Your medical translation experts

Everything you need to know from the world of medical and

pharmaceutical translation

012017

Price developments in the translation industry... or how quality has been

lost in translation

Intercultural skillsWhen your colleague is

speaking Double Dutch

CAT tools The translator's aid

MAGAZINE

CATTOOLS

Intercultural skillsWhen your colleague is speaking Double Dutch

Price developments in the translation industry... or how quality has been lost in translation

page 8

CAT tools The translator’s aid

page 11

page 20

mt-g magazine 3

Gerlinde & Andreas Bendig, Executive Partners

Dear readers,

If you are reading this editorial, then you have received a copy of the first printed edition of our customer magazine with arti-cles addressing a wide range of topics within the medical and pharmaceutical translation industry. Since our brand relaunch last year, we have been working continuously to ensure that our customers are kept well informed of developments within mt-g and within the industry as a whole.

Sustainability as well as a responsible approach to the envi-ronment are topics that we, as a company, would like to address as areas of particular importance – we increased our focus on environmentally relevant themes during the planning and construction of our new office building in 2012. The build-ing design ensures that all resources are used as efficiently as possible – whether it's the solar installation, water, air, air con-ditioning or heating. We are also pursuing an environmentally sustainable approach when it comes to the company cars: at the start of the year 2016, the company's first electric car took its place in the car park and was charged for the first time using the company's own power supply.

New technologies are also a key focus area in the transla-tion industry, where machine translation is more prevalent and more powerful than ever before. Although the futuristic vision of the Babel fish is still a long way off, the capabilities of machine translation systems continue to grow and become increasingly comprehensive. As such, we are excited to see how this technology will develop.

But you can also look forward to other fascinating contribu-tions in this printed edition – we have covered a wide range of topics and we are sure there will be an interesting article for every reader.

CONTENTS

4 International Mother Language Day

6 DIN EN ISO 17100 An attempt to standardise

7 Translation... Quo Vadis?

8Price developments in the translation industry... or how quality has been

lost in translation

11 CAT tools The translator's aid

14Apps in the healthcare industryA blessing for users, a curse for

regulatory affairs

16Environmental commitmentSustainability requires discipline,

effective planning and a lot of patience

18 Glocalisation

20Intercultural skillsWhen your colleague is

speaking Double Dutch

24SEO translationsWhen the search engine determines

which homepages are interesting

26 Recipes

It is much more than just a language – it represents origin, character and culture. Our mother tongue is not

only the first language that we learn without great difficulty as children, it is also the first language in which we are able to express ourselves to the world. Even if we have mastered other languages and no longer live in the country where our mother tongue is spoken, we almost never completely forget it. It is therefore understandable that people fight to preserve their

language, as they associate it with more than just grammar, vocabulary and phonetics: It is part of their life and their identity.

When West Pakistan wanted to establish Urdu as the sole official language in 1952 and tried to force the Bengali-speaking majority in East Pakistan to speak a language that was not their mother tongue, protests and demonstrations broke out across the country. On 21 February of the same

year, this discontent reached its tragic climax when several students were killed by the police. To this day, 65 years after the events of the language movement in Bangladesh – formerly East Pakistan, the Shaheed Minar memorial still commemorates the victims that gave their lives for their mother tongue. In light of these tragic events, the UNESCO General Assembly declared that day as International Mother Language Day. It calls on all peoples to protect their mother tongue and other languages.

Chinese

English

French

German

Hungarian

Italian

Lithuanian

Montenegrin

Norwegian

Polish

Romanian

Russian

Spanish

Turkish

LANGUAGES WITH THE MOST NATIVE SPEAKERS

INTERNATIONAL

MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY

Chinese

Spanish English

32

1

4 www.mt-g.com

mt-g magazine 5

extinct languages

On average, 6 languages become extinct every year.

310

21.02.

7097individual languages*

billion people are alive in 2016*

7.4

dying languages*

918

Chinese

English

French

German

Hungarian

Italian

Lithuanian

Montenegrin

Norwegian

Polish

Romanian

Russian

Spanish

Turkish

MOTHER TONGUES AT MT-G

21 February is International Mother

Language Day around the world.

It also represents those who fought to preserve their mother tongue on

this day in 1952.

*Source: http://www.ethnologue.com/world (visited on 05.07.2016)

www.mt-g.com6

17100T

his standard is intended for lan-guage service providers with corresponding workflows and

specialist personnel, such as project managers or proofreaders. The differ-ences in content between DIN EN 15038 and the new standard are limited, even though they may involve changes for some service providers. For example, the new standard defines required capa-bilities for project managers, mentions

the use of translation technology in the translation process and focuses on the requirements set with regard to project management.

There is still some room for interpretation

Unfortunately, the standard still leaves translation service providers with a lot of room for interpretation in some places,

making it difficult for those implement-ing the standard to comprehend cer-tain requirements and their application. Deciding how to assess the research abilities of a translator is still a difficult requirement to implement when select-ing translators. Providing evidence of the translator's technical expertise also seems questionable at best – at what skill level should the translation service provider draw the line?

The new ISO standard 17100 is the successor to DIN EN 15038 and has the

not inconsiderable task of setting requirements for certain key elements of the

translation process in order to ensure high-quality translation services.

