When there are so many technical translators out there, how do you make sure your oil and gas translation is up to scratch? We have compiled the 5 main challenges of oil and gas translation:

1.       Timeline Requirements

The energy industry as a whole is extremely time-sensitive. It’s never acceptable to miss a deadline for an oil and gas translator. Having an idle rig for one day alone, for instance, can cost an oil company $650,000 and that doesn’t include the millions lost by not producing oil. Three minutes late could mean $3 million lost.

2.       Industry Specific Vocabulary

How many of these expressions do you know?

a)PSA[1]

b)Gone to  Water

c)Gunk squeeze

d) Sour Corrosion

e)Gas Cut mud

f) Sidetrack

g) Pipe ram preventer

These are just a few examples of technical terms that an oil and gas translator may encounter and that may need to communicate succinctly and effectively in another language.  Most linguists, even if professionally trained, won’t know the definitions of these words unless they have industry-specific knowledge. Extensive knowledge of highly technical and specific terms is vital in order to provide accurate high-quality translations.

3.       ‘Translating’ regulations

Each nation has specific codes and standards that must be adhered to.Russia, for example, has the world’s strictest regulations on offshore oil production and has introduced new regulations on how foreign assistance missions are to approach Russian authorities when sending in expertise and equipment. Oil and gas translators are responsible for being aware of these and ensuring the translations they produce comply with them.

Failing to budget for good translations that comply with the requirements of target countries can lead to them being rejected (and having to be retranslated). Why not get it right first time?

4.       Keeping up with industry social and environmental requirements

Like many industries, the oil and gas sector is under increasing pressure to improve their social and environmental impact. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA) are used to assess the sustainability of their approach. The requirements for these open to public review and are imposed on a national level by treaties, national laws, oil and gas industry guidelines, and are imposed as conditions of lending and assistance by international financial organizations (e.g. the World Bank). It is a lengthy procedure that demands a good knowledge of legal and financial terminology. As a result of this constant transnational flow of documents translators should also be familiar with the procedures and documents involved that will be referred to in the process. They should be able to update and amend documents efficiently so they can be approved.

5.       DTP requirements

Due to the highly technical nature of many oil and gas translations, specialized desktop publishing tools such as AutoCAD may be required in order to incorporate technical diagrams.  Oil and gas translators must know how to manipulate annotations using these tools. It is easy to leave things out without review.

6.       Project Specific Multilingual Communication

To date there have been US$ 53.43 billion invested in the pre-salt,  with an overall $400 billion expected over the next ten years, including foreign investment from Petrobras partners British Gas and from investment from Chile. There are currently 688 sources of foreign investment in the pre salt project, a figure which not only demonstrates the demand for multi-lingual translations but also shows how, when centered on one project, a streamlined approach is vital to insure that even though they are written in different languages they are ‘talking the same language’ using the same terminology.

Do you consider the impact of your translation choices when you are choosing a translation provider?

Localization is a broad term and its meaning is dependent upon how it is utilized.

Localizing your Marketing Content

Obviously, any marketing campaign needs to focus on its target market. If you are marketing to a particular country, its businesses, and people then you need to be sure that you have ‘localized’ all of your marketing collateral intended for that target market. This includes websites, brochures, and all other sales related material. Note that localizing content not only includes translating, but also includes ensuring that your marketing message, graphics and images are also culturally appropriate. Forester Research suggests that you are three times more effective when marketing to a person in their native tongue. It is also imperative that your proposals and contracts reflect the locally accepted format.

Localizing your sales and marketing materials when doing business internationally will increase sales and revenue and can be accomplished at a fraction of the cost of generating those materials in their native language.

Localizing Operational Material and Staff

At Translation Source, our experience has been that it is important to use local staff that intuitively knows, thinks and behaves as the target market culture and can handle local protocol efficiently and fluidly. When doing business internationally, local staff becomes bridges between your company and your target market. As such, it is important that the target market staff be trained and acclimated to the corporate culture. This will generally require an expatriated employee(s) who can help facilitate this knowledge transfer. Knowledge transfer will help to create a homogenous corporate culture between all locations and ensure that key corporate values and customer service expectations are understood.

In many instances, an international presence occurs based upon the need of an existing client(s) currently working with the home office. In this instance it is beneficial to have consistent personnel to manage the relationships between all client offices at a higher level relying on local staff in each location to handle the day to day operations.

All operational documents that affect the target market will also need to be localized. This is to be determined by accurately reflecting whatever protocol is normally utilized in the home country for the target market product or service to be utilized and modifying for local legal and regulatory compliance as well as cultural assimilation.

