translation to welcome your customers

SanTranslate.com — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:34:36 +0000

Recent research from East Midlands Tourism shows that the economic impact of the tourism sector in the region has risen from around £5.9 billion in 2008 to £6.05 billion in 2009. Some of this growth can be attributed to the trend within the UK for holidaying at home but, as we’ve seen recently, the UK government is keen to increase overseas tourism into the country.

As a Nottingham-based translation company, we’d like to see local businesses benefitting from any UK-wide strategy that will help boost the regional economy so we’re also interested in helping tourist attractions, leisure and sporting facilities, hotels, restaurants, transport providers – in fact, any business or organisation that benefits from the tourist trade – to communicate to their overseas visitors in their chosen language. Even simple translation of essential information can make a visitor feel more welcome, and more likely to recommend your business as part of a visit to the UK on their return home.