DIN EN ISO

AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHANGES COMPARED TO DIN 15038

Structural revision. The structure is based to a large extent on the workflow

The required capabilities of project managers are defined

Linguistic and thematic changes to term defi-nitions

The use of translation technology is included in the standard

Translators must now also provide evidence of their specialist field

Particular attention is paid to the requirements for project management

Translators can now also provide evidence of their qualifications using "official certificates"

The processing of customer feedback is included in the standard4 8

3 7

2 6

1 5

17100How proficient does a translator

need to be in a certain CAT tool or the like? And how should that pro-ficiency be assessed? Translation service providers must first also familiarise themselves with the new terms introduced within the stan-dard. At present, these new terms overlap with the meanings of terms used in established industry jargon and will require clarification for a certain period of time.

The customer will need to be aware of this

Nevertheless, the new ISO standard seems to represent an approach for companies that would prefer to follow predefined workflows and know that the ser-vice provider's project manage-ment is being regulated. However, it should be kept in mind that the customer also has obligations and duties to fulfil as part of this stan-dard and that these could be very time-consuming. The application of the standard is also associated with considerably higher costs than a translation workflow without obligatory proofreading (referred to as "revision" in the standard). Having said that, the majority of language service providers are already cer-tified to DIN EN ISO 9001, which offers a good, successful quality foundation for providing services reliably and efficiently on a global scale.

TRANSLATION ...

QUO VADISOne side of the coin

Post-editing and machine translation are the current buzzwords on every-one's lips in the translation industry, and these concepts are well on their way to taking the bread out of the mouths of translators and replacing them or de-moting them to assistants with a con-tinuously diminishing raison d'être. The exasperating obstacle of translation is to be taken from us and the cost-relat-ed dimension eliminated, regardless of capitalism.

In case you are not aware of cur-rent developments in the translation industry, here is a brief summary: The term "machine translation" describes the translation of a text by a program or a computer, while "post-editing" de-scribes the manual modification of a text translated using machine transla-tion. And I'll give you three guesses who carries out these corrections. However, at present, the requests are so rare and relatively poorly paid that it is impossi-ble to generate any real profit. But more and more customers are pushing for this kind of translation. This puts trans-lators in a difficult position, particularly those that work in specialist fields with very little context – in the field of soft-ware localisation, for example, where the procedural instructions are relative-ly short and, as such, very repetitive. Machine translations are used increas-ingly in this field, as there is a very sig-nificant speed advantage for unknown and continuously repeated elements.

So what is next for translation? Or more specifically, what is next for trans-lators? Switching to interpreting until the Babel fish from "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" arrives?

The other side of the coin

But the fact is – and this must be mentioned – that this trend could have been predicted: Nowadays, texts are in-creasingly available in a digital format, customers want to have everything delivered yesterday and at lowest price possible. As such, it is the logical con-clusion for an industry that finds itself subject to an increasing demand for speed and an ever growing need for translations. Demand analyses predict that the requirement for translation services will increase by 67% within the next three years: from an average of 590 million words per year to 990 million. In all probability, (human) trans-lators will not be able to cope with this volume. Companies will therefore have to resort to workflows that rely on the support of machine translation. Ana-lysts currently believe that the switch to machine translation together with post-editing will not cost companies any jobs, provided that they do not re-ject this switch, as the demand volume should compensate for the monetary loss resulting from the reduction in prices.

Whether this assessment actually proves to be true will also depend on how many translators are willing to work with the new technology and on whether third parties, who are not fa-miliar with the subject area, will be able to carry out the corrections. It is an ex-citing future we have in store.

1 Common Sense Advisory, “MT Gains Traction at Both Enterprises and LSPs”, Summary, July 2016

7mt-g magazine

www.mt-g.com8

... or how quality has been

lost in translation.

IN THE TRANSLATION INDUSTRY

The financial crisis of 2007 came at a very inopportune moment for almost all

companies: Investment plans for the near future had to be abandoned, em-

ployees feared for their jobs and the state as well as individuals had to battle

with collapsing major banks.

PRICE-DEVEL-

OPMENT

mt-g magazine 9

Even the years following the finan-cial crisis saw barely any improve-ment; the financial plight of banks

and nations had increasingly serious repercussions, affecting almost all indus-tries and plunging them into disequilib-rium.

As such, it did not come as a surprise when, from 2007 onwards, compa-nies started drastically scaling back their translation requirements and consoli-dating these requirements where pos-sible. Translations were (and still are) a weighty cost element with a low rate of acceptance at controlling and manage-ment levels. Prices were driven down on a huge scale for essential translations – the original costs could no longer be paid or there was no longer any desire to pay them. Every euro and every cent was haggled over and the price pressure was often so severe that translators felt as though they were hostages to fortune.

But that was just the way things were – the damage done by a handful of people had an impact on almost everyone. And the consoling thought that at least you were not alone was no more than an attempt at self-delusion to calm frayed nerves.

