Bla Translation Ltd
Town Hall
Bulkeley Square
Llangefni
Anglesey
LL77 7LR
Telephone: 01248 725730
Mobile: 07920 052818
Out of hours and weekends: 07920 052818
Email: office@bla-translation.co.uk
Website: www.bla-translation.co.uk
Staff
Alun Gruffydd
Director
Alun has been translating professionally for 20 years, ever since he completed a postgraduate qualification in translation from Bangor and Aberystwyth Universities and succeeded in joining the Society of Welsh Translators through their examination scheme. Between 1992 and 2013 he worked in archaeology, museums and heritage and established his translation company, Bla, in 2012, leaping into the business world electing to run it full-time from home from 2013. The company grew gradually and now the team of 11 is based in an office in the heart of Llangefni. Alun succeeded in becoming a full individual member of the Institute of Translating and Interpreting (MITI), in 2019.
Away from the office, Alun enjoys wasting too much time in the garden devising new ideas and projects and talking to his noisy hens and ducks. Twice a week he dresses up like a chav and coaches a local men's football team. He also enjoys nights out for meals and a good glass of wine and does some running and fitness in a vain attempt to undo the overindulgence and one glass too many.
Please read the profiles of the staff members below. Quite simply, Bla would be nowhere near its level of success and profile today without these talented and committed individuals. Alun is hugely indebted to them.
The Administrative Team
A company cannot exist without skilled administrators! Ceri and Ffion are responsible for the smooth running of the office. We receive up to 50 requests per day so it’s a constant challenge.
Ceri is responsible for dealing with all our translation requests received through our email system and will price each job, agree the timescale for return and arrange the translation through one of our translators, to be returned promptly to the client. Ceri is your point of contact therefore for your translation requests, on office@bla-translation.co.uk
Ffion manages the financial side of our translations, raising invoices, matching PO numbers and keeps a close eye on the income database on our systems. You can contact Ffion on Ffion@bla-translation.co.uk
Ffion Kellett
Finance Officer
Ffion joined us back in the Autumn of 2021 as our Finance Officer
She brings a wealth of administrative experience from the education and public sector and is currently adding to her portfolio with an Accountancy qualification. Ffion is responsible for the daily invoicing and payments within the company and for liaising with our accountants and clients on all financial matters, as well as dealing with financial queries with our clients.
Ceri Hughes
Clients Manager
Ceri joined our team in May 2018 having been a Civil Servant for 20 years in various roles within the department. For the last 13 years Ceri has worked within the Welsh Language sector and has brought her experience over to Bla. Ceri is our main contact point for customers, provides quotations, negotiating timescales and allocating translation requests to the relevant translator. In her project management role, Ceri has developed and overseen numerous improvements to our current procedures with translation software and systems. Within the past 4 years she has helped Bla go from strength to strength and is thoroughly enjoying the adventure! Ceri was raised on Anglesey and it is where her heart lies. She does enjoy a bit of travelling and finding to new places and is always on a look out for a bargain!
The Translation Team
We have a team of nine translators.
Our most experienced translators at Bla are Nerys, Ceri and Anna who are the company’s Senior Translators. All our translations are proofed before being returned to each client and our three senior translators complete the majority of the proofing, as well as undertaking their own various translation tasks. They offer invaluable support to the rest of the translation team, namely Sian, Mari, Margiad, Elan and Nia.
Collectively, our translators produce all of the company’s core translation projects, ranging from quick paragraphs needed urgently to more detailed documents and reports over a longer period of time. From short supermarket straplines to complex artistic programmes, every day is different and brings its own set of linguistic challenges!
Our workload is often greater than the team can deal with so we also rely on a number of qualified freelance translators who kindly work with us on a regular basis and we are extremely grateful for their support.
We also use Translation Software systems or CAT Tools for our work, giving us the ability to produce and co-ordinate even greater volumes of work from other translation agencies here in the United Kingdom, and ensuring consistency at all times.
Nerys Buckland Hughes
Senior Translator
Nerys joined Bla Translation in May 2017 and is now one of the company’s Senior Translators. She began her career in translation in 2005, working as a translator at two secondary schools on Anglesey. She went on to work as a translator for HM Courts & Tribunals Service, and then as a senior translator for the Welsh Government Translation Service.
She has experience of co-ordinating translation projects, proofreading, standardising terminology and using translation memory software. In terms of qualifications, she has a first class degree in Welsh Language and Literature from Bangor University and a postgraduate qualification in translation (University of Wales Certificate in Translation). She is also a full member of the Association of Welsh Translators and Interpreters.
