Professional Language Services Providers (LSPs) understand this and use native speaking translators, industry experts, and cultural specialists to ensure every translation project is adapted accurately for its intended use and audience.

A contextually inaccurate translation will often lead to misunderstandings, causing a potential loss of custom and revenue.

Similarly, translations which are performed with limited contextual information can be a little like using a map with no compass – it’s easy to get lost!

Context influences translation in multiple ways and it is essential to understand these when using translation services, here are a few for you to consider…

Meaning and nuance context

Words can have multiple meanings depending on the context, and this is also true within cultures, dialects or languages which use similar words (in terms of spelling and sound) but which have vastly different meanings, these are known as “false cognates”.

For example, the English word “bank” could refer to a financial institution or the side of a river, and in Spanish the word for pregnant “embarazada” is very similar to the English “embarrassed”.

Similarly, idioms and expressions don’t often translate well from one language to another so having a contextual understanding of the author’s intention will help ensure the text is correctly translated and the original message remains intact.

• Top tip – remember to give as much contextual information as possible to your LSP. Be clear on definitions and meanings especially if they are potentially ambiguous, and include a glossary of terms which can be used by everyone working on the translation project.

Culturally relevant context

Some phrases, words, and references are unique to the culture within which they originate, meaning, there is often no direct translation.

However, these phrases must be translated and localized for the target audience and culture so that they can be fully understood.

This requires in depth knowledge of the language and culture, for both the source, and target language, and an understanding of the context to ensure the translation is appropriate and relevant.

Professional LSPs use native-speaking translators with vast cultural experience to ensure that each translation is culturally suitable.

• Top tip – where possible, when creating original content that is likely to be translated, consider limiting cultural references that are unique to that language. Avoid phrases, sayings, and colloquial terms which may not translate well into other languages and cultures. If content already exists, it can be worth editing it to remove cultural references before forwarding to your LSP for translation. Alternatively, speak to your LSP about how they’ll ensure the translation will be culturally relevant.

Target audience context

The majority of organizations spend lots of time and money getting to know their home market and audience; finding out all about their particular demographics and how best to fulfil their requirements with the products or services they offer.

However, when moving into an overseas market and targeting a new audience, this background research will need to be completed again in order to understand the context of your new audience.

Consider aspects such as, the purpose of the text (marketing, informative, humorous, and so on) as this affects how the text will be translated and how it should be perceived by the audience, and consider all characteristics of your new audience including, their background, cultural preferences, education level, age, and so on, in order to form a clear picture of your target audience.

• Top tip – professional LSPs should have access to linguists and translators who are cultural and industry experts for the target language you require, and who are well-acquainted with your target audience. Give them as much information as you can about your market research and target audience as this helps to ensure a more relevant and appropriate translation.

Technical and industry-specific context

Many industries and organizations use specialist terminology which must be accurately translated to ensure consistency, clarity and accuracy across languages, and throughout each organization.

For instance, technical engineering documents might use different units for weights and measurements in certain countries or regions and if these are incorrectly translated, mistakes can be made when reading plans, drawings or designs.

This is also relevant when on-boarding or training employees, and when considering aspects within an organization such as HR or health and safety to ensure parity and uniformity across a global organization.

• Top tip – ensure your LSP has all the relevant industry and technical information they require to complete your translation accurately. Consider creating technical glossaries which can be used by everyone working on your project to ensure consistency, and where possible, use an LSP who offers linguists and translators who have additional knowledge of your required industry. This is especially relevant if the translation is for legal, medical, financial or highly-technical sectors.

Legal and ethical context

Legal translations often need to be “certified” to ensure accuracy and so that the translation is acceptable for use within legal, official or governmental departments around the world.

Within legal translations, transcriptions, or for certified translations, context is crucial.

For all of these translations, a specialist language services provider, who uses legally trained translators and linguists, is essential for ensuring the accuracy and legality across the languages, and legal systems, within which the translation project resides.

Similarly, sensitive translations or those which are based on ethical or moral topics, must also be translated with the respect and care they deserve.

Ensuring that your LSP has as much information about the translation project, including any ethical or legal implications or relevancy, is vital for achieving the best translation possible.