Literary and technical translators

However, translations were already losing value in other areas well before 2007: At universities, students are being strongly discouraged behind closed doors from taking on work as literary translators. The belief at universities is that this is only work for idealists and

altruists. Most literary translators work for a salary that does not warrant the effort. Of all fields of translation, literary translation presents the greatest linguis-tic challenge. Without a technical and linguistic background, these text types are difficult to render convincingly. Tech-nical translators with a scientific or eco-nomic background have a much easier task in this respect. As a result of their accumulated technical knowledge, they earn considerably more than the verbal gymnasts on the other side of the trans-lation spectrum and they are also able to use technical resources more efficiently than literary translators can. However, this group of translators has other prob-lems to concern them: The competi-tion from emerging markets success-fully entices customers with dumping prices and untenable quality promises. The prices offered are so far below the industry average that it is no longer pos-sible for translators from industrialised

Most literary translators work for

a salary that does not warrant the effort.

CoreX Regulatory Consulti ng GmbH79117 Freiburg, Germany

www.corex-regconsulti ng.com Email: info@corex-regconsulti ng.com Phone: +49 761 21712660

Strategic / regulatory labelling support for EUProcedures

Opti mised quality of EU Product Informati on

Complete coordinati on of the whole set up process for labelling

• Translati on into all 24 EU languages• Client Affi liate Review• All interacti ons with EMA and Nati onal Authoriti es

→ Minimise involvement of client resources → Maximise quality of labelling documents

Partner

NationalAuthorities

EMA

Translation

AffiliatesClient / Applicant

Dr. Ruth Rett enmeierDr. Thomas FreyHans-Joachim Scharfenberg

Regulatory LabellingA Service Beyond Translation

10

countries to compete. This kind of pric-ing causes an outright drop in quality. When fees are so low, mass processing cannot be avoided if the required mar-gins and profit contributions are to be maintained – and this means that there is little time left for one-off projects. As a result, you lose the advantage of the allegedly low price: Amendments are

always more cost-intensive than an acceptable initial service, even if it seems to be too expensive at first glance.

Quality: Lost in translation?

However, it is not only industry factors that are putting pressure on translation prices. Company purchasing strategies and budgetary constraints determine the requirements with which transla-tors and language service providers must align themselves. The problems in this respect are similar to those already outlined in the context of competition from emerging markets: Lowering prices while maintaining quality levels is a del-icate balancing act. However, you can-not really blame the companies – after all, it is difficult to appraise translations. The quality of a translation does not correspond to any easy-to-measure variable; deliveries are difficult to check, if they are even legible. As such, price negotiations in this field are based, to a much larger extent, on mutual trust. Unfortunately, translations are often sub-ject to pronounced subjective criticism, whether it's sector-specific or linguistic. This opinion-forming process is often complicated by personal sensitivi-ties, with the result that it is difficult to conduct a professional conversation about the actual quality of a translation. Another crux is therefore language itself. It has no ideal state, no stylistic optimum that can be achieved. It also never tires of its changeable nature – quite the con-trary: language changes constantly and remains impossible to pin down. In con-trast to the translation of technical doc-

umentation, translations in the marketing sector are subjected to a particularly high level of scrutiny. What may be in fashion today will be useless junk by tomorrow. So how can you expect someone with-out specialist knowledge of the subject area to maintain an overview? In this instance, it is also the job of the transla-tor or language service provider to pro-vide support in a liaising and explanatory capacity. And this is tremendously useful, as translations are a matter of trust. The customer must feel confident that the content of his texts is being translated correctly into other languages and that he will not get the shock of his life. This aspect of trust is particularly important for languages with a different writing sys-tem or languages where it is not possible to deduce the meaning using other lan-guages. Frequently, though, any attempt at explanation is brushed to one side and the price is driven down by referring to competitors and their prices. However, it also often transpires that the com-petitor is not delivering the quality that is required and to which the customer is accustomed. In the highly regulated medical and pharmaceutical industry, in particular, this is no rarity. Often, the pre-viously rejected translator will carry out the corrections with a wink of the eye or the customer will have to insert the corrections itself. However, the follow-ing can also occur, as the author of this article found out to his distress: The cus-tomer refers to the translation program of a search engine operator and requests that only the time taken to copy and insert words and sentences be charged.

To a certain extent, it is depressing how little value is placed on translations and foreign languages, and how unwilling companies often are to spend money on them. Of course, these two factors go hand in hand and/or cause one another, and are jointly responsible for the steady decline in translation quality. Who could hold it against translators? Nobody wants to do the same work for an unjustifiably lower price – especially not freelancers. They are reliant on this work – it is how they earn their living and, unlike employ-ees, they have to contend with a fluctu-ating order volume and therefore a fluc-tuating income. Nevertheless, the search for financial security prompts translators

to accept and carry out these kinds of low-paid stopgap orders. There is a direct correlation between the amount of time that the translator will invest in the translation and the remuneration that he/she will receive. This is not a viable concept for the future of this industry – nobody wants to damage their reputa-tion as a result of poor translations and nobody wants a product not to sell due to unclear descriptions. So before quality is lost in translation, translators should be paid one or two cents more per word, as it pays off in the end: The higher the original quality and the less reworking is required, the more effectively the proj-ects will function. Deadlines will not be jeopardised and the project will be com-pleted successfully.

What may be in fashion today will be useless junk by tomor-

row.

