We had a mini internet before the big one was invented
trans@ction.co is the original overnight translation service. It was founded when the internet and the Web didn’t exist. We used a 14.4k data modem and a fax machine bigger than a microwave oven.
Since then, we have translated everything from software manuals for the British Standards Institute to the specifications for the Challenger battle tank and almost everything ever written about ibuprofen, one of the leading painkillers.
Over more than 30 years and tens of thousands of translations, we have become experts in tax recovery, fuel additive technology, dress-making patterns, and the detailed menu of a Canary Islands restaurant. We also know a lot about how to fight the varroa mite that decimated the world’s bee colonies, and for a while we translated for Enron – before they went bust owing billions (a small amount of it to us, which came as an unpleasant surprise).
We have dealt with the intricacies, pitfalls and court cases involved in Futures and Options trading, and the fine print of French, Spanish and German consumer goods insurance. We helped to create a trading desk on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. We know all about aseptic food packaging and the machines that produce it. We understand what goes into the finest Christmas puddings and Scottish shortbread. Thanks to us, so do the Norwegians, Germans and Chinese, among many others.
We’ve helped UK local authorities deal with some of the challenges posed by multicultural residents, and we’ve learned about all sorts of American cosmetics and skincare products, as well as airliner refuelling operations in France, Germany and Italy. We were there dealing with the translated contracts, when UK broadcasters were buying up European radio stations. We’ve translated for publishers, PR people, advertising agencies and private detectives. And we’re particularly proud of our track record in the energy and financial services sectors.
In 1990, overnight translation was an overnight sensation. Today’s high-speed broadband and internet might make that seem almost ubiquitous, but one thing hasn’t changed: To do it well still takes human skill, patience and experience.