• Top tip – only use LSPs who offer translators with additional legal knowledge for legal or certified translations, and ensure they hold quality accreditation. If there are moral or ethical issues surrounding your translation, make these clear to your LSP at the start of the project and give guidelines or technical details, where possible, to ensure consistency across the translation.

Understanding and considering the context of your translation ensures that the final product is not only accurate, but also resonates appropriately with the target audience, maintaining the original text’s intent, tone, and meaning.

It also means the translation is fit for purpose and fulfils all the relevant obligations within a legal or official setting.

Using a professional LSP for your translation project and ensuring they have as much information about the context as possible, will give the best results and value for money.

The post How does context affect a translation project? appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

Below we examine a few of the ways in which language services can enhance your corporate culture, improving business strategies for employee management, and offering tips on how to best achieve this.

Professional language services enhance clear communication

Within any business environment clear, concise, accurate and understandable communication is vital for business success.

Whether this be with employees, key stake holders or customers, effective communication will ensure there are no misunderstandings and that everyone is working from the same page.

In order to meet the diverse language needs within a global business it is essential to use professional language services.

These should include:

Translation services – ensure all corporate communications, from emails to policy documents, are accurately translated into the languages spoken by employees. This minimizes misunderstandings and can ensure that everyone has access to the same information and knowledge. Use a reliable and trusted language services provider (especially for legal documents which require certified translations) as this will guarantee your firm operates within the law and abides by industry or government regulations.

Interpreting services – use professional interpreters during meetings, conferences, and training sessions to ensure real-time understanding and participation from non-native speakers. For meetings or conferences where there many speakers, consider using professional language services providers who offer specialist equipment and can cope with translating multiple languages at one time.

Professional language services promote inclusivity

For global firms, inclusivity is key, especially for expats, onboarding and employee training.

Professional language services offer an adaptable, flexible method by which all employees are able to engage with materials and improve their knowledge.

The following points can help to improve inclusivity, especially with non-native language employees, expatriates, or other employees with language accessibility difficulties.

Multilingual onboarding – provide onboarding materials and training information in multiple languages. This helps new employees feel welcomed and valued, regardless of their native language, and ensures that knowledge will be comparable across all employees and levels. Ask for feedback from new recruits to check suitability for their language needs and adapt as required.

Diverse communication channels – encourage the use of multiple languages in internal communication platforms, and provide tools for translation and language support. Ensure communications are localized for maximum relevancy and user-friendliness. If this is done in-house, ensure native speaking employees are used for the translations and that their adaptions are accurate.

Professional language services enhance employee engagement

Working with people from diverse cultures, who speak different native languages, is really rewarding, especially when all employees feel empowered to actively engage with colleagues.

In order to ensure that everyone is able to make the most of this opportunity, it can be necessary for employees to overcome any unconscious bias regarding different work-cultures, learn some basic language skills, and develop cultural awareness regarding different cultures and backgrounds.

Aspects which can enhance employee engagement include:

Cultural awareness training – conduct training sessions that educate employees about the cultural backgrounds and communication styles or preferences of their colleagues. This fosters a more inclusive and empathetic workplace in which employees understand each other and are accepting of differences. Offering unconscious bias training will also support employees to realize and challenge their own biases and prejudices. Full employee engagement requires an understanding of other’s views, the ability to listen openly without judgement, and the opportunity to share your opinions.

Language learning opportunities – offering language learning programs as a professional development boost not only helps employees improve their language skills but also shows the company’s investment in their personal growth.

Professional language services strengthen company identity

A company which claims clear brand values around inclusivity, diversity, communication and engagement, must actively strengthen company identity to ensure these values apply at every level of the company and in every region.

A positive corporate culture relies upon these values being accurately communicated in every language, to all employees.

Professional language service providers can help to do this through:

Unified messaging – ensuring the company’s vision, mission, and values are consistently communicated in all languages will help to maintain a cohesive corporate identity and culture across different regions. This will inevitably be passed on from employees to customers.

Brand consistency – use professional translation services for all external communications, ensuring the brand message remains consistent and professional globally.

