translation agency

An office dog improves well-being at work – the Finnish Kennel Club: “Bringing your dog to work makes life easier for both the owner and the dog”

24.4.2023 by Delingua

Research has shown that having a dog at the workplace is good for people. Bringing your dog to work is definitely a good idea if it is possible considering the nature of your work and the conditions at the workplace. What should be taken into account, both from the employees’ and the dog’s point of view?

At Delingua, an office dog is not a rare sight. In addition to our first office dog, Toto, who you may know from our Instagram account, Delingua has many other office dogs. In fact, their number has multiplied over the years and, at the moment, we have a lot of charming furry friends who delight us during working days.

An office dog increases well-being, improves the working atmosphere and even facilitates communications at the workplace – and certainly provides good content for the company’s social media accounts! It may also be nicer for a dog to spend its days at the office with people than alone at home.

What should you take into account if you are considering bringing your dog to work? To find out more about this, we turned to our customer, the Finnish Kennel Club. Our questions were answered by Head of Department Kirsi Salmijärvi.

What kind of dog is a suitable office dog?

An office dog must be friendly and social, obedient and house-trained. It must also be able to calm down on its own when the owner is in a meeting or at lunch. Ultimately, it is the employer who decides whether dogs are allowed at the workplace. The safety or health of the employees or the dog must not be jeopardised. Some dogs are happy to visit the office every day, while for others, a day or two per week is enough. It is important to set common rules in the work community for bringing a dog to the office.

What preparations should be made at the office for a dog?

The dog must have its own place, the owner’s own room, for instance. It may also be a good idea to agree that dog food bowls are kept in the owner’s room, dog food is not stored in the fridge and dogs are not allowed in the kitchen or the break room. Consider also whether dog-free areas are needed in the office.

The office should be as easy to clean as possible and everyday cleanliness is important. For instance, the floor should be made of a material that does not collect dog hair and can be wiped with a cloth. Naturally, it is the dog owner’s responsibility to clean up after any accidents that might happen.

Taavi, one of the Finnish Kennel Club’s office dogs, has grown into an office dog since he was a puppy. In Taavi’s case, normal dog training has been enough. Taavi spends his days in his owner’s room, where he has a dedicated place to sleep as well as his own chew bones and water bowl. The door to the room is usually open, but it has a dog gate so Taavi cannot roam freely during the day. The Finnish Kennel Club also has other office dogs, so when coming to work, Taavi must be able to walk calmly past the other “dog rooms”.

What are the benefits of an office dog?

Bringing your dog to work makes life easier for both the owner and the dog: the dog doesn’t have to be alone at home too long and the owner doesn’t have to rush home after the workday to walk the dog.

Taking breaks from work is important for maintaining good energy levels – walking a dog is a good reason to get some fresh air! Petting a dog also helps employees relax and take their minds off work for a moment and it also reduces stress levels. We encourage people to discuss the impacts of a dog on working life and workplaces to allow employees to bring their dogs to work under jointly agreed terms.

Note! This article is about office dogs only. The Finnish Kennel Club’s tips do not apply to guide, assistance, hypo (diabetes), hearing and support dogs (epilepsy, diabetes), which are, as a rule, allowed to accompany their owners everywhere.

See you at the brand event in April!

29.3.2023 by Delingua

What is a good translation like?

22.3.2023 by Delingua

Translation quality – aah, the eternal question! The quality of a translation is, more or less, a matter of opinion. It is true that the best way to evaluate the quality of a translation is to read the finished text. However, there are certain things that can help you determine something about the quality of a translation agency even before you place an order. What does a language expert consider to be a good translation?

Quality system

When looking for a suitable translation agency, it is a good idea to pay attention to whether the company has an audited quality system. The fact that the translation agency’s quality system has one or even more certifications suggests at least that the elements of quality have been taken into account and these are documented and monitored. In the best translation agencies, quality is constantly developed.

If a deviation is detected in any element of quality, it is corrected and thought is given to how the occurrence of similar deviations in the future can be prevented. Learning from mistakes improves quality!

Purpose of the translation

A key factor regarding the quality of a translation is how it works for its intended purpose. Translation is not about literally translating word for word; rather, professional translators succeed in conveying the desired message naturally in the target language. To do this, however, the translator must be aware of the purpose of the translation.

Sometimes, a translation is required simply to communicate what the text actually says. At other times, the purpose of the translation is to evoke emotions, persuade you or leave a deep impression. If the contact person at your translation agency asks you about the purpose of the translation, you know they are also paying attention to the context of the translation.

So what is a good translation?

It is impossible to give one correct answer to this, because what constitutes a good translation depends a great deal on the case in question. With some texts, the most important issue is accuracy, whereas with other cases it is fluency.

