Tidings of Joy and Goodwill

This year, instead of sending Christmas cards and buying gifts, we decided to make a donation in support of those who are suffering.

By sponsoring the international non-profit organisation Translators without Borders, we can help relieve distress among those living in extreme poverty or in the midst of a crisis. In such conditions, language barriers can cost lives.

With these thoughts we want to thank you for the pleasant co-operation over the last year and wish you a merry Christmas, a wonderful and relaxing holiday time, and all the best for 2014!

Information can save lives

Translators without Borders supports humanitarian work in deprived and crisis areas by facilitating the transfer of information from one language to another.

In a crisis situation, successful communication is vital and language barriers can hamper rescue work. Often help does not reach those in need because information is only available in a language not understood by them. Understanding the needs of those affected also helps to correctly target rescue operations.

In poorer countries, translation can help save lives. Sick children are lost due to lack of doctors and information: parents do not know what to do because the information is either not available, or it is in a language they do not speak.

With the help of thousands of voluntary professional translators, Translators without Borders offers translations free of charge to humanitarian organisations, such as Médecins sans Frontières, allowing them to focus their resources on their actual core tasks and purchase for instance medical instruments rather than translation.

In addition, the organisation runs a translator training centre in Nairobi, Kenya, where it trains healthcare translators. The program focuses on Kiswahili as well as a number of the other 42 languages spoken in Kenya.

Read more about the organisation's recent response to the Philippines Typhoon here.

Highest AAA rating to Maris again in 2013

Soliditet, the leading provider of business and credit information in the Nordic area, has granted Maris Multilingual an AAA rating for creditworthiness also in 2013.

The triple A rating is only awarded to companies able to show financial ratios well in excess of the industry average, a positive background and payment behaviour, as well as adequate operating volume. There are seven rating classes, and only 3.8 percents of Finnish companies have achieved the highest rating in 2013.

International translation industry conference in Brussels

The annual conference of EUATC, the umbrella organisation for national associations of translation companies in Europe, was held in Brussels on 3 May, 2013. The theme of the conference was ”Translation Industry on the Move - Fasten Your Seatbelts!”

Translation industry is experiencing fast development and rapid change. For instance, the development of machine translation and language technology, as well as new online and mobile media applications change the language business environment. Increasing international interaction and new ways of communication boost the demand for translation, but also create the need for new kinds of language services. As Jean-Léopold Schuybroek, the chairman of Interel Belgium and president of BPRCA, stated in his presentation, this is the “age of communication”.

The conference, which was hosted by the Belgian Quality Translation Association BQTA, gathered over 150 participants from all over Europe into Brussels. In addition to the challenges and best practices of the language industry, the conference discussed translation for the EU and the public sector, as well as EU funded projects related to translation, multilingual communication and training for the translation industry.

'We consider it important to keep up-to-date about the current developments in the industry and get networked internationally in order to be able to offer our customers the best possible service', said Maarit Satukangas-Pohjola, the managing director of Maris Multilingual who participated at the 8th international EUATC conference.

To read more about the conference go to: http://www.euatc.org/conference/http://www.euatc.org/conference/