Implementing professional language services to enhance corporate culture

To effectively implement professional language services, consider the following steps:

Assess language needs – conduct a thorough assessment to understand the languages spoken by your employees and customers.

Choose a reliable provider – partner with a reputable language service provider that offers high-quality translation, interpretation, and localization services in the language(s) you require.

Monitor and adapt – continuously monitor the effectiveness of the language services and be ready to adapt based on feedback from employees and customers.

Integrating professional language services into a global company’s operations can significantly enhance corporate culture.

By promoting clear communication, inclusivity, and collaboration, these services not only improve internal dynamics but also strengthen customer relations and brand identity on an international scale.

At Creative Word, we have worked with global clients for over two decades, helping them to ensure effective communication with their employees, and their clients, no matter which language they speak or where they are based.

We help to promote a positive corporate culture through our extensive range of training courses which emphasize and teach cultural awareness and additional ‘soft skills’ required for collaborative experiences and inclusive workplaces.

To find out more about how we can help you to improve your corporate culture, contact us here.

Alternatively, you can view our services, or check out our range of training courses.

The post Enhancing corporate culture with professional language services appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

Currently, the test, which is required by UK visa applicants wishing to work or study in the UK, must be performed at an approved test-centre, but these aren’t available everywhere.

Test-centres currently only operate in 134 countries, meaning that individuals from countries such as, Guatemala, Paraguay, or some Caribbean islands, must travel to other countries in order to take the English-language test.

This can increase costs significantly for visa applicants, especially students who need to pass the test in order to study and to be accepted at the university of their choice.

However, Duolingo’s CEO and co-founder, Luis von Ahn, has recently confirmed that he is in talks with the UK government regarding plans which could see visa applicants being offered an online English-language test through the popular language app.

At present, the test offered by Duolingo is under £50 and is accepted at over 75 universities within the UK.

However, it is not yet accepted by the UK government as part of the visa application, but this may be about to change, thanks to Duolingo.

According to Luis von Ahn, the Duolingo test, first released in 2016 was a “pioneering digital-first, high stakes exam that is both reliable and more accessible than other English proficiency exams.”

The test is now “accepted by thousands of higher education programmes, and it is taken by hundreds of thousands of people around the world” in order to demonstrate their English-language proficiency in a secure and inexpensive way.

Even prestigious universities such as, Harvard, MIT and Stanford now accept the Duolingo test, especially since the Covid pandemic when education had to move online, and improvements were made regarding technology and security for online testing.

In the UK (the second most popular destination for international students after the USA) there are more than 27,500 students from the MENA region, and almost 10,000 of these are from Saudi Arabia.

Middle Eastern students account for just over 6% of all international students in the UK and all of them would have to obtain a visa, and prove their English-language proficiency, in order to study.

If the Duolingo English-language test is accepted by the UK government, it will make the process easier for students from the MENA region to demonstrate their language abilities and should help promote equality by making the test more affordable for all.

The post Duolingo to Offer English-Language Test for Visa if Agreed with UK Government appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

The new law allows entire court proceedings to be executed in English, saving time and effort, reducing translation cost linked to proceedings, and ensuring faster processing through the system.

According to the Khaleej Times online, the ruling was made in line with the Abu Dhabi bi-lingual court world-class project after English was finally recognized as the second official language of the region in 2018 (Arabic remains the first official language).

This is good news for non-Arabic speaking expats and residents, as it is now mandatory for claimants in a lawsuit to issue court documents in English for non-Arabic speakers.

Expats facing the Abu Dhabi courts “enjoy a unique privilege that is not available in any other court in the region.”

Forms, legal documentation, and court hearings are available in English, with every single phase of litigation accessible for non-Arabic speaking individuals, protecting rights to due process and easing access to justice.

Abu Dhabi court will also have a bi-lingual court panel with both English-speaking and Arabic-speaking judges presiding over proceedings and issuing judgements in both languages.

With people from over 200 nationalities at present, living and working in Abu Dhabi, and with the majority of these unable to read Arabic, their rights are now safeguarded by these reforms.

Protecting expats’ rights to be treated fairly, justly and without the hinderance of a language barrier, the Emirate now offers an unrivalled equality and a world-class judiciary system.