Anna Lewis
Senior Translator / International Languages Officer
Anna joined our team in June 2018, having achieved a First Class honours degree in Welsh from Bangor University. Whilst working full time for Bla Translation, Anna continued her professional development through attaining a First Class Masters degree in Welsh from Bangor University. She undertakes every aspect of translation and proofreading tasks, but takes particular interest in translating health, security and policing documents. Anna is a full Qualified Member of the Institution of Translators and Interpreters.
Anna was raised on Anglesey and is proud of her Welsh background. Although appreciative of the tranquillity and peace to be had on the island, she enjoys travelling, visiting new places, hearing new languages and is also partial to a spot of retail therapy!
As well as assisting with Welsh translations, Anna is responsible for Bla2, our International Languages Unit at Bla Translation. If you have a translation request in any European or World language, then drop her an e-mail: anna@bla-translation.co.uk
Nia Morus Lovelock
Senior Translator
Nia joined Bla in November 2021.
She is originally from Anglesey and currently lives here in Llangefni.
After graduating from the University College of North Wales, Bangor and then completing the PGCE course, Nia moved to live and work in South Wales. She worked as a primary school teacher in Pontypridd and Barry before returning to Anglesey in 2002. She continued to teach across Anglesey and Gwynedd until recently deciding on a change of career.
Nia was promoted to a Senior Translator position at Bla in January 2024.
Elena Morus
Senior Translator
Elena has been passionate about linguistics and promoting the Welsh language throughout her career. She has previously worked as a Language Tutor for university students and a Welsh for Adults tutor, as well as being active in the creative industry for some years. Elena has held editorial posts at several Welsh publication houses as well as being a freelance Translator and Editor. More recently, she's been involved with the heritage sector where she was responsible for creating content on various platforms for the National Library of Wales.
Elena graduated from Bangor University with a First Class in Welsh, and then went on to study a Masters in Modern Welsh Literature.
She has now relocated to Anglesey and enjoys visiting different places, singing, reading and listening to all kinds of live music and poetry.
Sian Hydref
Translator
Sian joined the company in January 2022. She graduated from Bangor University in Welsh and Educational Studies before going on to gain a MPhil degree and following a Postgraduate Certificate in Education. Sian was a teacher and head of Welsh Department in a secondary school on Anglesey for over twenty-five years before making a career move. She is over the moon that she’s had the chance to fulfil her long-time aspiration of working as a translator in a busy, homely office like Bla’s. Sian is also a qualified member of the Association of Welsh Translators and Interpreters.
Over the years, Sian has been living across North Wales but has now settled on Anglesey. She loves walking to work every morning from the top of Llangefni! When time allows, she enjoys watching all kinds of sports; following TV series; going out to dine with friends and going on trips in the motorhome. She tries to play golf – but, enough said!
Mari Elen Griffiths
Translator
We welcomed Mari to the company in April 2020. Having spent a few years as a Welsh teacher in a secondary school here in north west Wales, Mari decided that she wanted to pursue a career in translating. With a first class degree in Welsh and a strong knowledge of the Welsh language and its rich literary history from her time as a teacher, we were delighted to be able to ask Mari to join us.
When she’s not translating, Mari enjoys travelling, co-coaching drama to a group of local children and singing as a member of a choir.
Security and Human Resources
Our Security and Human Resources section works in an extremely unique fashion in securing the welfare of our staff, both inside the office building and by providing guidance and advice on all aspects of employment. Our three officers were appointed together during a chance encounter and a subsequent interview process over many bottles of wine in Perpignan, when Alun was holidaying there.
Jacques Giraffe Giroud
Head of Security and Human Resources
Jacques is the senior officer who heads the section, and has extensive experience within the private sector in south east France where he was brought up, and in areas of the Cote d’Azur, mainly in the hospitality sector. A chain smoker and heavy drinker, Jacques is often found relaxing on the office balcony shouting obscenities in a range of languages and spitting at passers-by below.
Pedro Hernandez
Security Officer
A retired amateur boxer, Pedro spent most of his early life in the northern suburbs of Barcelona, working as a security doorman in nightclubs, casinos and restaurants. As a keen and talented chef, Pedro often surprises the staff with amazing dishes of Catalonian tapas, all gratefully received to break up the monotony of another day of translating. It also makes his day go so much quicker, away from tedious and mundane security tasks.
Pierre DuPlessis-Blanc
Personnel Officer
Pierre is a courteous, weird, yet very well respected and high-flying member of our staff, responsible for all our human resources work, who was raised within a very privileged and wealthy family near Lyon and educated at Christ College, Oxford. He has experience of human resource management from several private bank companies in Geneva before moving to a governmental role in Perpignan more recently. An accomplished clarinetist and a keen traveller, he flies south most summers back to the Mediterranean to enjoy warmer climes and to meet up with friends and family and to enjoy classical al fresco concerts. He tends not to mix socially with Jacques and Pedro.
