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Hi! My name is Elliw and I’m now the Business Officer at Bla Translation Ltd. I’d like to start by introducing myself so that you can get to know me a little bit better…

• My background:

I grew up in a few places throughout my childhood but from the age of 10 until my mid-twenties, I lived in Penygroes, a village near and dear to my heart. I currently reside in Bangor, which is extremely convenient as it is central to (almost) everywhere I need to go.

In school, I had no idea which career path I wanted, so I stuck to pursuing the lessons I enjoyed. This is why I went on to study a joint-honours History and English Literature degree at Bangor University, in which I was awarded First-Class Honours. Realising how much I loved learning and being in education, I decided to go on to do a Primary PGCE course.

I completed a total of 3 years as a qualified teacher in a few different schools and doing some supply work in-between. It was during the more recent period of being a supply teacher, when work was rather limited, that I came across a job advertisement for a ‘Business Officer’ at Bla. Well, the rest is history as they say…

• Why I applied for this post:

Even though I enjoyed my time as a teacher, especially as I was fortunate enough to work in extremely supportive schools, I had been thinking about a career change for some time. I especially found this when working as a supply teacher as the work wasn’t guaranteed and going to new schools on the regular became daunting.

A few months ago, I was searching various job sites and saw a job opening at Bla Translation, as a ‘Business Officer’. The job role sounded interesting and was perfect for me. I decided to research the company and fell in love with their website and the company itself. I could envision myself working there and fitting in with everyone. I reached out to Anna to express my concerns of not having a business background, who reassured me that it was the transferable skills that mattered.

To cut a long story short, I applied for the job, succeeded in getting an interview, and was fortunately offered the role. This marks almost 3 months since beginning my journey within a business environment, and I absolutely love it. Let this be a sign to anyone who is wondering whether or not they should change careers or are afraid that they won’t meet the job criteria – you never know until you try!

• My work on a daily basis:

As a Business Officer, it is my responsibility to assist our Business Manager accordingly and ensure professionalism every step of the way. Every day is slightly different, but my aim is to be a point of contact for clients. I have also taken over the marketing for Bla, which I find to be so fun! I love creating and posting the content on our social media regularly. Remember to follow us and engage with us on our social media platforms.

I am fortunate enough to learn new things every day, such as how to navigate complex emails, receiving training from our Translation Manager – Systems and our Finance Officer to eventually be able to help them with their tasks, and mastering Excel spreadsheets (which can be a never-ending struggle)! The Business Unit attend meetings, workshops, and conferences in different locations, where we get to meet exciting new people within similar fields.

Our Business Manager and I have regular meetings to stay up to date on the tasks that need to be completed each week. This really helps to keep us on track. We follow a rolling work plan and social media calendar, which shows exactly what needs to be done each day/week/month (although flexibility is extremely important, as urgent things can arise and take priority from time to time).

I find my job role to be a real learning curve, especially after transitioning from an education background, and incredibly exciting. I look forward to seeing what the future holds here at Bla…

If you want to reach Bla’s Business Unit, then we’d love to hear from you:

business@bla-translation.co.uk
01248 725755

In this blog, we’re going to take you down (further than) memory lane as we delve into what makes us at Bla so passionate for our work.

In 1536, the Acts of Union were passed which meant that Wales was now a part of England. The Acts ruled the English language as the only language in Wales, even though most of our country’s residents were monoglot Welsh speakers, putting them at a disadvantage in all aspects of daily life. 

In the late 18th century, the Welsh Not was introduced in Welsh schools. It was a form of punishment and its aim was to ban children from speaking their mother tongue with their friends. In the long term, the goal was to completely banish the Welsh language. 

The year 1588, however, was paramount and, you could say, is responsible for the survival of the Welsh language. The translation of the Old Testament into Welsh is arguably the most important Welsh translation ever to have been completed. It introduced the first written version of the Welsh language and many believe that this act saved our language. 

This is only a snapshot of the trials and tribulations the Welsh language and Welsh people have suffered over the years. It is our pleasure to play our part in ensuring a prosperous future for our beautiful language. 

THIS is why we do what we do!

As a professional translation company, we have invested heavily in the technology used by our staff on a day-to-day basis. Our use of technology supports our internal talents, helping us to boost speed, ensure consistency and deliver efficiency savings in the services we provide. 

It’s very interesting to note that we have seen a noticeable increase in the translation requests we receive which involve an element of working on the client’s own platform – and we’re more than happy to accommodate such requests! 

From apps to websites to internally created platforms, our staff are adept at being flexible in their approach, learning new technologies as they work and upskilling our team. 

Here are some of the platforms we are experienced of working on, however please note that this is not an exhaustive list:

Memo-Q

Déjà vu

Memsource

Trados

Phrase

WordPress Multilingual Plugin

If you have an internal platform on which you’d like us to work or if you’d prefer us to use a translation software not included in the above list, then please get in touch with our Business Unit: business@bla-translation.co.uk who will be happy to discuss your needs.