These legal reforms are linked to the Emirate’s wider economic and social plans for modernization of the dispute resolution system and highlights the ease of doing business in the capital.

“An efficient and transparent online court ecosystem and a business-friendly strategy are crucial for supporting and enhancing the emirate’s modernity, attracting foreign investment and encouraging the best talents to live and work in Abu Dhabi.”

However, the reforms are wider reaching than the aforementioned language and translation changes, aiming to bring Abu Dhabi in line with new socio-economic reality.

Other changes include:

• Civil Marriage – interfaith relationships can be registered without being subject to Shariah law. Residents and tourists can now marry freely.

• No-fault divorce – women can file for divorce quickly without worrying about their financial situation.

• 50/50 custody of children – the child’s best interests come first with joint custody after divorce

• Non-Muslim judges – are now allowed to hear cases for the first time in the Arab world

• Gender equality – men and women are to be treated equally in the eyes of the law in every case

• Unmarried parenting – a child born out of wedlock will now be legally recognized

• Family arbitration – is being introduced as an alternative dispute resolution to aid divorce settlements and family disputes

• Right of audience – foreign lawyers are now allowed to appear in court

The UAE, as a whole kingdom, has made sweeping changes to the legal system in recent months in a bid to promote a more conducive atmosphere for expats to settle and invest in the country.

Similarly, tourists now enjoy more freedom and can consume alcohol without the need for a licence and are able to marry in civil ceremonies.

The post Reforms Abolish English to Arabic Court Translations in Abu Dhabi appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

It is, as the name suggests, a highly technical field!

However, there are a few tips that can make the process easier for everyone involved, and that ensure the translation project goes smoothly from start to finish.

1. Keep it Simple

This may sound contrary to the blog title, after all, how can something technical be made simple?

However, there are ways to minimise the potential risk for errors, and keeping things as simple as possible is definitely number 1 on the list.

In order to keep things as simple as possible follow these guidelines:

• Ensure you are clear on your brief and consistent in all discussions with your LSP

• Keep language and sentence structure as straightforward as possible, avoiding protracted linguistic constructions!

• Provide your LSP with as much supporting documentation as possible (manuals, regulations, product data, and so on)

• Create a list of industry specific terms so this can be translated in readiness for the main project

2. Choose a Language Services Provider who Specializes in your Industry

If you require a technical translation, you’ll need to recruit a LSP who uses linguists and translators who are also experts in your industry.

For example, here at Creative Word, our key areas of expertise are:

• Legal translations

• Tourism Translations

• Oil and Gas

• Financial

• Marketing and PR

• Media and TV

• Publishing

• Retail

This means, that when we perform a translation within one of these industries, we will use a translator, or group of translators, who are also trained in the related industry.

In this way, our clients can be certain they will receive the most accurate translation possible.

Using a translator trained in your industry ensures they have an intimate knowledge of the terminology, acronyms, market, and the expected standards required for this type of translation.

Similarly, the translator should also be a native speaker of the target language.

Native speakers understand linguistic nuance, tone of voice, cultural references, audience expectations, and are able to ensure your message is clearly and accurately conveyed.

3. Create a Glossary of Terms

Working with a professional language services provider on your technical translation project will certainly help to smooth the process and ensure your project is completed on time and within budget.

One way you can help guarantee consistency and accuracy within the translation project is by providing your LSP with a glossary of terms.

This glossary should cover all frequently used terms, contain a list of acronyms and abbreviations (and their meaning), list specific phrases commonly used, and also any personally preferred terms or words linked to your particular business or industry.

This glossary can be used on successive translation projects, helping to ensure consistency throughout each and every project. It can also be updated regularly so that it remains current.

Technical translations are notoriously tricky but by finding the right LSP to work with on your project increases the chance of accuracy.

Contact a member of the Creative Word team for an informal discussion about how we can help achieve success for your technical translation project.

The post Top Tips for Improving Technical Translation Accuracy appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

Financial translations are among the most complex of the above group; the innovative industry requires constant adaption with new tech frequently created and terminology evolving alongside this.

To complete an accurate financial translation, a translator must have in-depth knowledge of current terminology and trends, and excellent linguistic skill in both the source, and target, language.