HR and Professional Development

All HR related documents that are utilized for staff in the home country need to be localized for international staff. This includes not only translating, but also modifying to incorporate local legal and regulatory compliance, while also ensuring cultural acceptance. This will, obviously, vary by country. Examples of key target market areas to be aware of are health and safety requirements, regulated work hours and pay rates as well as mandatory legal holidays.

Professional development plans for local staff should also reflect local culture and language. Localizing professional development plans when doing business internationally will ensure increased adoption rates as staff begin to assimilate corporate culture.

If you have any questions or would like more information on taking your company global, please do not hesitate to contact our managing director, Maria Quintero, at maria.quintero@translation-source.com.

Photo by re-ality on Flickr

With hundreds of language companies offering translation services today, it can be difficult to assess and choose the one that is right for you. To help you navigate through the process, we have compiled a list of 7 key questions translation buyers should ask about translation vendors.

#1 How can this language company help me solve my big picture requirements?

Most reputable language companies will be able to meet your basic translation needs. What may make the difference between a one-time collaboration and a long-lasting business relationship, however, is the translation vendor’s ability to help you with broader international issues. Language companies often have significant experience dealing with everyday globalization issues. Take advantage of that experience and ask tactical or strategic questions that go beyond linguistics. A really great translation company will have your best interest at heart and will consistently go above and beyond its stated scope to keep you happy and help you grow your business.

#2  What makes this language company the right fit for my project?

Keep in mind that some language companies only work in certain language pairs (e.g. English into German), or handle very specific subject matter (e.g. eLearning localization.) Other translation vendors offer the entire spectrum of language services, but can’t handle a large volume of specialized work. A reputable language company will not take on a project unless they are confident that they can meet your specific needs. Be up front with the translation vendor from the start so that they can be sure they are a good match for your project.

#3 Who will actually work on my project?

You wouldn’t hire a freelance travel writer to draft a business contract and similarly, you can’t expect, for instance, just anyone who is bilingual to be able to translate a technical oil and gas document. A deep understanding of the subject matter is usually required to understand and translate a text accurately and it’s preferable for a translator to translate into their native language. As a buyer you need to ensure that the translation vendor works with skilled professionals who can offer the services you specifically require. Ask about how translation vendors pick their linguists and how they monitor the development of technical translation work.

#4 How can I ensure the quality of my translation?

Quality is a given in the world of translation and every language company will advertise high quality work. To assess the vendor’s quality control process, find out how they evaluate and monitor their translators and what kind of relationship they have with them. Most reputable translation vendors will be able to provide a list of satisfied clients. Make sure the company has glowing recommendations.

#5 How can I best manage the cost structure of my translation?

You need to know how the language company will bill you. Find out if there are any additional fees for project management or scanning and printing charges. You will also need to know if you’ll be charged for formatting, voice over or desktop publishing. Be particularly mindful of per hour charges that may disincentive productivity. Find out about charges that appear as a flat fee, or as a percentage of the total cost. Also, ask about whether using translation memory software may save you money.

#6 How can we work together to meet my delivery requirements?

As a translation buyer, there are several things you can do to move your translation along as quickly as possible. If you have a strict deadline, make this clear to the translation vendor up front so that they can allow enough time for review and revision. Make sure that your file is finalized, well written, and formatted, to save the translator valuable time. Voice all questions and concerns from the beginning to help avoid time-consuming surprises along the way.

#7 Does this translation vendor provide excellent customer service?

Let’s say you receive a document at 5pm on Friday that needs to be translated and sent out by Monday morning. Does it sound challenging? A personal relationship with your translation vendor (and specifically with the project manager) may be the factor that makes the difference between a peaceful and relaxed weekend or a seemingly ruined and stressful one. Customer service means seeing you as a person rather than just a client. A great project manager will go the extra mile to make sure your translations are successfully executed no matter what the circumstances.

We would love to hear your real life comments about what has worked for you when choosing a language translation agency. We welcome your feedback in the comments section!

Photo provided by alexanderdrachmann

1. Vocabulary

When a package of Portuguese films was sent to celebrate Brazil’s 500 years as a nation they could only be shown to Brazilians with subtitles. Whilst this may seem extreme as in theory the two nations speak the same language, it illustrates the extent of the differences between Brazilian and European Portuguese. An estimated 15% of words differ between the two. Some are completely different:

Others have a completely different meaning. Ask for a ‘banheiro’ in Brazil and you’ll be directed to the restroom. In some parts of Portugal you might get a lifeguard. Recognizing these differences is vital for marketing your products effectively.

2. Spelling: Mind your Cs and Ps

As well as differences in accents and capitalization, there are many differences in spelling between Brazilian and European Portuguese.

