27 Mar /12

Haniel Group reporter observed the work of EVS Translations

From “Rasender Reporter” to “speedy reporter”
Almost every day, I send an e-mail to Nick. And he always writes back – even though we’ve never met. But he is not my pen pal; he works for EVS Translations. For two months now, the translation company has been ensuring that our colleagues abroad can also read the dispatches from the “speedy reporter”. Now I’m curious and want to know exactly what happens to my reports before they appear in English on the Haniel Group Net. So it’s off to Offenbach in Hessen.

Arriving at EVS Translations headquarters, I get to meet him in person. Contrary to my expectations, he is not much older than I am. In fact, Nick does not conform to my idea of a translator at all: his desk is not piled high with dictionaries or other books.

Do you speak Gaelic?
All my orders are sent to him. He distributes the texts to the translators and makes sure that the agreed deadlines are met and the customers are satisfied. Dealing with around 40 translations a day, he has plenty to do. But English is not the only language requested: “We offer translations into 123 languages including Azerbaijani, Gaelic and Kurdish. Our specialist area is annual reports.” explains Nick as we tour the office. The thing I notice most is the silence. Most of the employees are in offices for one or two people so that they can work on their texts without distraction. Unfortunately, “my” translator is not there today – he’s on holiday. A colleague in Nottingham is filling in. So it’s not just me travelling, but my texts as well – to the UK and back every day!

Corrected by the boss himself
One person here knows my texts particularly well: Around the Haniel world in 90 days is a matter for the boss – managing director and company founder, Edward Vick, corrects the English version of my reports. “I really enjoy reading the texts; they’re a welcome change from the number-heavy translations I normally work on,” says Vick. The boss checks the content of the translations, the spelling and makes sure that the correct Haniel wording is used. “It is very important that a company’s publications are always written in the same tone and with the same vocabulary. For example, while one company is led by a Chairman of the Board, another might have a Managing Director. We have to ensure that the same terms are always used,” explains Vick. To do so, EVS Translations creates a glossary for every customer using the vocabulary from previous translations. A computer programme is used to define how specific terminology is to be translated: in my case, the “Rasende Reporterin” becomes the “speedy reporter”.
However, the glossary isn’t much help when it comes to my texts. “You write very freely and on a wide variety of subjects, so it’s quite rare for the programme to find matches with your texts that we have previously translated”, explains the boss of EVS Translations.

Simultaneous proofreading
A “ping” from Vick’s mailbox indicates that the translation of my text has arrived from Nottingham. This gives me the opportunity to observe Vick at work. When proofreading the text, he reads it twice: a special programme shows him my German sentence with the English translation beneath. “This means that I can see whether they say the same thing. The English may be beautiful, but the content could be completely wrong. There are things that our native English speakers may not understand, such as plays on words or references to current events in Germany. That’s where I come in,” explains Vick. “Translations also require thorough research. With a complex German word such as Bohrbetriebsleitung, the translator has to understand it before finding the English equivalent.” But if a word comes up that the translator really doesn’t know, he or she marks it for the proofreader rather than wasting too much time trying to find it. Today, Vick has little cause for complaint. He corrects one spelling mistake and makes one small change.
“Journalistic texts such as yours are greatly sought after by the translators – they allow them to be creative. Financial reports leave no room for interpretation. A good translator needs years before they are able to translate a little more freely, rather than being too literal,” comments the Englishman. “But the most important thing in our line of work is a passion for languages.” With a click of the mouse, Vick sends the text to my inbox and within a few seconds the translation can be opened at Franz-Haniel-Platz. I, on the other hand, have to catch the train.