If you are likely to require financial translations now, or at some point in the near future, the following information gives advice for best practices and some top tips for ensuring you choose the right Language Services Provider with whom to partner for your project.

What are Financial Translations?

The term ‘Financial Translations’ covers a wide range of translation projects within the financial sector or linked to business finance.

For instance, this could be a bank providing multilingual updated terms and conditions to its customers or end of year accounts translated for key stakeholders.

There are numerous different types of financial translations but, whichever type you require, you’ll need it to be as accurate as possible, with the correct terminology.

Types of financial translations might include:

• Annual Audits and reports

• Business plans

• Financial forecasts

• Income statements

• Balance sheets

• Equities

• Foreign exchange

• Tax documents, statements and reports

• Insurance documents

• Financial agreements

• Retirement plans

• Property deeds, plans and other documents

• Disclaimers

As you can imagine, this list could go on for some time, so the translator or Language Services Provider (LSP) selected for the project must have sector-specific knowledge and be familiar with current terminology and concepts.

Choosing a Translator for your Financial Translations

There are probably hundreds of thousands of translators worldwide offering financial translations, however, just because they offer this service, it doesn’t mean they are the right choice for your project.

Consider the following points before making your selection:

1. What experience do they have with this type of translation project?

2. Can they show you previous examples of their work?

3. Are many of their existing clients linked to the finance sector?

4. Do they have experience/qualifications linked to the finance sector?

5. Do they use native speaking translators?

6. Do they offer quality assurance?

7. How much will it cost?

8. What can you expect the quality/accuracy to be?

9. Do they specialise in your required target and source languages?

10. What is the expected turnaround time?

Ask lots of questions of your selected translator or LSP to ensure they are the best fit for your project. A professional translation team will be used to dealing with these types of questions and should be able to provide answers quickly.

Common Problems to Avoid with Financial Translations

While English is still often the first-choice language for many global finance and banking firms when conducting international business, this doesn’t mean that every document, letter, statement, meeting or conference will be predominantly in English.

It is more likely that you will require a multitude of languages at any one time.

Choosing a translator or LSP that can offer translators, interpreters and linguists in many languages can be helpful and avoids the problem of having to source a new translator for each language you need.

Choosing the right LSP to work with means there are likely to be fewer problems but there are some potential pitfalls that are very common with financial translations. These include:

1. Punctuation Mistakes – punctuation is really important when using figures and mistakes can be costly. For instance, in English 1,000 is equivalent to one thousand but 1.000 means just 1. To add to the confusion, this isn’t the case in every language!

2. Mistranslating Words – of course numbers are important for financial translations but don’t forget words must be correctly translated too. HSBC recently found this out to their cost when their slogan “Assume Nothing” was mistranslated to “Do Nothing”. It cost millions to rebrand after a simple one-word translation error.

3. Short and Long Scale Values – there are two types of value systems used when writing numbers as words, the short and long scale. Knowing which system is being used for certain languages is vital and can be the difference between 1 million or 1 trillion! English and Arabic speaking countries tend to use the short scale, but many European countries favour the long scale.

These tips only cover the basics of financial translations so if you require more insights or would like to talk to a member of expert translation team, please contact us.

The post Best Practices and Top Tips for Financial Translations appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

Many businesses, especially those looking to expand into the international market or develop their online presence, use transcription services to assist their endeavours and ensure that communication with potential customers, stakeholders or suppliers are clear, concise and engaging, and that they are fulfilling any obligations regarding legal regulations and requirements.

Transcription services can help your business:

• Improve your online reach

• Improve customer engagement

• Increase brand awareness

• Improve internal communication

• Share information (both internally and externally)

It can do this in many ways, including:

• Transcribing audio/visual content (for example, subtitles for customer content online)

• Translating subtitles for multiple languages

• Transcribing and translating marketing content and data

• Transcribing/translating meetings and internal communications for staff or stakeholder use

Transcription (and translation) services form a vital link between your business and customers, employees and stakeholders so many industries now utilise these services on a daily basis.

The following industries use transcription services regularly, so if your business is linked to these, it is likely you should be using transcription services already.