The higher the original quality and the

less reworking is re-quired, the more effec-

tively the projects will function.

www.mt-g.com

mt-g magazine 11

How translators started working with CAT tools

When Alpnet sold its first CAT (Computer-Aided Translation) tool to IBM in the early 1980s, it was the start of a huge success story, although the average translator could not yet be part of it – the program was far too expensive. At this time, termi-nology lists were still being printed out with matrix printers and stored in folders; research could only be car-ried out using specialist dictionaries and the idea of the Internet with its present-day information supply was inconceivable. As such, the work of the average translator in the 80s was still a long way from being exten-sively computer-assisted. As a result, the work was arduous and drawn-

out. However, it did not take long for a few shrewd minds to see that free-lancers and small companies would also benefit from such a program. It is no secret that the motives behind this were not purely altruistic and sev-

eral suppliers set about offering these programs to freelance translators. In the 1990s, the situation was as fol-lows: Although the programs were still very expensive, they were seen as a good investment since they increased the efficiency and produc-tivity of the translators. The success

story of CAT tools was all but pre-programmed – soon a small num-ber of suppliers were battling for the customers' favour and growing into solid giants of this young branch of technology.

The same and yet different

It is unfortunate that only a few peo-ple outside of the circle of translators and language service providers know about these programs. But familiarising oneself with these tools incurs costs and the unknown procedures put off many interested parties. However, the basic functions are very straightfor-ward – each CAT tool has more or less the same structure. You have a compa-rable situation with cars, for example: A Trabant and a Ferrari share the basic

The programs behind the scenes, which make life easier

for translators and have revolutionised

the translation industry.

THE TRANSLATOR'S AID

CATTOOLS

CAT tools split a text into segments in order to simplify processing.

www.mt-g.com12

characteristics of a car – both have four tyres, an accelerator and a brake pedal, and an engine. Although they may differ in their respective models, they can be driven by anyone with a driver's licence.

The situation is similar for CAT tools. They import a text, split it into com-prehensible segments and compare the results with databases in the back-ground. The way that they implement this in their respective models is a different, albeit extremely interesting, story. But what does it mean to "import text and split it into comprehensi-ble segments"? CAT tools segment documents into individual segments so that the text can be electronically processed. A segment starts with the first element (a letter, character, word or number) and ends with the final punctuation mark (usually a fully stop, but often other punctuation marks as well). Finally, the text is transferred into a kind of table format, in which the source text and the target text – which is simply the translation – are displayed side by side. At the start of a translation, the target text content is often not yet available. This has to be inserted by the translator. Alternatively, and this is where the primary advantage of these practical programs can be seen, the target text already contains elements from previous translations.

Pillars of success

The databases mentioned above allow for a high degree of efficiency in translations. A distinction must be made here between two types of data-bases: Translation memories contain sentence pairs of source text and tar-get text created from previous trans-lations. Terminology databases, on the other hand, contain terms that should be followed and used during the trans-lation. Let's look first at the translation memories, also referred to as TMs. The advantage of TMs is that they check the current text for matches with pre-vious, and therefore already translated, texts. If a previously translated sen-tence shows up in the database, the CAT tool will automatically insert it as the translation. This saves the transla-

tor time, any research can be avoided and discrepancies with text that has already been translated can be ruled out. In particular, manuals or docu-ments with a very repetitive text struc-ture benefit considerably from this function. Terminology databases are designed to ensure that the translator uses the company's preferred word-ing. In the technology sector, in par-ticular, there are many concepts that must not be replaced by synonyms. This not only prevents potential com-prehension problems, but also ensures a high degree of consistency within the documentation of a company.

Both databases allow the the translator, and therefore the cus-tomer, to improve reliability and pro-

ductivity. The translator can confidently disregard text that no longer needs to be translated. But it is not quite that simple. The text that has been "pretranslated" by the translation memories must still be reviewed in context and therefore read. The context of a text sometimes changes, entailing the inevitable risk of mistranslations.

As an example: A shipping company wants to print a brochure. Images are used to explain the components of a ship. The images include the collo-quially used German word Tau, which translates as "hawser" – the extremely strong and long rope that is used to secure the ship. However, the transla-tor only has the word for Tau, which translates as dew, i.e. the light conden-sation that appears on a cold morn-ing, in his TM. The program does not recognise this difference and inserts the incorrect translation. Although this small mistranslation may seem romantic, it ultimately means that the brochure is unusable. As a result of the large degree of automation involved in these processes, the translator has to remain vigilant at all times and watch

out for these kinds of peculiarities. CAT tools support the translator and expose error sources and their char-acteristics using dedicated algorithms. The programs have many more special features, but explaining them would go beyond the scope of this article.

The good and the bad

But the achievements of CAT tools do not end there: They have also enabled an entire industry to form a truly international structure. Whether you are talking to translators from Tokyo or obtaining quotations from Brazil, the basic principles for the work are now always the same. The text analyses associated with CAT tools now prevent estimated or generalised quotations in most languages and help project managers around the world to accurately calculate and reliably plan their projects.

