Will it be cheque or bank transfer?/Préférez-vous un chèque ou un virement bancaire?

Recently prepared a small translation for a new client who had picked my name from my professional association website. It was a challenging job but by speaking with the author, I was able to understand the subject matter and provide a credible French translation in a relatively short time. The client was happy.

J’ai récemment eu l’occasion d’effectuer une petite traduction pour un client qui avait pris mon nom du site web de mon association professionnelle. Le travail avait ses difficultés mais j’ai réussi, en en discutant avec l’auteur, à comprendre de quoi il s’agissait et de fournir une traduction française respectable dans des délais relativement courts. Le client était enchanté.

Several days later, I receive a call from a different staff person in the company who asks me if I would mind if they paid my invoice by other means than a cheque. Our national Postal Services are threatening strike action and the client was concerned that I would not get paid on time! It was suggested that they use a bank transfer to my bank. 

Quelques jours plus tard, je reçois un appel d’un autre employé de cette même entreprise qui me demande si cela me dérangerait de me faire payer autrement que par chèque? Notre Service des postes menace de faire grève et le client avait peur que je ne me fasse pas payer à temps ! Il me suggéra de me faire payer par virement bancaire.

I was able to provide the pertinent information and the invoice, which specified Net 30 days, got paid in 3 days! That, to me, is the sign of a company that is professional and knows how to care for their suppliers. 

J’ai facilement pu lui donner les renseignements nécessaires et la facture, dont les modalités de paiement prévoyaient Net 30 jours, a été réglée en trois jours! Pour moi, c’est un signe d’une entreprise de haute qualité, qui sait comment s’occuper de ses fournisseurs.

Japan earthquake Response/Réaction au tremblement de terre au Japon

Received an urgent sounding email from a small business that said :

….In light of this tragedy, Company A  will be donating 5% of all revenues received from each training session purchased throughout March and April.  Donations will be made through the Red Cross to assist the relief efforts.  

My first reaction was – how horrible – the tsunami was horrific and now, if you give me some of your business $$ , I’ll pass on some to the Red Cross!

Un urgent courriel vient d’arriver, provenant d’une petite entreprise commerciale, annonçant :

….Compte tenu de cette situation tragique, l’entreprise A offrira 5 pour cent de ses recettes perçues sur les séances de formation données pendant les mois de mars et d’avril comme don à la campagne de la Croix rouge aux sinistrés.

Ma réaction immédiate : quelle horreur  - le raz de marée était épouvantable et si vous faites affaires avec moi, je partagerais une partie des entrées de fonds avec la Croix Rouge!

Cas typique où le malheur des uns fait le bonheur des autres. Typical case when the misfortunes of some are turned into fortunes for others.

Would you deal with such a company? Feriez-vous affaire avec ce genre d’entreprise?  

Wrong définition - Définition érronée

Advertising copy is a challenge to translate, especially when one realizes that the writer has been blindsided by his perception of a meaning, not the customary meaning.

A recent example was an automotive ½ page ad purporting to extol the merits of one brand of car versus another. The text said:

"By Definition, An Accord is A Compromise"

Upon reading this heading , my immediate reaction was to ascertain that the word accord had indeed this meaning. Here is what I found:

From the WordWeb:
1. Harmony of people’s opinion or actions or characters
2. Concurrenc of opinion
3. A written agreement between two states or sovereigns
4. Sympathetic compatibility

Dictionary.reference.com
noun
5. proper relationship or proportion; harmony.
6. a harmonious union of sounds, colors, etc.
7. consent or concurrence of opinions or wills; agreement.
8. an international agreement; settlement of questions outstanding among nations.

Merriam-Webster
Main Entry: 2accord
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French acord, from acorder
Date: 14th century
1 a : agreement, conformity b : a formal reaching of agreement : compact, treaty
2 : balanced interrelationship : harmony
3 obsolete : assent
4 : voluntary or spontaneous impulse to act

