Halloween was celebrated throughout STP with decorations and treats in the offices and staff in other locations taking part, too. A company-wide competition was organised to choose the best costume and the best carved pumpkin from entries submitted by people working in the four offices or remotely. The winner of the best costume was Danish translator Christina Bjerggaard with her gory prom queen and the best pumpkin was Norwegian translator William Hagerup鈥檚 entry 鈥� one side carved by him, the other by his daughter. We’ll leave it to you to guess which one is which:

STP鈥檚 Varna office participated in the pumpkin carving, too, but it was their collective effort at costumes, decorations and treats that wowed everyone.

Project Manager Veronica Marinova:

Client Service Assistant Natali Yordanova and Vendor Coordinator Hristina Doncheva:

In addition to the celebrations, STP鈥檚 Whiteley office has hosted colleagues coming in for team meetings: many of the teams at STP are based in multiple locations, either in various offices or working remotely. While this is a real benefit to both the company and the team members themselves, STP makes an effort to bring colleagues together to meet each other in person regularly. This year, the translator teams have continued the practice of spending a few team days in the Whiteley office after last year鈥檚 successful trial.

One of the teams to visit Whiteley was the Danish translator team (pictured below; from left to right: Junie Haller, Amila Jasarevic, Christina Bjerggaard and Trixie Hauberg).

The team focused on working together during their stint at the office: each team member shadowed others and was shadowed, took part in a team meeting, a review meeting with their line manager, a brainstorming session and had many chats over lunch. On their last night, they all headed for a drink at the local pub and a team meal.

Christina, who joined the Danish translator team earlier this year, found the days they spent together very useful: 鈥淔or me, it was very beneficial professionally as well as socially to meet my team mates in person. I learned a lot and got so many nice little tips from shadowing all three of them and it has definitely made me work听more efficiently. And it was so nice to meet all of them properly and get to know them a bit better. It was very lovely to be able to have a drink and a meal together. I definitely look forward to next year!鈥�

The post Company news: December 2018 appeared first on sa国际传媒.

Which languages do you speak, Megan?

I speak 鈥� to some degree 鈥� Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Spanish, Japanese and Bulgarian.

Yes, you have been learning Bulgarian! How is it going?

Well, I鈥檓 pretty good at ordering lunch and that鈥檚 about it! The guys from the office will tell you that there is a lunch place near the office that we go to: I can kind of handle ordering there. Sometimes, I find that I understand questions people ask in Bulgarian in the office well enough that I can reply in English.

I only started studying it informally when I arrived. I鈥檓 picking it up as a I go along, really.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

The first thing I remember wanting to be when I was four or five years old was a dentist. In secondary school, I wanted to be a nurse. I think I dropped that when I was at sixth form college.

When I was choosing what to study at university, I picked Scandinavian Studies when I realised that I was passionate about languages and literature rather than science subjects.

How did you end up working in the translation industry?

Si芒n Mackie, who is a Senior English Translator at STP, was in the year above me at the University of Edinburgh. She had completed an internship at STP the previous year and came to talk to our translation studies class about her experience. After the talk, my tutor put me through to Anu Carnegie-Brown.

I was accepted for an internship: I started out doing translation, but I was asked if I wanted to try out project management as well. I really enjoyed it!

What does it mean to be Project Management Training Specialist?

It kind of means all things to all project managers! First of all, I take care of the formal project managers鈥� induction. Outside of that, my main responsibility is to provide ongoing training and support to the whole project management team working in our Varna office.

I do run formal training sessions, but aside from that, I come to the office in morning, see what people need help with and go and help them. I do scheduled shadowing: I observe project managers when they are working and help them. I support them with new tools and situations.

Basically, if a team member shouts out my name, I appear at their desk and help them out. I鈥檓 also in charge of the project management training documentation and wiki.

What鈥檚 the most important quality for a good Project Management Training Specialist?