However, no matter what industry your business operates within, elements such as, international marketing and improving brand awareness, benefit greatly from transcription services and increase your potential reach even further.

Legal Industry/Law

Law firms have used transcription services for years in order to accurately record audio/visual evidence such as, witness or court statements.

However, transcription services are vital for other industries too in a legal sense, especially in ensuring they abide by the laws and regulations of specific countries.

For instance, providing written statements of AGMs and complying with an individual country’s language requirements for legal documents.

Using professional transcription services for these documents and statements offers accuracy, clarity and compliance.

Education

Educational establishments, especially those linked to higher education such as, universities, often share information, lectures or seminars around the world.

For this to be done effectively, transcription services are used to add subtitles to lectures, transcribe audio content with precise timecodes (or timestamps), and transcribe and translate research papers.

Similarly, many training firms now understand the value of transcribing their training content so they can be accessed by individuals with special needs (for instance, people who are hard of hearing), those who speak a foreign language, or as an additional element used to engage trainees.

For firms that offer in-house training content for employees, transcription services can provide multilingual subtitles for use around the world ensuring uniformity of training quality is achieved.

Medicine/Healthcare

Transcription services are also paramount within the medical and healthcare industries.

We have all witnessed how the Covid-19 pandemic has seen a huge amount of medical data generated and much of this has been transcribed and translated for use around the world.

Vaccine information, medicine usage instructions, patients’ notes, surgical information, patents, and so on, all require transcription services and often also need translating into multiple languages so they can be accessed by medical staff no matter which language they speak.

If your firm operates within the healthcare sector, you should probably already be using professional transcription services. If you aren’t, you can discuss your requirements with a member of the Creative Word team here.

Marketing

While many marketing firms utilise transcription services for ease of data and information processing, such as, product testing or focus groups, businesses in other sectors also depend heavily upon marketing services to engage customers and make informed decisions.

For instance, if you are planning a multilingual marketing strategy for a specific region and want to monitor the results with ease, it is vital that an accurate record is documented and transcribed.

This also gives an opportunity for the results to be translated and shared with stakeholders or overseas offices.

Creative Word can help with any transcription or translation service you require. We offer expert advice, a complete project management service, experienced native-speaking linguists and a comprehensive one-stop solution for all your translation, localization, transcription and interpreting requirements.

Contact us now for further information.

The post Does my Business Need Transcription Services? appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

Employers today regard soft skills to be almost as vital as the learned skills and experience needed to perform the role.

These “soft skills” make the difference between a good employee and a great one, or a good leader and a great one. They contribute to the success of the individual and the firm, and can be taught, enhanced and perfected.

Some of the top skills that every employer is looking for are listed below, with an explanation of hard and soft skills and tips on how to enhance skill sets for employees.

Hard or Soft Skills?

Hard skills are the learned technical skills required to perform a certain job or particular role. For instance, a law degree, foreign language degree, or IT experience would all be considered “hard skills”.

Hard skills give you the ability and knowledge to do a particular job, they can be measured (based on your degree class or exam grade), are easily demonstrated (by performing the role), and can be earned through training and work experience.

Soft skills are more centred around personal qualities and characteristics which will often have been gained through life experience and work practise.

Soft skills are not job specific but are adaptable and transferable from one industry or role to another.

For instance, being a good, effective communicator is beneficial in any workplace whether you’re a lawyer, IT consultant, accountant or doctor.

While most higher-level positions require a degree qualification (the hard skills), many job ads ask for a multitude of soft skills alongside this.

These soft skills increase one’s capacity for leadership, collaboration, independence and resilience – making a well-rounded employee capable of managing people, coping with pressure and taking the initiative.

Soft Skills

The core abilities, often shared by those who are successful in business and leadership roles, that are always in demand by employers include the following:

• Effective Communication – this includes the ability to concisely explain your own perspective, ideas or information, while also being able to listen effectively to other’s views. Effective communication is not only verbal language, but also non-visual, written and visual forms of communication.

• Emotional Intelligence – is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions and understand the emotions of people around you. Emotional intelligence encourages healthy relationships through the ability to connect with others, overcome challenges and manage conflict.