Dictionary Babylon
accord
________________________________________
Noun
1. harmony of people's opinions or actions or characters; "the two parties were in agreement"
(synonym) agreement
(hypernym) harmony, concord, concordance
(hyponym) community, community of interests
2. concurrence of opinion; "we are in accord with your proposal"
(synonym) conformity, accordance
(hypernym) agreement
3. a written agreement between two states or sovereigns
(synonym) treaty, pact
(hypernym) written agreement
(hyponym) alliance
4. sympathetic compatibility
(synonym) rapport
(hypernym) compatibility
The Wordnetweb from Princeton University gives:
• agreement: harmony of people's opinions or actions or characters; "the two parties were in agreement"
• concurrence of opinion; "we are in accord with your proposal"
• harmonize: go together; "The colors don't harmonize"; "Their ideas concorded"
• treaty: a written agreement between two states or sovereigns
• allow to have; "grant a privilege"
• sympathetic compatibility

In Answers.com :

1. Agreement; harmony: act in accord with university policies.
2. A settlement or compromise of conflicting opinions.
3. A settlement of points at issue between nations.
4. Spontaneous or voluntary desire to take a certain action: The children returned on their own accord. He confessed of his own accord.

This appears to be the source of the meaning that the advertiser used in the ad.
On the French side, where the word Accord exists as well, we find:

1. État resultant d’une manière commune de sentir, de penser, d’agir, entre plusieurs personnes.
2. État résultat de la convenance qui existe entre plusieurs choses.

Dictionnaire Myriade – ProLexis.

Encyclopédie Linternaute :
accord, nom masculin
Sens 1 Entente entre personnes résultant de leur conformité de sentiments. Synonyme accommodement Anglais agreement

Sens 2 Acceptation, permission. Ex Le supérieur a donné son accord. Synonyme acceptation Anglais consent

Sens 3 Convention, arrangement formalisé entre personnes ou entités. Ex Un accord économique. Synonyme pacte Anglais agreement

Sens 4 Harmonie, concordance entre des choses. Synonyme adéquation Anglais agreement
Interestingly enough, this last source provides an English equivalent – agreement.


We appear to be very far from the word compromise. What do you think?

By the way, is criticizing your opponent the best way to emphasize your product?
Dénigrer le produit du concurrent ne donne pas nécessairement un avantage.

When to charge, when to not/Facturer ou ne pas facturer

Was able to observe and learn about a new process during a recent industry show – had a pleasant chat with the exhibitors and left them my card. Lo and behold, a few days later received a request to quote on the translation of their website. I was even provided some French text which they said would help me in the work.

I had a good look at the site and evaluated the length and complexity of the material. I then proceeded to look at the French material supplied to discover that it was a very well done translation of the English, done by the author.

Intrigué, j’ai decidé de comparer les deux textes ligne par ligne pour me rendre compte que c’était là bel et bien une traduction fidèle de l’anglais. Pourquoi me demandait-on de traduire ce qui était déjà fait? Intrigué, j’appelle le client et lui pose la question. Il me répond : « je suis ingénieur et non pas traducteur et je voulais m’assurer que tout était bien fait. »

The author told me that we was not comfortable with his translation and needed a certified translator’s blessing that everything was ok. I explained what I had done and confirmed, that from my vantage, no redo was necessary and that I would gladly confirm this in writing. I had performed a revision and would bill him for that instead of giving him back his translation with my comments and charging him for the actual translation.

He sounded amazed. As for me, a feeling of peace and happiness filled my heart for having helped a client and saved him money at the same time. Has this sort of thing happened to you?

Dépanner un collègue est gratifiant, surtout si on peut lui éviter du travail et des frais supplémentaires. Vous-est-il arrivé quelque chose de semblable?

Client Feedback/Commentaires des clients

Like many other independents, many translators, often complain about their clients’ attitude toward their work. That is the negative side. I have also found out that one can ask for and receive positive feedback, if only the client can do it quickly and easily.

“Could not have wished for better service, thank you”,

is what one recent client wrote on my feedback form. The work was rush, but the client knew that she had not allowed a lot of time for it to be done. A quick phonecall, a few explanations and I was on my way.

Le texte de mon formulaire tient sur une page, est fourni en version électronique, les cases peuvent être remplies à l’écran et le document peut être renvoyé par courriel.

What did the client say :

1) my service exceeded their expectations
2) the fee paid was good value for the service received
3) and rated as excellent the following points: pricing & payment schedule, professionalism, & expertise,,quick response to client request.

« Nous n’aurions pas pu nous attendre à un meilleur service, merci. »

Ce genre de commentaire remonte le moral.

Is your website working for you/ Votre site web – est-ce qu’il trime dur?