Patience. The project manager role is complicated, and there鈥檚 a lot to learn. You need to recognise that everyone goes at their own pace and support them with that. Sometimes lots of people need you at the same time and you need to stay calm and help them all as well as you can.

How did you become a Project Management Training Specialist?

For about a year, I was a Team Leader for one of our Varna-based teams. The Team Leader was responsible for training, project management and leadership.

The team kept growing and there became a need to have someone else do the training. We decided that we鈥檇 have a new Team Leader and one full-time dedicated training specialist.

Training is something that I am good at and that interests me. I enjoy it a lot and I think the role is really well suited to my skills!

What is your favourite part of your role?

I would say it is just someone coming to me with a problem that I can troubleshoot and that we can solve together. It might be a technical issue, a client situation or they might be struggling to find a suitable linguist for a job. I enjoy finding a solution together.

Are there any differences between working in London and working in Varna?

Well, my life outside of work is less stressful here. I don鈥檛 have a big commute: I can just walk to the office. The Varna office is made up of project managers for the most part, so it鈥檚 a very chatty, interactive and collaborative space.

At the office here, there鈥檚 a big culture of celebrating occasions, like name days and birthdays. People will bring in cakes and biscuits to celebrate all sorts of things, which is lovely.

If you could have a professional superpower, what would it be?

I guess it would be to open a piece of software and to know exactly how it all works instantly. You鈥檇 save so much time looking for buttons!

Machine translation 鈥� friend or foe?

I think it鈥檚 a friend. At least in my experience, I鈥檝e found it quite impressive 鈥� it鈥檚 not the same for all languages of course!

If you could do any other job for a week, what would it be?

I would work on making the costumes for a big period drama. I do sew a bit now, though I鈥檓 not very advanced. I would love to try that out for a little while!

If you could wake up and be fluent in a new language, what would it be?

Well, it鈥檚 not completely new to me, but maybe Bulgarian. But if it was a language I didn鈥檛 know at all, it would be Finnish.

When I was working as a Project Manager at STP, I was able to understand Danish, Swedish and Norwegian. I felt that if I had known Finnish as well, I would have been unstoppable!

Do you have any language-related pet peeves?

I would say that my pet peeve is when people are too prescriptive, especially about things like slang and the way younger people use language. Language is always evolving, and you鈥檝e got to go with how people use it!

What鈥檚 your favourite word?

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Which three words describe your personality the most?

Determined, curious, resourceful.

Do you have any hidden talents?

I鈥檓 quite good at knitting socks. I knit all kinds of socks, mostly for myself, and I like to experiment with different patterns. Usually the socks end up being quite colourful!

滨迟鈥檚 time. Tea or coffee?

Coffee if it鈥檚 in the morning, tea if it鈥檚 in the afternoon. If I鈥檓 having tea, the milk goes in after!

Who do you most admire, and why?

My grandma. She鈥檚 just a really strong woman who has done a lot of things in her life. She was a nurse in the army and has eight kids and she鈥檚 so good at so many things. She鈥檚 really strong-willed and fearless.

How do you unwind at the end of a long day?

Usually I either watch TV or listen to a podcast and knit. Right now, I鈥檓 watching the TV series Vikings. A few people in the Varna office got me into it!

Where is your favourite place to be?

I think it鈥檚 Edinburgh. I went to university there, so I feel attached to it and I鈥檝e still got friends there. 滨迟鈥檚 a really nice place to go back to on holiday!

Your dream travel destination?

Maybe New Orleans, now that I鈥檝e crossed New York and Japan off my list.

Describe STP in three words

Flexible, innovative, intelligent.

The post Q&A with Megan Hancock, Project Management Training Specialist appeared first on sa国际传媒.

We could boil it down to the following key ingredients on most translation buyers鈥� shopping lists:

• high quality translations;
• prompt turnaround times;
• efficient and polite communication;
• competitive pricing;
• technical compatibility.