These analyses do not only count the number of words in a text, they also calculate how many sentences are already available in the TM or how many sentence repetitions there are within the text. These hits reduce costs, as translations can be quoted at a lower price. Translations have there-fore become more comparable and more transparent.

However, these functionalities have also been responsible for the increas-ing reduction in prices around the world. Translators had to calculate their prices even more precisely, as the available text analyses constituted an all too effective means of reasoning for clients and project managers. The detailed analyses enabled the prices of projects to be reliably calculated before the start of translation – which was of course a huge help to custom-ers, as it allowed a drastic reduction in calculatory risks for translation proj-

Both databases allow the translator to improve reliability and

productivity

CAT tools helped to make translation ser-

vices more comparable

mt-g magazine 13

Productivity

increase thanks to

CAT tools

20%

50%

A CAT tool can increase a translator's productivity by 20 to 50% – depending on the usability of the available data.

ects. As a result, opportunities dried up for those translators that did not want to use CAT tools – the reasons for this can be extremely diverse and well-founded. Whether it is due to a lack of TMs, potentially higher costs or lower productivity, these translators often no longer meet the apparent requirements of contemporary project management and, as a result, they do not make the grade when it comes to assigning orders.

But, when all is said and done, CAT tools have been of more benefit than harm to the industry – standardisation and technical advan-tages make the lives of trans-

lators considerably easier and, in spite of everything, the programs are relatively straightforward. Continuous advances are also being made in development: The developers in the CAT tool work-shops are refining and optimising every conceivable function in order to simplify the lives of translators as much as possi-ble. And that is what it is all about after all: happy translators who are able to work efficiently, reliably and quickly.

+49 (0)241/990 93 93-0info@consense-gmbh.de

Visit us on www.consense-gmbh.de

WIKISocial QM

Matrix Organisation

QMGxP

Medical

Compliance

Life Science

ActionsQMAudit Trail

BPMN

Documents

Quali� cation

Multilingual

International

Hazardous MaterialsValidation

Test Equipment

Processes

ValidationWork� ows

IMS

m-t-g_72x297 mm_RZ01_E.indd 1 18.01.17 09:52

www.mt-g.com14

APPS IN THE

HEALTH- CARE

INDUSTRYA blessing for users, a curse for regulatory affairs

The main advantages of mobile end devices are apparent: They can be used anywhere and

they are available almost all of the time. It comes as no surprise that medical apps appeared soon after smartphones were introduced to the market. But should apps that are geared towards the healthcare industry be marketed without investigation or approval? This was the question facing both the FDA and the responsible authorities in the European member states.

Manufacturers want to keep their fin-ger on the pulse, preferably with regard to state-of-the-art products, which is the sector in which trends are set and the highest revenues are generated. Users – who tend to be patients – will have noticed that the technology com-ponent of medical devices has been steadily expanding for a considerable time: Nowadays, blood sugar level reports can be sent to smartphones and devices can even be controlled

remotely. As you would expect, these convenient functions are extremely practical, particularly if a setting needs to be changed quickly or a value read. And the best thing is that these func-tions can be used anywhere. However, as practical as this information and these remote control options may be, they also pose a significant risk.

If you consider the functions of these kinds of apps, they require sensitive patient information that the legislators and the patient would want to see pro-tected. If programs are to be used as interfaces to other devices and thereby perform remote-controlled functions, life-threatening situations may occur in the event of incorrect use or faulty execution. But even programs that help users to make decisions or encourage

independent decision-making, in the case of self-help therapies for example, must be classed as extremely question-able at the least.

From a regulatory and administrative perspective then, it is not at all straight-forward to move with the times and to cover the wide range of new develop-ments and application possibilities. This is particularly true given that non-medi-cal agencies, along with developers and programmers, do not necessarily know that the applications they are program-ming are advancing into the legal terri-tory of medical devices. Developers are therefore well advised to consult the specifications of the BfArM (Bundesin-stitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinpro-dukte [Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices]) and/or the FDA and to take a look at the provisions. Both authorities can help manufacturers to determine whether it is necessary to classify an app as a medical device. This decision can be significant from both a

Some apps access sensitive patient

information

mt-g magazine 15

financial and a timescale perspective, as regulations in the healthcare industry are stricter than they are in the sports and lifestyle sector. It therefore stands to reason that manufacturers have an increased interest in positioning their products, which are poised somewhere between these two legal sectors, in the market in which the legal requirements are easier to understand and the regu-lations are much less strict.

The stricter regulations are due to

the potential risk posed by medical devices. The European authorities and the FDA are aware that these risks can also be posed by medical apps. While the FDA actively searches online offers for apps that could potentially be classed as medical devices, the BfArM refrains from such an active review of online shops and reacts only if it is made aware of a problem by means of specific notifications and reports. The German Medical Devices Act (MPG) and the European Medical Device Direc-

tives, together with the FDA, provide qualitative and safety-related frame-work conditions, which are designed to protect consumers and users from damage of any kind. These conditions apply regardless of whether the medical device is a scalpel, a blood sugar mon-itoring device or a skin cancer screen-ing device on a mobile phone, which is designed to assess suspicious areas and rate them accordingly – all of these products pose dangers and risks and they therefore need to be regulated.