Cadillacs used to be sold on fins and chrome in the fifties. Read their advertising today and it is much more about performance, safety and economy. Small business websites also went from a title page and a return address to flash animations and fancy graphics. The functional approach appears to me to be much more promising and the results can be better quantified.

The link that an association colleague sent to me today deals with website optimization and is so interesting that I decided to share it with my readers. It is the Sept 2007 webcast. Here is the general link.

Il est évident que la conception d’un site web n’est pas une chose facile pour le commun des mortels. L’approche à adopter, la terminologie et l’infrastructure sont tout à fait différentes de la publicité traditionnelle. L’auteur de la présentation ci-dessus explique très bien les différents éléments à maximiser et les erreurs à éviter. Ce qui est très intéressant est que ces conseils peuvent également être appliqués aux PME et aux indépendants. Il s’agit d’une entreprise américaine mais je pense que ces conseils peuvent s’appliquer ailleurs, au Canada en particulier.

Est-ce qu’un traducteur indépendant peut s’acquérir un public sur le monde de la Toile ? Mon blogue a eu plus de 3 300 visites depuis sa création en avril 2006. La présentation de hubspot m’a donné un tas d’idées nouvelles que je compte incorporer dans mon blogue.

Marketing the Business when you are the Business/ L’affaire du marketing pour un indépendant

Independent professionals can always use more information on how to market their expertise and ensure that their businesses use the right marketing approach. That is why the seminar organized by AIC was such a successful event, last night.

Rachel Colic , a communication and marketing expert, reminded us of the various essential ways of ensuring that our marketing message is heard. Her advice: 1) be creative, 2) be clear, 3) be consistent.

C’est la raison d’être du présent blogue qui vise à expliquer le processus de la traduction ainsi que de mettre en garde contre les erreurs qui peuvent se produire entre le client et le traducteur.

En plus, l’utilisation d’un site web cohérent est également importante. Les sites de l’ATIO et de l'AIC confirment mes activités professionnelles. Celui de la HPCA met en valeur mes compétences mais également celles de mes collègues de cette association.

Est-ce suffisant ? Faites-moi part de vos propres efforts dans les commentaires ci-dessous : ils serviront à tous nos lecteurs de par le monde. Merci.

Advertising in Quebec / La publicité au Québec

The advertisers motto : “ Use what works. “ makes a lot of sense to me. The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business article on advertising in Quebec should remind us that one cannot apply the same rules everywhere.

Cela me rappelle l’histoire d’un fabricant automobile dont le siège social était aux États-Unis. Dans le cadre d’une revue destinée à ses employés de l’Amérique du Nord, un article avait été préparé sur une usine sise au Québec. L’auteur américain avait été particulièrement frappé (??) par la présence de pancartes en français dans l’usine. La situation est passée de mauvais au pire lorsqu’on nous avait demandé de traduire l’article pour la version française de la revue. Heureusement, une intervention accompagnée d’une explication en long et en large leur a fait changer d’idée. Un article sur un autre sujet apparut dans la revue.

Use of French expressions or coinages can also present problems. For example, the portable toilet bearing the name Pot-pourri was to be sold in Québec. While in English the expression can convey a bunch of sweet smelling herbs or flowers (to mask the odours in a bathroom, for example), and the expression pastille de pot-pourri exists (meaning a pot-pourri tart), applying the expression to a toilet is ludicrous. A recent Internet search for “Potpourri portable toilet” went unanswered. Maybe somebody got a better idea.

Networking pays/Le réseautage – ça paie!

I mentioned Michael Hughes on this blog last February, after hearing him talk about Networking at an AIC meeting. His approach is fact based and really has substance. I told him how much I appreciated his presentation.

J’ai pu aujourd’hui constater que Mike ne m’a pas oublié. Il m’a demandé de traduire une de ses présentations, ce qui a été un plaisir immense. En effet, me souvenant de ses paroles et de ses conseils, je n’ai eu aucune difficulté à traduire son message (comme si je venais d’y assister moi-même). J’espère que ses clients saisiront immédiatement l’importance de ses paroles et de ses conseils.

Yes, indeed, one can visit his website and read about his programs and the resources he uses. But in my experience, it is best to listen to him speak in person because no written material can give the tone and feel that Michael does.

As Michael signs his ebulletins:

“Now, go work your network.”