An orthographic agreement was established on January 1 2009 aimed at eliminating some of the spelling differences and hyphenation. Differences are allowed until the end of the transition period (December 12 2012). However as Fabres notes “we’d rather forget our colonial past. We will continue to resist those regulations, it is psychological.” Popular protest surrounded the agreement (and a petition was submitted to the Brazilian government) against it.  In day to day life in modern Brazil differences remain pronounced.

3. Syntax and Punctuation

Sentences are constructed differently in Brazilian and European Portuguese, most notably when it comes to pronouns.

Brazilian translation text also normally uses “” for quotes whereas in European and African texts, << and >> are still used. The European or Brazilian syntax of your text will be very apparent to your readers.

4. Grammar

The most obvious difference between Brazilian and European Portuguese is the use of polite ‘você’ (Bz) rather than ‘tu’ (Pt) for ‘you’. Brazilians also use the continuous verbal form or gerund (such as ‘doing’ or ‘walking’) as in the following example:

Question: How many differences can you spot between these two texts?

“Com 200 jornalistas a trabalhar  em permanência e 80 a colaborar numa base regular ou eventual, […] a LUSA cobre sobre a hora os acontecimentos relevantes e divulga-os no preciso momento em que estão a ocorrer.” (Pt)

“Com 200 jornalistas trabalhando permanentamente e 80 colaborando regular ou eventualmente, […] a LUSA cobre em tempo real Os acontecimentos relevantes,  divulgando-os no preciso momento em que estão ocorrendo.” (Bz)

Answer: There are eight – and that’s just in 1 paragraph!

Helpful Resources

Here are some helpful resources:

We would like to thank our Portuguese translation team, and particularly to Adriana de Araujo, Sonia Gomes, Naomi Sutcliffe de Moraes, Laura Frazer and Daniela Kantika. Photos provided by Marcos Fernandes and Urtinxa.

What experience have you had when dealing with Brazilian versus European Portuguese? We welcome your opinion in the comments section.

1. Provide your interpreter with background material: Even the most qualified professional interpreter who is a subject matter expert improves his performance with reference material specific to the subject matter to be discussed.
2. Allow the interpreter to perform a pre-session: A pre-session allows the interpreter and all parties to introduce themselves and discuss the flow of the meeting. It specifically allows the interpreter to introduce himself as an unbiased party to the proceeding.
3. Announce that all communication will be interpreted: Announcing that all communication will be interpreted reduces the margin for error in the interpreted session and allows all parties to know that whatever is said will be heard by the other party.
4. Eliminate cross talk and side bar conversations: Multiple conversations during an interpreted session lead to confusion and are difficult to follow. Side conversations in a language not understood by the other party are often considered rude.
5. Speak as if all parties understand your language: It is not uncommon for participants in a multilingual meeting to understand the languages being spoken, but to prefer the use of an interpreter to ensure proper understanding.
6. Allow the interpreter to take notes: Note taking is an important interpreter skill set that improves retention and ensures an accurate rendering in the target language. 
7. Speak directly to the other party and not the interpreter: The interpreter is present to facilitate communication between all parties. The interpreter should not be a distraction to a normal flow of communication between parties.
8. Speak clearly and at a normal pace and tone, pausing during normal break s in speech: In Houston, for instance, most interpretation is done consecutively. This means that the interpreter interprets after normal pauses and during breaks in speech. Pausing during normal breaks in speech allows the interpreter to process information and provides the most accurate rendering in the target language. Simultaneous interpretation is done as the speaker is speaking and requires a simultaneous conversion between languages. It is important to note that simultaneous interpreting is both physically and mentally exhausting for the interpreter and requires either a team of interpreters or frequent breaks in communication. Even with frequent breaks, use of one interpreter performing simultaneous interpreting can result in a significant loss of communication and is not recommended.
9. Avoid the use of idioms and slang: Idioms and slang are language specific expressions that have a figurative meaning and cannot be accurately interpreted or translated into a target language.  For example ‘He kicked the bucket’ figuratively means that the individual in question passed away, literally it can be interpreted as the individual physically kicked a bucket. Eliminating idioms and slang reduces the margin for error.
10. Allow the interpreter to perform a post session: A post session is a client focused review of the interpreted session and allows for parties to discuss lessons learned and how best to adjust processes to ensure effective communication in future interpreted sessions.

Notye: Picture provided by WordRidden.

What other statistics do you believe are relevant? Feel free to provide your thoughts on the comments section below.

We have asked our English to Spanish translators* to share what they view as the most useful resources when creating professional translations and have compiled a thorough list of such resources. The team who helped on this project bring to the table a wide range of technical subject matter areas of expertise including engineering, legal, medical, marketing, oil and gas, training and e-learning and come from different geographies including Mexico, Spain, Colombia, Argentina, Chile and Peru.