We have recently welcomed two new members of staff to our team at Bla.

Bethan has joined us as a Translator and Elin as a Trainee Translator. With Bethan’s background in education and Elin’s experience of the nature and conservation industry, they will make great additions to our existing specialist subjects at Bla. 

It is a pleasure to have both a part of our team and we’re sure they will be very happy with us. 

Croeso!

Business News Wales have shared an insightful article that shines a light on Bla’s successful business journey so far. From a one-man band to a double-award winning language service company, the past 11 years have been incredibly busy for us. Read this article to learn more about our business. 

While searching cluelessly through hundreds of search listings in an attempt to find a translator, one of the first questions that may spring to your mind is: how does it work?

This blog will answer that very question, throwing more light on the process of translation and how working with us can make your work life easier!

Step 1 – When approaching us with a translation request, make sure that you have 3 key details at hand: 1) the subject matter, 2) the wordcount and format of the document and 3) the deadline. It’s always a bonus if you can share the document in question with us as we can then analyse exactly with what we’re dealing.

Step 2 – We will provide you with a cost and, if you haven’t noted a deadline, an estimated return date. We await the green light from you before proceeding to assign the task to one of our linguists.

Step 3 – When you’ve given us confirmation to proceed, the translation phase begins. This is when we read the original document thoroughly, research the subject matter and complete an accurate and audience-appropriate translation. 

Step 4 – Following completion of the translation phase, the all-important reviewing phase takes place. This is when we scrutinise the original document and the translated text with a fine toothcomb, searching for typing errors, grammatical accuracy, appropriate use of linguistic register, correct terminology etc. 

Step 5 – Having had our stamp of approval, the translation is returned to you punctually – you’re now ready to use your new document confidently and safe in the knowledge that you turned to a reputable and professional translation company.  

For more information about how we can take the stress out of your translation requirements, please contact our Busiess Unit: business@bla-translation.co.uk

Our latest blog delves into the practice of translation. You may argue that translation is seen as merely converting words from one language into another. True – to an extent. In this blog, we shine a light on our work, the importance of what we do and how it’s not as simple as it seems! Let us show you a real-life example of a request we recently received:

Please can you translate the following?

Walk

At first glance, you may think that this is a straight-forward, uncomplicated task. Perhaps you would even be tempted to turn to one of your Welsh-speaking colleagues and shout across the office, “what’s ‘walk’ in Welsh?”, to which you could receive this reply: “cerdded”. It’s only one word. Easy peasy, right? Wrong.

A qualified Translator would look at this request and think of it as a potential atomic bomb. There are so many things that could go wrong linguistically here. Let’s take a look at the questions that would be running through our heads:

Is this a noun? “I’m going for a walk”

Perhaps it’s a command? “Get up and walk”

Could it the name of a walking route? “Let’s follow Torrens Walk path”

Is there a broader context to this single word? “Join us on this walk tomorrow!”

All of these questions lead to a completely different translation. Thankfully, in this case, our client gave us an explanation of the meaning so that we could provide the most appropriate and fitting translation.

The message here is to always consult a professional Translator! In the same way as you would think twice before performing some home dentistry on yourself, please refrain from completing translations without an expert’s advice and, more importantly, before asking your ‘non-Translator but Welsh-speaking’ colleague! Doing so exposes your brand at immense risk as it leaves the door wide open for media-worthy errors.

Remember: a poor translation does more damage than no translation at all!

Our director, Alun, attended the ITI (Institute of Translation and Interpreting) conference in beautiful Edinburgh last week. As always it was an opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new professional acquaintances, as well as listening to a wide variety of presentations.

The industry is still intrigued and partly worried by the development of ‘Artificial Intelligence’ technology within the translation profession, but the themes also covered the importance of social media and branding, pricing and rates of pay, and even a session on the challenges of translating swear words to good effect!

Between Monday 13th  May and Friday 17th  May, we celebrate Cynnig Cymraeg Week! The Cynnig Cymraeg (literal translation: Welsh Offer) is an official accreditation offered by the Welsh Language Commissioner to organisations who have shown a formal commitment to develop the Welsh language and who are proud in their use of the language. Bla was awarded the Cynnig Cymraeg back in September 2023. We know that some of our clients have also embarked on the Cynnig Cymraeg journey, and if you’re also interested in gaining this worthwhile accreditation, then you’re more than welcome to contact us for Welsh translation assistance. Find more details about the Cynnig Cymraeg by clicking here.

Due to continued growth and demand for our services, we are actively recruiting new, enthusiastic members to join our hardworking team. We have the following vacancies:

• Welsh Translators (permanent, full time preferably but open to discuss with the ideal candidate)
• Trainee Welsh Translators (1-year contract with the view of appointing as Translator)
• Business Development Officer (permanent, full time preferably but open to discuss with the ideal candidate)

More information regarding job packages can be sought through Alun: alun@bla-translation.co.uk or 01248 725 730.

See here what we offer in return for your hard work at Bla.