“For our clients, sticking to the timetable is sometimes even the most important quality criterion. For example, a fantastic translation of a speech that is completed only half an hour after that speech should have been given in the language in question is for all practical purposes a bad translation, whereas an average translation of the same speech and delivered on time would be regarded as a better translation,” says Delingua’s Head Translator Anja Lintukorpi.

Translators do a lot of different background work to ensure the quality of a translation. For example, the guidelines and recommendations of Kotus (the Institute for the Languages of Finland) serve as support for linguistic quality. The desired style can be traced, for example, from the customer’s other materials and websites. They are also good sources of terms, as well as other industry publications, glossaries and the internet in general.

“If there are several term options, it’s worth checking with the customer what they want to use. As background work, I also take into account if there is anything unclear or even possible errors in the content of the text to be translated, and the customer will be asked about this as well,” says Anja.

How can the customer help?

In many ways, of course! Delingua’s translators don’t have a crystal ball. They are extremely professional in gathering information and are familiar with the terminology of the areas they specialise in, but information is not always available from public sources. For this reason, we ask you to provide all possible reference material to support the work of our translators.

Every company has its own terminology, and at least someone has an idea of the desired style for the translation – and we would like to know these. With the help of this information, projects can be completed more smoothly.

“The customer should provide the translation agency with any reference materials and any other tips that relate to the assignment. And they should also say if, in their opinion, any of the material they have published is not good and should therefore not be used as a source. It is also important that the customer reacts to questions in good time – or that someone is available to answer questions at all,” says Anja.

You certainly know the purpose of the translation you need and other expectations regarding the service. Explain these to the translation agency, although a really good translation agency will already ask about them! This ensures that the cooperation is uncomplicated and the translation you receive meets your expectations.

What is a cheap translation and how much does quality cost?

10.3.2023 by Delingua

The price of a translation is influenced by many different factors and pricing is rarely straightforward. In tendering, it may seem tempting to choose the cheapest quote; however, in the worst case, this is also reflected negatively in the quality of the translation. What actually is a cheap translation and is the cheapest always the best?

Translation agencies come in many shapes and sizes but, in the end, they all promise the same things: high-quality translations and affordable prices. Unfortunately, in many organisations, the mindset is “the cheaper, the better”. The true competition is usually in prices, even though quality is part of the tendering process.

In reality, customers are rarely happy with a translation that is produced at the cheapest price. The final price may easily become higher than expected when a cheaply translated text has to be re-translated by another translation agency. You rarely get a good translation at a cheap price and, in our opinion, tendering should not be based solely on prices; instead, a translation agency should be chosen primarily on the basis of quality.

Translation price

Pricing is influenced, first and foremost, by the content of the service, the word count of the source text, the language pair, the schedule and the file type. The price of the translation service may include proofreading, rounds of corrections and professional service. When organising tendering for translation agencies, it should be ensured that both the price and the quality meet the expectations of the tenderer.

Unfortunately, expert services can rarely be compared straightforwardly. The translation price shown in the quote may not tell you what is included in the service or how the translation service is delivered. One agency may offer an edited and proofread translation for the same price, while another agency may offer a machine translation only. For some, the ordering process is thoroughly automated, while for others the price includes tailored solutions.

How much does quality cost?

It would be easiest to say that good is never cheap. Unfortunately, however, this is not always the case, as good quality largely depends on what the customer expects from the translation service. What’s good for one customer could be completely unacceptable for another.

In addition, the customer often has the option of choosing the desired service level. Although, by default, you should always expect a professional agency to produce excellent linguistic quality, the service purchased by the customer may range from a so-called raw machine translation to a copy-edited translation that has been honed down to the last detail.

Translation profitability (ROI)

What do you get with the money you invest in a translation? The internationalisation of a Finnish company inevitably requires translations into at least one foreign language. This language is usually English and it’s certainly a way to get started, but in Europe alone up to 90 per cent of consumers say they prefer products offered in their own language. So, it’s likely that conquering the world requires translations and localisation, i.e. the adaptation of materials, into several languages.

Even after the choice of languages, you should monitor whether the investment in the language version, particularly its maintenance, is profitable. Buying translations is not a one-off expense item: the materials require regular updates, and customer service and marketing in foreign languages is not free. For this reason and because the maintenance of the language version also incurs costs, it’s advisable to keep an eye on translation profitability (ROI) on an ongoing basis and also include costs closely related to the language version, such as search engine optimisation (SEO) or Google advertising.

There are many ways to measure return on investment (ROI) in translations and the maintenance of language versions. Most commonly, the aim of adding a new language version is to attract more customers and sales. Indeed, the buying of translations should always be linked with business objectives. Always consider first why software or materials, for instance, should be translated into a certain language and what are the objectives that are pursued with the language versions.

