Month: March 2019

Interpretation vs Translation – What’s the difference?

David

Though interpreting and translation are related and many people use them interchangeably, they are two quite different linguistic disciplines. The two differ in the medium, processes and skills which will be explained in more detail in this post.

interpreting and translation

 

Interpreting

According to Globalization and Localization Association, interpreting is the process of rendering a spoken (or signed) message into another spoken (or signed language). Basically, it is paraphrasing which requires expertise in the subject matter and knowledge of cultures involved, however, the required level of accuracy is somewhat lower than what’s expected in the process of translation. There are 5 main modes of interpreting and these are  as follows:

  • Consecutive interpreting – the interpreter interprets the message after source-language speaker has stopped speaking
  • Simultaneous interpreting – the interpreter interprets the message in the target-language at the same time as the source-language speaker is speaking.
  • Escort/travel interpreting – the interpreter accompanies travellers on their trips and to meetings
  • Whisper interpreting – similar to simultaneous interpreting, howeve,r the interpreter is sitting next to the person they interpret for
  • Scheduled Phone or over-the-Phone interpreting – can be both consecutive and simultaneous and the interpreter interprets via telephone
  • On-demand phone Interpreting – it is conducted over the phone and with this approach, an interpreter can be found in a matter of minutes

 

Interpreters need to able to translate in both directions on the spot, meaning that this profession requires outstanding listening abilities.

Translation

Translation is the process of rendering text from a source language into a target language. It is a written process that requires extraordinary cultural skills and the ability to understand both the source language and the culture of the source-language country. The accuracy is crucial in the process of translation and so is the translator’s ability to write well and accurately in the target language.

Wrap up

Knowing the difference will hopefully help you understand which of these services would be more suitable for your needs and requirements. If you are looking for either interpreting or translation services, I’d recommend ITL, owned by Grace Tia Bon Bon – they are highly professional and offer all sorts of interpreting and translation services.

Tips for Finding a Good Locksmith

David

Very few of us plan on finding the right locksmith service before an urgent situation actually happens. Imagine yourself in a stressful situation of being locked outside your home and losing the home keys. Or locking your car without checking the keys when you need to rush to work. Would you have enough time to research your options and make sure you find the best locksmith, or would you be focusing on finding the quickest solution and potentially compromise on quality?

For this reason, we should all prepare for an emergency situation and find a good locksmith before we urgently need one. Here are a few tips on the most important things to consider when looking for a locksmith.

locksmith north east

 

 

 

24-hour Service

It is very important to choose a locksmith whose services are available to you 24 hours a day. Admittedly, there are some things that you can plan and schedule – when you need to replace, fix or change your doors for example, however, not knowing a good locksmith when you urgently need one can be a real nightmare.

Friends’ Recommendation

Asking your friends, family or acquaintances to recommend a good locksmith service can be a good starting point. Their recommendation should guarantee the quality of the service and reliability too, however, if they do not know of any locksmiths they can recommend, you will have to rely on your own resourcefulness.

Your Area

A very important point – you need to find a locksmith that covers your area. If you live in the North East for example, I’d recommend Newcastle Locksmiths because they are fast, reliable and available 24 hours a day, plus they cover Newcastle upon Tyne,  Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland, Northumberland, County Durham and Tyne Valley.

Locksmiths with Multiple Services

Finding a locksmith that provides multiple services such as residential, commercial locksmith and lock repair services, is very important because you can’t know what you will need a locksmith for next time.

Trustworthiness

Everybody wants to work with a trustworthy business. Whether you run a business or need to hire a company to help you with your personal needs, trustworthiness (and quality of course) is something you should never compromise on. So, make sure the locksmith you choose is an established and trustworthy business you will be able to trust and work with for a long time.

Research and Compare

Now that you have several potential locksmiths on your list, some of which may have come from a friend, some you may have found on the internet, you need to compare their services/prices and choose the one that seems the best. Though the ones offering their services at the lowest price might seem attractive, please remember to consider the reliability and overall quality of their service.

PR and Crisis Management

David

According to the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, PR or Public Relations is the process of building a reputation through what you say, do or through what others say about you. It is very important to point out that it is a strategic communication process that helps companies and organisations build relationships with their publics. Crisis management is a process in public relations by which an organization deals with a sudden emergency situation that might threaten its reputation.

Basically, both public relations and crisis management are about an organization’s reputation, the former focusing on building and managing that reputation year-round while the latter focuses on salvaging the reputation when a crisis hits.

PR crisis management is more than strategy management during a crisis; every company that values its reputation and cares about the relationship with its publics, manages its reputation proactively, showing the society its positive impacts all the time, not just in times of crisis.

A part of that proactive approach to PR crisis management is planning the necessary steps and actions to be taken even before a crisis event occurs. Planning and monitoring are what enables organizations to effectively and efficiently react in real time when a crisis hits. Every PR professional knows that fast response and reaction are a critical issue, so sharing as much information as possible in the earliest crisis phase is highly recommended – be it via social media, press releases or any other channel. Finally, being honest in times of crisis helps organisations build trust and credibility, which are the most important elements of reputation.

 

adult-analyzing-boss-1080865

 

Examples

There are many examples of how organizations handled crisis management, some were successful and some unfortunately – not so much. One of the most popular examples of successful crisis management is Pepsi in 1993. It started with claims of syringes being found in diet Pepsi cans. Pepsi urged stores not to remove the product during the investigation. The organisation released a video showing the production process and demonstrating that such tampering was impossible in their factories. Another video was also released later, showing surveillance from a convenience store where a woman was inserting a syringe into a can. The crisis having been resolved, Pepsi ran a series of campaigns, thanking the public for standing by the corporation.

Another not so successful example of crisis management is Exxon. In 1989, an Exxon Corporation’s tanker ran aground in the Prince William Sound in Alaska. Millions of gallons of crude oil were spilled into the waters off Valdez, killing thousands of fish, otters and other sea animals. Miles of coastline were polluted. Exxon apparently did not have a plan in place (or it was not a good one) so they did not deal with the media and the public; There was no communication plan and Exxon only appointed a public relations manager 4 years after the incident, when it was too late.

Wrap up

PR crisis management is about being prepared and about planning. The truth is, an organization can never truly and fully prepare for a crisis, but doing something for society through the good and bad times or having positive social and economic impact immensely helps an organization’s reputation.

If you need any PR services including online PR, media relations, internal communication, crisis management or similar, I recommend M.A.D Communications, a Newcastle PR agency. They are a group of dedicated, highly-skilled, and passionate professionals and I working with them has been a true pleasure.