Therefore, the best course of action is to inquire directly with the relevant

authority or take part in one of the many events relating to this topic. This will allow you to discuss your specific case without having to compromise on the consultation or receive explanations that are too general and cannot be tai-lored to your situation. Prevent any reg-ulatory uncertainty as early as possible so that you can plan your subsequent workflows with a clear conscience. We have been supporting our customers with software localisation for almost two decades and we are familiar with the many regulatory requirements in this area – even though we are not able to act in an advisory capacity in this con-text, we will be delighted to support you in implementing your software projects in the target language.

Whether it is a scalpel or a skin cancer

screening device on a mobile phone:

both are medical devices

www.mt-g.com16

View from the roof terrace of the mt-g building

SUSTAINABILITY REQUIRES DISCIPLINE, EFFECTIVE PLANNING AND A LOT OF PATIENCE.

ENVIRONMENTALCOMMITMENT

is aware of its

responsibility

towards the

environment and its employees, and leads

by example to promote sustainable behaviour,

both in its approach to the environment and

resources and to the social sphere. It is on

these three pillars that future genera-

tions can and should build.

mt-g

mt-g magazine 17

As early as 2011, before the first spadeful of earth had even been turned for the building,

consideration was being given to how environmental aspects could be taken into account in the plans for the con-struction of the new mt-g head office. As well as impressing with a modern interior and exterior, the building should be underpinned by a resource-efficient philosophy. With the existing concept, the managing directors came very close to the goal of building a zero-energy building. As well as providing employees with a place to enjoy a quiet moment in the sun, the seating area on the roof ter-race also provides a good view of the solar panels installed on the flat roof. Due to the building's exposed location on Michelsberg in Ulm, it is possible to maximize the effectiveness of sunlight

hours per day. The employees, who work in the light-flooded, open-plan office, also benefit – the sun warms the building from early in the morning. The environmentally friendly air-condition-ing system then regulates the tempera-ture back down to the default value. The contemporary external cladding of the office, which is made from aluminium, provides another type of heat shield by preventing excessive heating of the building, and thereby saving money and energy. The use of geothermal energy was another aspect of the conception of the company as a modern and for-ward-looking organisation that focuses on environmental efficiency and makes use of new technologies.

In terms of the company cars, there is a parking space reserved for an electric

vehicle, which was purchased in 2016 as an alternative to other vehicles operated using conventional fuels. This car can be used to travel short distances in a very environmentally sustainable manner. After use, the battery of the electric car can be charged in the underground car park using the company's own power connection in order to prepare it for the next 200 kilometres. With the purchase of this vehicle, mt-g wants to support the research and development of alternative drive concepts and, once this technol-ogy – which is not without criticism in terms of its environmental and econom-ical characteristics – has seen significant improvement and entails considerable added value for the environment, mt-g is sure that the general acceptance and prevalence of this type of transportation will increase.

In its corporate strategy, mt-g has implemented an environmental and

sustainable principle, which forms the framework both for the working

conditions of the employees and for the company's operations. This arises

from the belief that environmentally friendly practices should not only

take place within the company, but should also be projected outwards

– the managing directors established their commitment to a sustainable

environmental approach from an early stage.

SUSTAINABILITY REQUIRES DISCIPLINE, EFFECTIVE PLANNING AND A LOT OF PATIENCE.

ENVIRONMENTAL

Don't worry – the author of this article is not experi-encing an orthographical crisis, but instead report-ing on a topic that most people are not even aware

of. Glocalisation is a portmanteau combining the words global and local, and refers to the approach that an inter-national brand takes to local products or services. In short: the international influence on regional conditions and the reverse.

This may seem strange at first – many companies have confidence in their national product ranges and send them to other countries relatively unchanged, hoping that the markets and consumers in these countries accept the prod-ucts as they are. As you would expect, marketing depart-ments tend to be sceptical of such views. Promotional and sales mechanisms must be adapted to foreign markets in a consistent and precise manner and should not be under-taken directly by the domestic market. For example, the Mist Stick by Clairol sold very poorly in Germany as a result of its name ("Mist" means "dung" or "manure" in German). It would have been more sensible in this instance to gain an understanding of the regional specifics of the language and the market in order to develop a local brand strategy, thereby avoiding the aforementioned faux pas.

However, these kinds of measures are just minor char-acteristics of a global product strategy with a differentiated structure. For companies that operate on an international scale, the effects of local characteristics on global opera-tions are increasingly meaningful and significant. When, for example, a US fast food company sells products that make reference to the region of Allgäu every winter in Germany,

that has less to do with the US company management's admiration for Allgäu and its products and much more to do with the fact that using regional specialities can attract a bigger national clientele that can identify more with Allgäu than it can with a Philly Cheesesteak. Although the latter is also delicious.

By recognising and implementing these kinds of regional specifics, companies can add value, which would poten-tially have been ignored by a global strategy. In contrast, there is then a risk of individual branches trying to increase their autonomy, which certainly cannot be reconciled with the global ambitions of a company.

Where does translation fit in?