The provision of a perfect service will exceed expectations in all such elements, but the precise definition of each of these ingredients is unique to the business context and expectations of individual clients.

As a service provider, our inherent aim is to build the most effective and efficient solutions tailored for each client. How does that translate (excuse the pun) into real terms? We encourage open two-way dialogue between teams from our respective companies across the board 鈥� mutual collaboration at all levels allows us to find the right synergies.

So, what do our people talk about?

Client services, sales and management teams

• The rates the client needs and the volume of work they would send at those levels; rates discounts and rebate schemes may be offered in return for committed volumes.
• Their service level agreements and expectations, such as special security or data requirements; we can share our own security processes to confirm our sound set-up.

Technology teams

• The systems used for project management, file processing, translation, vendor management and invoicing; our respective teams can discuss how to streamline processes for handing off and delivering work, using automation to save human hours in routine processing tasks.

Key Account Managers, Project Managers and Vendor Managers

• The client鈥檚 typical turnaround expectations and volumes on a granular basis and how many linguists they would like in their pool; the client benefits from having the continuity of translators experienced in their projects reserved for their daily drops.
• The client鈥檚 translator qualification criteria; this allows us to select appropriate linguists and provide reassurance in the quality of the supply chain.
• The life-cycle of a client鈥檚 typical project, including quality and review processes, so we can prepare to respond in an appropriate manner.

Language and cultural experts 鈥� our translators and client reviewers/product experts

• The style and tone the client is looking for, as experts in the field of their target market.
• How to share regular and constructive feedback; this could be a monthly report, or a regular conference call where both parties share their professional viewpoints on linguistic matters.

So, we have finalised our agreement, the work starts to roll in and the collaboration matures. The client is receiving translation services according to their requirements, and we are receiving our sales volumes with our invoices being paid on time. Have we created the perfect recipe?

Delivering quality service is an evolving art. The industry鈥檚 technology, expectations, systems and processes are always moving forward. Therefore, the final ingredient in successful, long-term collaboration is for both partners to embrace a relationship where they continue talking and listening to each other, responding and adapting accordingly.

It is arguably a simplistic notion, but such continued open dialogue really can be the icing on the cake.

Susan Hoare is STP’s Operations Manager.

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Saint Lucy is a Catholic saint who died in the 4th century: she is considered a Christian martyr and her feast day is celebrated elsewhere, too 鈥� the Nordic celebration has little to do with current Catholic traditions.

While most Nordic Christmas customs are in keeping with Protestant traditions, Saint Lucia鈥檚 鈥� as the saint is known in Nordic countries 鈥� day is a popular celebration. The traditions observed today can be traced back to 18th century Sweden, but the present-day form of the celebration originated in Sweden and Norway in the first half of the 20th century, replacing the Lussinatt/Lussenatt tradition which marked the longest night of the year. It was thought that gnomes, trolls and spirits roamed the earth from that night until Christmas.

Today, the Nordic Lucia tradition centres around a procession of women clad in white gowns and red sashes, each holding a candle. The procession is led by a girl representing Lucia. The 鈥淟ucia鈥� also wears a crown of candles on her head, often real, but sometimes electric.

So, what do the candles and the name Lucia actually signify in this celebration? Etymologically, Lucia derives from the Latin word lux, meaning light. Although not a concrete explanation, this is perhaps the clearest connection between the saint and the celebrations by candlelight today.

The candle-lit procession is led by Lucia into the darkened room where the audience is sitting, which represents Saint Lucia bringing light during the darkest time of the year. This procession is accompanied by the singing of local lyrics to the tune of the Italian song Santa Lucia. The lyrics vary by country but they tend to focus on light overcoming darkness.

In some places, men also take part in the proceedings. The 蝉迟箩盲谤苍驳辞蝉蝉补谤 or 鈥渟tar boys鈥� will follow the female procession, sometimes dressed in a white robe and conical hat adorned with stars, or sometimes dressing as Christmas elves.

