As the oldest, continual language agency in North America, some of our interesting projects over our 34 years illustrate some benefits for you:
Italian Elections
Problem: As Italian national elections approached, we got a call at our California office one summer Friday afternoon just after 5pm (naturally). A political consultant in New York for one of the two Prime Minister candidates needed an urgent translation to prepare for a Zoom meeting that Saturday morning at 9am in Rome. “Out of curiosity,” I asked, “why did you not contact a language agency near you in New York?” “Because,” he answered, “it’s 8pm here and of course everyone is closed. I figured you would be open in California.” Which we still were.
Knowing that our European translators were hours ahead enjoying their wine and dinner and that US Italian translators were ready for weekend partying, I advised the client to:
- enjoy a twilight jog around Central Park; and
- return to his office at 11pm ET when we would have the translations ready for him. Not knowing exactly how we would achieve that.
Solution: Then I remembered. One part of the US was still very open and probably had some expatriate translators: Hawaii. Sure enough, a colleague there was able to persuade his expert Italian team to forego an afternoon of surfing and do these translations. He delivered to us, we delivered to our client, and the client had his successful Saturday meeting. But his candidate lost. Oh well. We can’t control political outcomes but we can deliver on-time, often with unexpected and miracle outcomes, to ensure that our clients shine.
Fujitsu
Problem: A phone call with the North American headquarters of Fujitsu revealed to us that their current translations supplier was constantly two weeks late. Without the English/French manuals and Getting Started Guides for Canadian clients – some of which required truncating the translations to fit their software specs -- Fujitsu couldn’t ship its computers, resulting in huge diminished cash flow and delayed and cancelled orders.
Solution: We persuaded Fujitsu to give us a try. While the first translations took about a week, we locked the repetitive terminology into our Translation Memories. And for Projects 2 to 100+, we drew on the Memories to deliver projects within a few days and sometimes within hours.
Needless to say, Fujitsu was ecstatic. And our rapid-delivery solutions probably saved the company over $500K during its many years of working with us.
BLOOPERS
We are delighted to amuse you with examples of imprecise translations and incorrect punctuation … showcasing the work of amateurs and careless English writers:
- Mideast sign in Arabic and English: “Dead Slow Children Playing”
- Garlic Jim’s Pizza sign: “Now Open Try Our Gluten Free New Owner”
- Southern Signs, USA: “Lawn More for Sale” “Got Far Wood.”
When accurate communications are critical—into English or 120 other languages and whether written or spoken – please contact the experts at Auerbach International.
Sincerely,
Philip Auerbach
Founder, President & CEO
Auerbach International
Headquarters - 415-592-0042
http://auerbach-intl.com
translations@auerbach-intl.com
“3 Decades. 2 Billion Words. A+ Accuracy. Superior Translation Services."
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