A Way With Words
Other Services
When travelling to the Netherlands, France, Finland, Italy, Israel, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Romania or Serbia, when written on a menu, the fruit ananas can easily be mistaken for bananas but in fact this fruit is a pineapple.
We can tailor our services to your requirements.
Commercial translations
Covering a wide field of life science, technical and non-technical subjects areas, First Edition can provide the best language solutions for your company. For a no obligation quote, all we require is the word count and the purpose for which the translation is intended (for information only or for publication).
Checking
This service is highly recommended to clients who do not have a company representative to approve the translation. It allows for a second, equally qualified translator to check the accuracy, consistency and style of the original translation against the source text.
Copy-editing
Copy-editing goes beyond the checking stage and is of particular interest to publishers. Do you have a text that is written by a non-native speaker or by several authors, or one that is not quite up to scratch stylistically?
Our copy-editors are trained to screen a text for style, grammar, consistency and accuracy. The aim of the copy-editor is to arrive at a final text that reads as well in translation as the original, and preferably better.
Editing to fit
As most European languages tend to expand by 15 to 25% compared to English, we are aware of the difficulties involved in fitting translations into a fixed layout. Editing to fit may involve rewording text and in some instances cutting non-essential information in order to get the text to fit. A sensitive approach is required in order to achieve the right result.
Proofreading
Our proofreaders are trained to check the presentation of a text in its final layout. They look specifically for typing errors, inconsistencies in layout and font, incorrect word breaks, missing text, captions etc., but not normally textual inaccuracies, which should have been picked up by the checker or copy-editor at an earlier stage.
Back translation
Back Translation is the process of translating a document that has already been translated into a foreign language back to the original language – by an independent translator. For example, back translation can improve the reliability and validity of research in different languages by requiring that the quality of a translation is verified by an independent translator translating back into the original language. Original and back translated documents can then be compared to check that the initial translation has been understood correctly.
Due to its high cost, back translation is not overly common, but First Edition understands the regulations imposed by certain groups of authorities and we are happy to provide this service to our clients.
Americanization
There's more to Americanizing a text than changing -ise to -ize and taking the 'u' out of 'colour'.
First Edition Translations can help ensure that not only spelling, but also grammar, punctuation, vocabulary and measurements are attuned to the target audience. We can also advise on a mid-Atlantic compromise to reach the widest possible audience with a single English-language edition.
Typesetting
We can offer typesetting services in all European languages with the Latin alphabet and typesetting in Russian, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Oriental, Asian and Indian languages, all of which require special fonts.
Whether your requirement is for a business card or a series of books, we can offer the appropriate language solutions.
Indexing
If you have a book to translate that already has an index, we can translate and reorder the index too. If you require an index to be created from scratch, we can arrange this – anything from a very basic list of names to the kind of detailed index that makes it unnecessary to read the book. Call us to discuss your needs and identify the kind of specialist you require.
Voice-overs
First Edition Translations can arrange voice-over artists to attend a recording studio of your choice. Selections can be made for a male or female voice and samples can be provided on request.
Localisation
Different countries have different customs as well as different languages. For example, if you are adapting your encyclopaedia for international co-editions or you need to check that the ingredients in your recipe book are available wherever it is to be sold, First Edition Translations has access to the specialist information you require.