At STP, many of our staff have personal memories of Lucia celebrations 鈥� there was even a surprise procession in our Whiteley office a few years ago, complete with saffron buns (lussekatter) and singing.

Danielle Davis, Nordic-English Lead Translator

The photo is from 1996 when I was a first year Swedish student at the University of Wales, Lampeter. When they still taught Swedish at Lampeter, they held a Lucia service each year in the chapel. The procession was mostly students of Swedish and exchange students.

After only doing Swedish for a couple of months we didn’t really know what we were singing but it was enjoyable! We made our outfits from college bedsheets (so no cutting!) and the crown was really heavy so I did have a bad headache the next day.

Didde Gaardsted, Danish Translator

I remember doing the Lucia procession as a child at the local nursing home with the rest of my classmates. It was a tradition to do this every year and of course the kids all loved it, primarily because it involved getting time off from regular classes and eating biscuits after the procession!

Alas, I was always the bridesmaid, never the (Lucia) bride. I walked in the middle of the procession in my white dress 鈥� doing my best to make sure my candle didn鈥檛 blow out!

Ida Berntzen, Norwegian Account Linguist

We had a procession each year when I was at school. We had a rota, so that as many people as possible got to be Lucia. I was Lucia once, too! I remember finding the crown of candles scary, though I鈥檓 not sure if the candles were actually real or electric.

On Lucia鈥檚 day, it’s a must to eat lussekatter! We bake the saffron buns before the 13th and eat them on the day itself.

Camilla Arnoldsson Whitlock, Translation Team Manager

My home town newspaper used to have a 鈥渂eauty contest鈥� where you could vote among 10鈥�15 teenage girls to be the town鈥檚 Lucia each year. The one with the most votes won the honour of being Lucia and the rest were her 鈥渂ridesmaids鈥�. They had to sing in procession in various places on the 13th and probably during the week surrounding Lucia, such as the town square, old people’s homes, large corporate events and the main church in town.

Nelly Nilsson, Swedish Translator

When I was at school, there would be a procession in the morning, and it was always the students in year 8 that were in charge of it 鈥� I guess they were deemed old enough not to set each other on fire! The rest of the students would all gather in the gym which would have been made ready with mats and other cosy stuff to sit on, all the lights would be turned off so it was pitch black and then the procession would walk in. Afterwards, we would naturally all have lussekatter and pepparkakor (gingerbread)!

I was also part of a children鈥檚 church choir when I was around 8鈥�12 years old, so in the evening after school we would usually do processions in three places: an old people’s home, a local manor and finally the church. All in all, it was a pretty intense day, but it was always something I looked forward to a lot. These days I mostly just get up early to watch the Lucia concert on SVT1 and eat lussekatter and pepparkakor any chance I get!

Camilla 脜蝉产别谤驳, Swedish Account Linguist

A trick that is both very important and not always remembered when you are a 迟盲谤苍补 (bridesmaid) in the Lucia procession is to hold the burning candle in your hand slightly to the side, as the flame consumes the oxygen right above it. The kids sometimes hold the candle directly under their face, which often results in them fainting as the flame limits their oxygen.听

I remember one disastrous Lucia procession I was part of when I was 11. There was the terrible sound of loud thuds echoing through the room each time another 迟盲谤苍补 went down. Our teacher, who had a strong “the show must go on” mentality, was standing in a corner gesturing at the rest of us to carry on singing. In the middle of all this, a girl fainted and as she fell, she waved her candle and accidentally set another girl鈥檚 hair on fire. Chaos broke out and that was the end of that performance!听

They managed to put out the fire quickly, and despite the memories of that 鈥渂urnt hair鈥� smell even now, I still love the Lucia celebrations: watching the bigger Lucia processions and choirs, lighting candles, drinking 驳濒枚驳驳 and having all the lussekatter I can eat!听听

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