A translation service is always the sum of its parts

The most important thing is to stop for a moment before making a purchase decision and think about what you are buying and what you expect from a translation service. Then, with the help of background research, find out which translation agencies can best meet your needs. Analyse the agencies’ data security, technology and references. Find out what is included in the price of the translation and what you pay for separately.

If you need certain system integrations to facilitate your own work, look for agencies with suitable solutions. If you need a quick translation agency, focus on turnaround times in tendering. If your top priority is quality, pay attention to quality assurance, service processes and expertise in project management.

In a nutshell: when you know what you want, you usually get what you are willing to pay for. In the end, it’s never just a question of translation, it’s always about the translation service.

Will ChatGPT revolutionise machine translation?

24.2.2023 by Jari Herrgård

ChatGPT was launched in November 2022, and it feels like the world – or at least the future of information work – has not been the same since.

ChatGPT is the first service that makes an artificial intelligence based on a large language model (LLM) available to the everyday user and provides an easy user interface for it. Even in this case, artificial intelligence isn’t an actual “intelligence” but a mathematical model that calculates which words are likely to follow one another. However, ChatGPT does this more smoothly and with better versatility than the previous models.

At best, ChatGPT improves human productivity

At first, it may seem that the model can do anything: it types code, writes snappy articles and responds to questions. Naturally, it also does translation! In ChatGPT’s user interface, it is possible to request translations and other texts using natural language prompts in the same way as when asking from another person. I asked it for a poem on selling localisation services, and it even managed to do that. In terms of style, the output was much better than what I myself would have been able to produce.

However, when you look at texts produced by ChatGPT a little more closely, you will see that it suffers from the same issues that plague machine translations by proficient neural networks, for example – the translations are often correct but usually only almost correct, and the AI may come up with sources that it cites as if scientific research.

Due to the errors it makes, ChatGPT is, in a way, very human. Regardless, this does not make the quality of its text poor in general but rather reminds us of its limitations. If you want to make use of the output of an LLM, it would be a good idea to have a human check it or, at the very least, you should acquaint yourself with what kind of text it produces in a specific context.

If you remember and are mindful of these limitations, ChatGPT is certainly a useful tool in various industries. When used properly, it increases human productivity by coming up with ideas, checking and making drafts.

What about translation?

ChatGPT is surprisingly adept at translation. In the chat user interface, translation is easy to do by using free-form requests. What separates ChatGPT from traditional machine translation tools is that you can also give it instructions for the translation task. Below are a couple examples of this. In the first, I requested a translation in the style of a pirate ( what could be more useful?), and in the second, a couple of alternative translations.

And it can also translate into several languages of your choosing with just one prompt:

So, producing translations is easy, and they seem fairly correct as well (while my language skills aren’t sufficient for assessing all of the examples). In some cases, it even adds comments that explain its decision-making process.

Thus far, there have only been preliminary evaluations on the accuracy of the translations produced by ChatGPT compared to the prevailing neural machine translations (NMT), and it appears that the translation performance of LLMs cannot compete with the more specialised machine translation tools. The difference may not be huge, but it is still significant enough to make a difference in professional settings. However, there have not been many comparative studies yet, so we should not be too quick to draw further conclusions. In any case, it seems that ChatGPT beats the neural network models in specific context recognition or memory tasks.

LLMs in professional use

The entire translation industry has now turned its gaze to large language models, wondering if they will replace NMT-based machine translation tools or even translators themselves. Talk of the eventual redundancy of translators is nothing new, but that hasn’t happened so far – and I don’t think it will happen now. But LLMs will undoubtedly have some sort of impact.

The examples below are simple and easy, but even they show that you get lots of possibilities for translation by using different prompts compared to traditional machine translation tools. The current machine translation tools always produce one version in a set way. You cannot influence their translation output except by training the tools on materials of your choosing or by using an adaptive system and feeding it with texts in advance.

Through the use of prompts, ChatGPT can make adjustments on the fly, which you could make use of with the help of example texts or translation memories, for example. In the same way, it also offers possibilities for editing the ready text to follow a certain style.

As ChatGPT supports well the production of entire texts, it may shift part of the translation work away from traditional translation, thus moving the focus more on creating a new text in another language. Of course, this is what translation basically is already, but due to practical reasons, translations are often very closely tied to their source language. In time, machine-assisted methods used in the translation services industry could more clearly be divided by their intended use. This means the method more closely linked to the source language could be retained in technical texts but would give way in more creative translations.

Despite the hurdles, there are endless possibilities

LLMs will inevitably become part of additional services in translation. For example, in term base work, ChatGPT can already be successfully used for rough work on short texts. Perhaps there are more uses in text analysis as well? There must be many more uses that I do not even realise or which are not even a thing yet.