We have organized resources in 8 categories:

• Technical English-Spanish Dictionaries
• Technical Monolingual Glossaries
• Regional Usage Help
• Spanish Language Resources
• English into Spanish Crowdsourcing Communities
• All-purpose Spanish Dictionaries
• All-purpose English-Spanish Dictionaries
• Other Useful Online Tools

We welcome your feedback! You can use the comments section below to let us know about additional resources you have also found useful.

Technical English-Spanish Dictionaries 

Technical Monolingual Glossaries

Regional Usage Help

Spanish Language Resources

English into Spanish CrowdSourcing Communities

All-purpose Spanish Dictionaries

All-purpose English-Spanish Dictionaries

Other Useful Online Tools

*We would like to specially thank Ernesto Samper, Nubia Olarte, Paola Nobizelli, Elias Sauza, Maria Sanchez, Maria Gutierrez, Julia Gomez Saez and Teresa Jimenez for their support and contributions to this post. It is a pleasure working with such a professional group at Translation Source! Photo provided by toolstop

During the conference, Translation Source will unveil a new compiled list of Spanish translation resources for translation buyers targeting the Hispanic market. Visit us at the Translation Source booth #729 in the Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami, FL.

For more information contact Maria Quintero at (713) 465-0225 or at maria.quintero@translation-source.com.

About USHCC

Founded in 1979, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) has worked towards bringing the issues and concerns of the nation’s almost 3 million Hispanic-owned businesses to the forefront of the national economic agenda. Throughout its history, the Chamber has enjoyed outstanding working relationships with international Heads of State, Members of Congress and the current White House Administration. Each year the USHCC hosts its National Convention and Business Expo featuring hundreds of exhibitors from theUnited Statesand abroad. The convention is the country’s largest networking venue for Hispanic businesses and Fortune 1000 corporations interested in the Hispanic market. Over four-days, the national convention affords Hispanic vendors and corporate buyers the opportunity to establish partnerships where business opportunities can flourish. In addition, the convention offers various sessions and discussions on business development, chamber training, innovative business trends and solutions, as well as a focus on current issues that impact the Hispanic entrepreneur.

About Translation Source

Translation Source (www.translation-source.com) helps organizations communicate worldwide by offering comprehensive multilingual solutions. Solutions include a full range of language translation, interpretation, international recruitment and staffing, instruction, localization and other supporting linguistic services. The company currently manages multilingual solutions in Spanish and all major languages for more than 400 organizations. Translation Source is also a small, minority owned business as defined by the Small Business Administration, the Houston Minority Business Council and the City of Houston.

• Identify translation project’s objectives, timelines and requirements
• Analyze, place, monitor and deliver language translation assignments
• Negotiate budgets and deadlines
• Interact with clients and providers
• Develop proposals and estimates
• Identify, test and recruit translators and localization engineers.
• Provide primary quality checks of translated text.

What we look for

• An individual looking for a career involving solving problems for clients
• High-energy, self-motivation and passion for own career
• Appreciation of different cultures and languages
• Ability to manage multiple projects and produce high-quality solutions in a deadline-driven environment.
• Excellent time management, interpersonal and communication (written and oral) skills
• Proficiency with computer applications and interest in learning new desktop publishing and other programs
• Great attention to detail.
• Comfortable working in an entrepreneurial, fast-paced, multi-tasking environment
• Living in Houston metropolitan area or willing to relocate
• Speaking a second language is preferred, but not necessary

• A unique entrepreneurial, flexible environment to develop and grow professionally
• A thriving, global industry
• Great opportunity for professional advancement due to company’s growth
• Comprehensive training
• Competitive compensation including base plus commission
• Benefits including healthcare and long-term disability

• Identify, qualify, develop, negotiate, and manage strategic relationships with corporate customers
• Lead opportunity pursuit from initial screening to proposal to contract closure and follow up of the sales requirements
• Execute and improve data collection techniques of leads and prospects
• Develop proposals and estimates; manage pipeline and new opportunities
• Manage the marketing and sales teams to implement business development initiatives

• An individual looking for a career involving sales, people and solving problems for clients
• High-energy, self-motivation and passion for own career
• Appreciation of different cultures and languages
• Excellent time management, interpersonal and communication (written and oral) skills
• Comfortable working in an entrepreneurial, fast-paced, multi-tasking environment
• Living in Houston metropolitan area or willing to relocate
• Previous experience in sales and business development is preferred, particularly in professional services, oil and gas, or corporate training environments
• Speaking a second language is preferred, but not necessary

• A unique entrepreneurial, flexible environment to develop and grow professionally
• A thriving, global industry
• Great opportunity for professional advancement due to company’s growth and vision  
• Comprehensive training
• Competitive compensation including base plus commission
• Benefits including healthcare and long-term disability