Projects that speak for themselves
There's a reason my clients keep coming back.
This select portfolio of anonymised projects gives you a taster of what to expect when you choose to work with me.
1. International law for an international audience
Client:
NGO
Language:
Spanish
Subject area:
Legal
What this client had to say
“Thanks a lot Beth, the documents are perfect.”
Challenge
The client had commissioned a 60,000-word report in Spanish about a legal framework in a South American country, and sought me out to produce the English translation. The report contained a description of the framework, case studies and comparisons with other countries. The final version of the Spanish document was behind schedule, and the publication deadline could not be changed.
Process
I translated the report into plain English, conducting research into the appropriate terminology and keeping in mind that the lawyers and researchers reading my translation might not be native English speakers. During the process, I was able to warn the project manager about several inconsistencies I had found in the Spanish document. We liaised with the report’s author to correct the errors in the Spanish version and finalise the English translation.
Result
Allowing enough slack in my schedule meant that we could get both the Spanish and the English versions of the document updated in plenty of time for the publication deadline. The end result was a polished PDF report published on the client’s website that confirmed them as experts in their field and provided legal researchers and professionals with a valuable and informative resource.
2. Restoring faith in human translation
Client:
Private business
Language:
French
Subject area:
Construction
What this client had to say
“Thank you for the translation, which reads so much better than the automated translation!”
Challenge
The client had commissioned translations of their product catalogues in the past, but was unhappy with the quality of the translations. Some staff had resorted to using machine translations as they did not realise that there is such a huge difference in quality, accuracy and style between machine translations and top-quality human translations.
Process
My first task was to edit the existing English text and to correct any incorrect translations, liaising with the French client and an English-speaking engineer to agree on terminology. My second task was to provided new translations, both for the technical sections of the catalogues and for the marketing sections.
Result
The client was able to present their new catalogues to their non-French-speaking clients at their next trade fair, supporting their expansion into international markets. The glossary that I created for them has been used to aid with subsequent translations that they have commissioned from me, which includes the translation of their website and additional catalogues.
3. The human in the loop: successfully leveraging AI
Client:
International institution
Language:
Spanish
Subject area:
Legal
What this client had to say
“Thank you so much, with appreciation for your continuous support and diligent work.”
Challenge
This client urgently needed a large number of Spanish interview transcriptions to be translated into English. The interviews featured obscure slang terms, cultural references and complicated descriptions of geographical locations. It was vital to adhere to the client’s glossary so that terminology would be consistent across all current and future projects.
Process
Owing to the large volume and tight deadline, the client used AI to produce a basic translation. I then either edited this machine translation or retranslated from scratch, selecting the most efficient, effective method for each phrase or sentence. In this particular case, the AI also freed up time for conducting in-depth research and enabled me to send fewer – and more prompt – client queries.
Result
The client received their translations on time and with a far higher degree of accuracy and fluency than they would have had from an AI translation alone. I also provided them with a custom glossary based on the vocabulary I had encountered during the project. This could then be used to reduce research time and increase accuracy for future projects on a similar subject matter.
4. A tender win
Client:
Translation agency
Language:
Italian and Spanish
Subject area:
Legal
What this client had to say
“Thank you for your tenacity in getting through the mountain of paperwork involved!”
Challenge
The client was tendering for a multi-year, multi-million-euro translation contract. The process involved a translation test, and I was asked to act as reviser (checking and editing the translation) for two language combinations. With the overlapping deadlines limiting me to just 24 hours per language, and 1000 words of complex legal text to revise for each one, this was a daunting task.
Process
The first step was to work with the client up front to gather all of the necessary paperwork, submit it in line with the tender requirements and make the arrangements for the test. On the day itself, I had to quickly get my head around the subject matter and conduct research to make sure the translator had rendered the key terminology accurately. I then gave the text a heavy edit to improve the writing style and make the translation as reader-friendly as possible.
Result
The agency not only won the tender for both languages, but was the first-rated tenderer for Italian. This guaranteed them – and me – four years of work with a prestigious end client, and stood them in good stead for the following round of tenders.
5. Certified translations meet customer service
Client:
Private individual
Language:
Romanian
Subject area:
Legal
What this client had to say
“Thank you so much for your help! We are delighted to let you know that the visa was granted.”
Challenge
The client was applying for a UK visa for a family member and needed to submit translations of birth, marriage and divorce certificates, powers of attorney and degree certificates. Since the client was not familiar with the translation industry, I worked with them to identify their needs and support them through the process of commissioning a translation.
Process
Once we had established the client’s brief and they had provided scanned copies of their documents, I set about recreating the format of the original documents and inserting my translation into this template. I kept in close contact with the client, getting them to check that they were happy with the documents I had produced before I signed, stamped and delivered everything.
Result
The client had a smooth, simple experience and their paperwork was all accepted by the UK authorities. When they needed a translation to upgrade the visa, they chose to come back to me – the sign of a happy customer!