So, there may be endless possibilities, but there are also many hurdles. At the moment, one of the most significant hindrances is data security: ChatGPT cannot be used privately, which prevents its use in many situations. However, I expect services with better data security and privacy to find their way to the market soon. When it comes to translation tools, accuracy also plays a crucial role, and as long as LLMs cannot compete with neural network-based models, they will have less use in professional translation.

Currently, there are more questions than answers regarding the use of LLMs in the language services industry, and no one can say for sure where these models will be used. In the coming years, LLMs and ChatGPT are certain to shape the language services industry in a decisive way and create new ways of working and new competence areas, starting from what kinds of prompts users know to use when requesting texts from AIs.

My guess is that we will have new important LLM-based machine translation tools and text-production solutions, the mastery of which will (for a time) become a competitive edge. And even this tool is used by humans, whose productivity it may increase a lot.

Language tip of the month: 3 + 1 tips for polite English

22.2.2023 by Delingua

Brits in particular but also other native English speakers like to be as polite as possible, whereas Finns tend to say things far more directly.

Whether it’s an email or communicating on the phone or face to face, Finns handle situations by getting right down to business. Even if this kind of communication is ordinary in Finland, it may sound rude to an English speaker. So if you want to avoid blunt expressions and aim for fluent English, start using these tips for polite English!

Please

Have you ever paid attention to the use of please in English? Please is an important word that you should keep in mind in both face-to-face interaction and written communications, and forgetting it is actually somewhat rude.

Over and over again, I’ve heard Finns ordering a pint at the pub with the clunky phrase “I take a beer”, when the native way to politely express it would be “Could I have a beer, please?”. In Finland, it’s business as usual in a café to say ”Ottaisin yhden kahvin.” (I’d have a coffee), whereas for an English speaker, the appropriate phrase would be “Could I have a coffee, please?”.

In Finnish, using the word kiitos (thank you) is common, but there is no direct equivalent for the word please, which means the same level of politeness is expressed with the Finnish grammatical conditional -isi-. This is why Finns often think it is sufficiently polite to use the word could or would, but if it is a request and not a question, it definitely also requires a please. Saying “Could you pass me the salt?” and “Could you pass me the salt, please?” are entirely different matters.Adding please shows your appreciation.

It’s good to keep in mind that the word order is also significant. You can add the word please to either the start or the end of the phrase, depending on if you intend to say it more as a request or as a demand. At the end of a phrase, the meaning is very similar to the word kiitos in Finnish. If it is at the beginning of a phrase, it lends more weight to the word. The phrase “please behave” instantly has a more demanding, commanding tone.

Sorry and excuse me

In English, apologetic words are thrown around fairly casually. In Finnish, apologies are only made when they are genuinely meant. In English, the words sorry, excuse me, pardon and apologies are used constantly in everyday language. Sorry and I’m sorry are a good fit in almost any situation, whether it’s bumping into someone in a crowded bus or a genuine, heartfelt apology. When you can’t hear the other person, the correct phrase is “Sorry, I didn’t catch that” or “Pardon?”.

The expression excuse me is used when you want to interrupt or catch someone’s attention. It’s also used to express that you are leaving the scene. The phrase is used, for example, in the following phrases: ”Excuse me, could you tell me where I might find Mr Smith?”, “Excuse me, may I ask your name again?” or “Excuse me, I need to take this phone call.”.

However, you have to be on your toes with excuse me, because with the wrong tone of voice, it can express sarcasm or even be aggressive. ”Excuse me, but I wasn’t born yesterday!”

The phrase my apologies is used in more official connections, such as in written communications when expressing regret or turning down an invitation, such as in ”My apologies for this oversight on our part.”.

Ole hyvä is not please

Whereas Finnish has the one and only ole hyvä, English has dozens of equivalents for it, depending on the use. If someone says thank you, you usually respond by saying you’re welcome but also phrases like my pleasure and not a bit are equally suitable, along with many other similar phrases.

Sometimes you can hear Finns erroneously saying please when giving someone something. English has its own phrases for this situation: here you are or there you go. When you want to give someone space or indicate that it’s their turn to speak, you can use, for example, the phrases be my guest or the floor is yours.

General politeness

In written communications, it’s important to pay attention to how you formulate your message. The Finnish style is to say everything fairly bluntly. When giving feedback in Finnish, you can easily say something that corresponds to “We would like a longer term of payment” or even “We want the term of payment to be 30 days.” In English, you should always soften the message and say, for instance, ”Could you please consider amending the payment terms to 30 days?”

Did you like what you read? Did you perhaps learn something new? In the Language Tip of the Month series, we are giving language tips on a variety of topics. Follow us on social media so you don’t miss the next article!