What implications does this have for the translations of a company that has strongly aligned its products and services with foreign particularities? In order to answer this, I would like to ask a question directly to the marketing departments: What is my profession? "Normal" translation has never really been able to establish itself in the marketing sector – the differences between a text and technically correct transla-tion that is subjectively "void of marketing appeal" and the

How international companies behave at a national level and how national

considerations can change the world

GLOCALI-SATION

For companies that operate on an international scale, the effects

of local particularities on global oper-ations are increasingly meaningful

From a banana to the eco brandA SZ&P brand story.

Discover the brand story on www.banana-brand.de

B .free B .brave B .successful

Banane_Anz_210x148,5_EN_RZ.indd 1 16.12.16 09:44

www.mt-g.com18

unavoidable cultural subtleties that result in an inevitable rewriting of the text are too great. So what can be done?

It would almost lead you to the conclusion that the only answer is to compose a new text rather than translating the source text or performing countless reviews until you are sure that any trace of "translation" has been removed. Some of you may already be familiar with the term transcre-ation: Transcreation describes the process of conveying a message in a foreign language, taking into account cultural and linguistic particularities in relation to the target group, the industry and other similar conditions that determine the advertising objectives. In principle, transcreation is more similar to copywriting, which takes into consideration the source culture and language as well as the corresponding equivalents in the target country. Transcreation is not a lit-eral translation of the text, but rather a means of conveying

the message in a manner appropriate to the target culture. To paraphrase Umberto Eco, these kinds of texts should be seen more as interpretations in different languages. That means that all cultural context, linguistic customs, text structure and mood must be selected in such a way that texts read as if they were authored directly in the target language.

Therefore, when creating documents that are very depen-dent on local issues or themes, make sure that the texts are not simply translated word for word, but consider whether a copywriter in the target language would be better suited to this type of text. This way, you can be sure in advance that your texts are created in the cultural context of the correct target market and you can clarify the details that are important to you during the creation process rather than at a later stage.

From a banana to the eco brandA SZ&P brand story.

Discover the brand story on www.banana-brand.de

B .free B .brave B .successful

Banane_Anz_210x148,5_EN_RZ.indd 1 16.12.16 09:44

mt-g magazine 19

www.mt-g.com20

mt-g magazine 21

A situation in which people from different cultures work together under one

roof has always required patience, empathy and understanding. In the age

of advancing globalisation, companies increasingly value the international

skills of their employees.

1 www.bamf.de (visited on 06.07.2016)

WHEN YOUR COLLEAGUE IS

SPEAKINGDOUBLE DUTCH

Is working in a multicultural company now simpler than ever?

The free movement of employees within the EU is a milestone in the European economic area - not only does it guarantee the freedom to look for jobs in other Euro-pean countries, it also allows employees to live in those countries and to remain in the new country once their employment relationship has ended. This circumstance alone has helped countless jobseekers to find new jobs - young people in particular are taking the plunge and leav-ing their native country to find happiness in foreign climes.

And it is not just EU citizens that are moving for work. According to the migration report of the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, the influx of profession-als from outside the EU increased by 13% in 2014 com-pared to the previous year. Combined with immigration from the European Single Market, this means that domes-tic companies are increasingly having to deal with intercul-tural issues and develop corresponding strategies in order to ensure the cooperation of the multicultural workforce within a company. The growing number of cultures within a company not only calls for strategic thinking, but also requires a new way of thinking within the workforce. Many of the native employees at a company will not be aware of the difficulties associated with increasing internationalisa-tion within the company and will require a certain amount of preparation with regard to cooperating with colleagues from a different cultural milieu.

The discipline of "intercultural communication" (IC) refers to communication between employees from differ-ent cultural milieus. This relatively new branch of social sciences has set itself the task of analysing the reasons behind these instances of miscommunication. This sub-ject area is of particular interest to the world of business, as business deals are regularly carried out at an interna-tional level. To ensure that these deals do do not collapse at an early stage as a result of cultural differences, com-panies send their employees to appropriate seminars and courses.

In the context of intercultural communication, the term "culture" describes a set of rules that predefine everyday interaction situations within a cultural milieu and influence people's behaviour. This can include shaking hands when you greet someone, for example, making eye contact during conversation or, more generally, behaviour towards superiors within the company. To a large extent, employ-ees from a specific culture learn and internalise these rules over the course of their lifetime and learn to accept them. As everyday life - and its rules - constantly repeats itself and there are very few significant deviations, the employee from the specific group presumes that the rules and guidelines applied within that culture are accepted as standardised behaviour. People are now having to understand that this process also takes place in the same way in other countries and therefore other cultures. This means that each cul-ture has its own standardised approach for specific social interactions. Therefore, employees of these cultures also find their behaviour, beliefs and rules among themselves and other employees of the same cultural milieu normal

www.mt-g.com22

and assume that behaviour within this framework is acceptable.

So if employees from different cul-tures find themselves in the same envi-ronment, it is inevitable that the respec-tive beliefs and rules will also come up against one another, particularly as they often do not coincide. At this point, the intercultural skills of the employ-ees take effect and function as a buffer zone between their own culture and the foreign culture. The less significant the differences between the cultures, the fewer intercultural skills are required - at least in theory. Character traits, emo-tional states and personal circumstances cannot be disregarded and always play a certain role when adapting a situation to people from other cultures. But in the long run, employees from different cul-tures always get along best when one or both of them already has some previous experience of working together with foreign employees.