• Resilience – resilience is our ability to bounce back. Failure, disappointment, conflict, stress, and so on, all have the potential to create a burden that must be overcome or dealt with. Our resilience levels dictate how well we cope and manage these issues.

• Cultural Awareness – multicultural workplaces are now the norm so it is vital that employees are able to integrate with colleagues from other cultures and backgrounds, or with different views and perspectives to their own. Understanding unconscious bias is the first step to cultural awareness.

• Leadership Qualities – when an individual has the skills listed above in abundance, they generally make a good leader who knows how to connect with their team; inspiring, supporting, and including them.

How to Enhance Soft Skills for Employees 

Soft skills are often learned through experience. Life, work, family, and friends all help to form areas of our personality, highlighting ways we need to adapt or change, or showing us alternative perspectives.

But soft skills can also be learned through training.

Professional training providers can offer accredited courses for soft skills covering topics as diverse as managing challenging behaviour and cultural awareness. These courses offer effective solutions for enhancing skill sets, encouraging leadership qualities, and improving team dynamics.

Here at Creative Word we offer specialized legal training in partnership with the Dubai Legal Affairs Department, and our Creative Word Training site also offers courses, including E-Learning options, in soft skills, IT, finance and compliance and cultural awareness.

To find out more about the full training options we offer, please see our dedicated Creative Word Training site, view our legal training courses here, or call one of our team on +971 4313 2832.

The post Skills Every Employer is Looking for in an Employee appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

For those clients using translation services providers for translations such as, email marketing, market research, or data that may contain other sensitive personal information, then it is a legal requirement that this data be handled in the correct way by both your own organization and your chosen translation services provider.

For instance, if you are an organization based in the Middle East with customers located in the EU who have completed market research you’ve undertaken, and you use a translation services provider to translate and collate the data, then both organizations are bound by the GDPR laws.

This includes elements such as, data processing (including collecting, recording, organizing, structuring, storing or using data), and data controllers (the person or team that decide how personal data is processed).

If you are using a translation services provider then they would be considered a data processor (they are a third party that processes personal data on behalf of a data controller).

Even before the GDPR laws came into force in 2018, many translation services providers dealt with sensitive information on a daily basis so were already aware of data protection, and had a good basis for building full compliance before the deadline.

At Creative Word, we have always believed that client privacy is paramount and have had specific standards and protocols in place to protect clients for many years. We are proud of our high standards but are aware that not every translation services provider, or individual translator, has the same ethics or awareness.

Ensuring that your chosen translation services provider is GDPR compliant is essential for personal data security. The following points should be checked before enlisting the services of a new provider:

1. Non-disclosure Agreements and Client Confidentiality

Most people are aware of what NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) are, and anyone who has worked with sensitive information will understand why they are necessary.

Linguists working on any project (no matter how small or large) should be working under an NDA on your project or they will not be complying with GDPR.

Client confidentiality has always been important to us here at Creative Word which is why partners such as, the Dubai International Finance Centre, Dubai Tourism and Chanel have chosen to work with us time and again.

2. Translation Management System

If you are confident that your chosen translation services provider can ensure client confidentiality through the use of NDAs, then it is worth considering if they use a secure translation management system for the sending and receiving of translation files.

For instance, if you are sending files to your translation services provider which may have identifiable information then it must be sent through an encrypted email system.

When using the any of the translation services offered by Creative Word you can rest assured that we only use secure methods for file distribution and collection.

When working on a translation project we have relationship managers who are your sole point of contact and also project managers who deal with the hands-on aspects of your translation project.

They will ensure your project remains protected and that client confidentiality is upheld at all times.

3. Quality Standards and Accreditation

ISO certification for quality management systems is vital within the translation industry so checking your chosen provider has ISO accreditation is a good idea.

At Creative Word, we hold quality standards for our management systems known as ISO9001. Our processes, project managers and professional translators all add to the high standards we consistently achieve for our clients.

Training our staff to deal with new legislation (such as, GDPR), technological innovations, cultural awareness, quality standards, and linguistic and industry excellence is paramount to our high-quality service.

If you would like to discuss your translation project with the Creative Word please contact us, or to find out more about our quality standards, please click here.

The post Translation Services Providers, GDPR and Client Confidentiality appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.