Assignment for the Portuguese One-Stop Shop Business Portal

Today I have finished translating into English a series of texts for the Portuguese Administration online One-Stop Shop for Businesses. In order not to escape terminological consistency I had to research quite a bit, e.g. the English translation already in use of the names of different government agencies and services, especially related with taxes, gambling, permits and licenses. 
What is really interesting in all this process is that there is not a single place where one may find a public resource outlining nomenclatures and other linguistic data which might help harmonise translation and terminology in the universe of Portuguese public administration. But why should one be surprised? After all Portugal is one of the few countries in European Union (and beyond) which has not granted translators their legal rights. For instance, in Portugal one will not find sworn translators, which indicates the translator's work is not respected as one can not legally certify his/her own work, which can only be made according to law by a notary, a lawyer, chambers of commerce... Technological and cultural leaps forward require recognised linguistic mediators.

Translation with Colour®: The reason behind our name

One of the things I get asked most often about Translation with Colour® is the reason behind this name (which is, by the way, a registered trademark…). “Why should translation have colour?”, “what do you mean with this?”, “are you a translator who does design?”, and others alike are the typical mind-bogging questions quizzing colleagues, visitors, and clients on the first contact either online or on meetings.

I can’t even forget the episode in Saint Petersburg, Russia, at the famous Frikadel’ki restaurant, when an Israeli lady was puzzled with what she was trying to read on my Translation with Colour® t-shirt. After tilting her head left and right it didn’t take long till she addressed me. I explained Translation with Colour®’s was my translation venture and contrary to what she thought I was not a designer (despite I had made the design).

“But why Translation with Colour®?”

There is a language called Geez (some give it as extinct), which developed in what is nowadays Eritrea and northern Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa. This was the language of the Ethiopian Imperial Court and Kingdom of Aksum. This language is still used in by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Ethiopian Catholic Church, and also the Beta Israel Jewish community.


One of the less described and known features of the Geez language is that its writing, especially what on what concerns official letters and religious writings, was ciphered or protected using colours which altered meaning of texts, offering different possibilities for understanding the true message. Only the initiated would plunge into the different layers of a given text. To make the matters more complicated Geez makes use of an alphasyllabary aka abugida (a Geez word itself) writing system based on consonants, developed for this language alone, but afterwards adopted by other languages in the region.


Now it’s clear how translation might get a colourful shade from an original text. In any case, ciphered texts are word of the day and a sign of the times we live in. In any case, languages, texts and ideas are charged in such a way with diverse and intense layers of meaning, offering no other solution than Translation with Colour®.

How to improve translation time? An how-to guide containing 7 easy steps. [Part 3/3]

Step #5 :: Do not cut on communication expenses. What I mean is that one must keep all communication gates open: it will allow better and faster communication with fellow translators, specialists, and customers. This will not only cater for a faster translation process, but also more efficient marketing, while assuring an image of credibility and availability for future projects.

Step #6 :: Discipline. Translation is “many things”. Some say it’s an art, others to it as a craft, others defend one must have a vocation for it, and so on. When we are talking about fast and optimal quality translation services we finally understand it is a job to be made by professionals who are target-focused people who make all efforts to deliver an output which makes no compromise with quality. This requires discipline. There is no other explanation but discipline for the Herculean efforts translators go through to deliver documents in the different working languages (also known as procedural languages) in international organizations (such as the United Nations, the African Union, or the World Trade Organization) or summits (for instance, minutes and final declarations issued in multilateral meetings). The translator is often the person who turns off the light at the office, even when the day is breaking...

Step #7 :: This tour-de-force on faster translation could not be finished without mentioning the working environment. This is especially true for those who work at home, as it is more easily controlled. The environment should fit your needs for space, light and noise level. On a very special personal note, I can’t forget the time I was working on a construction project as both translator and interpreter: the batches of documents I had to work on didn’t care about the scorching temperatures, and the concrete mixers and jumping jacks working close-by. Always do your best to guarantee the best working conditions, maximise the questions about safety, comfort and ergonomics. If the neighbor is testing your patience with renovation works, consider relocating those hours to the public library, most offer free broadband access, better than average dictionaries and source books, and at campus you may even find cabinets where you may work alone.

These tips are guidance for the professional translator who wishes to offer the best and fastest translation service. Some of these ideas will make you score big with clients, because deadlines are a real issue in the translation business and they can put one ahead of the competition. We hope you don’t have any excuses to postpone. If you have a work to do, just do it!