Intercultural skills are now a matter for everyone

People who live and work abroad sub-consciously adopt strategies for inter-

actions between their own culture and the foreign culture with as few friction points as possible. These kinds of adapta-tion strategies are also taught in seminars designed to prepare employees for visit-ing or working with foreign colleagues. These seminars provide employees with an initial insight into the cultural differ-ences of the target country and prepare the participants for problems they may encounter using appropriate methods, such as roleplays, feedback sessions etc. It is predominantly expatriates and managers who attend these courses due to frequent trips abroad. However, employees below management level may also feel the need to attend this kind of training in order to improve the work they carry out together with foreign col-leagues. Although it may feel as though the Internet and globalisation are bringing humans closer together, our culture-spe-cific circumstances are undoubtedly still separating us and making it harder for us to live among one another. For this reason, measures aimed at raising aware-ness among groups from different cul-tural backgrounds are becoming increas-ingly popular and thereby improving working relations within the workforce.

Around the turn of the millennium, it was estimated that between 40 and 70% of all international projects collapse - an alarming figure. However, if you con-sider that a good portion of the employ-ees sent abroad cannot identify with the country and the culture, and do not feel comfortable as a result, then the above figures are hardly surprising. The obser-vations focused in particular on specialist staff and managers, as they are respon-sible for managing employees and are therefore also indirectly responsible for the success of the respective project.

The scale of the projects is irrelevant here - the same rule applies whether it is a short international cooperation or a joint venture between two large compa-nies. Many enterprises have attempted these kinds of projects and have fre-quently failed – in spite of their interna-tional outlook. Although the reasons for a collapse in communication and coop-eration cannot be demonstrably quanti-fied, it can be assumed that excessively large cultural differences, coupled with a lack of intercultural skills on the part of managers, frequently play a significant role in the failure of such ventures. Time and again, candidates are sent abroad in management positions based on other attributes and skills even though they would not be the first choice in terms of their abilities as an intercultural medi-ator. It is therefore also incumbent on human resources managers to revisit their own guidelines for selecting suit-able applicants.

However, there are laudable excep-tions that hold the spectres at bay some-what. Young incorporators, in particular, often have international experience and, as a result, come into contact with peo-ple from other cultures as part of their business dealings at a relatively early stage. As such, they are able to pro-mote the required multicultural spirit within the workforce from their position as a leader. As described at the start of this article, companies find themselves exposed to a more multicultural work-force than was the case 20 or 30 years ago. However, these employees often have experience working abroad them-selves and therefore have important soft skills that allow them to cooperate with their foreign colleagues successfully. In a best-case scenario, working in a for-

Around the turn of the millenium, it was

estimated that between 40 and 70% of all

international projects collapse - an alarming

figure.

In 2014, 9.4% of employees in Germany had a for-eign passport. As such, Germany is above the EU average of approximately 7.1%. Ireland is the front runner with almost 15%.

15% Ireland

9.4% Germany

7.1% EU average

WORKING POPULATION WITH FOREIGN CITIZENSHIP:

mt-g magazine 23

eign company also improves the linguis-tic skills of the respective employee and helps all foreign employees to assimilate.

Outlook In the future, companies will have

to give greater consideration to cor-porate strategies for managing an international workforce and taking the appropriate measures. It is often

the small things that have the greatest impact. The missing handshake, the seemingly unnecessary questions or the indecipherable facial expression of the other person: Preparing for the multicultural workforce of the future will prove challenging for both compa-nies and their employees - but it will be worth it. It would be a shame to lose all those potentially great employees as a result of cultural differences.

In the same year, 630,243 EU citizens relocated to Germany, while 290,934 EU citizens living in Germany moved to other European countries.

EU citizens moving toGermany

Emigrating toother European countries

IMMIGRATION AND EMIGRATION:

630,243

290,934

http://www.bamf.de/SharedDocs/Anlagen/DE/Publikationen/Migrations-berichte/migrationsbericht-2014.html (visited on 06.07.2016)

www.mt-g.com24

What is SEO?

One question to answer in advance: How do you use the Internet? You prob-ably throw yourself into the worldwide web via a search engine in order to find what you're looking for. The infor-mation that is then proposed to you by the search engines is based on a com-plex system of algorithms, for which nobody really knows the actual formu-las. It seems ironic that we know so lit-tle about the circumstances of search engine developers, whereas they know and analyse our behaviour, our pref-erences and therefore also part of our character – but that's another story.

It was not so very long ago that, if a company created a homepage, it was important that the site contained information. And that was the focus. I'm sure we can all remember how homepages used to look in the 1990s: Garish attempts at programming with a labyrinthine page structure not only hurt our eyes, but also required a con-siderable amount of patience. Today's homepages have very little in com-mon with their predecessors: Websites designed to promote the "user experi-ence" and "customer journey" facilitate our "online experience" while blighting our linguistic usage with anglicisms. They are refined works of art by code

virtuosos, which no longer seek to con-vey their own message, but instead are designed to submit to the user and sup-port him in his habits.

Nowadays, it is no longer just the information that takes centre stage: Text style, trends and a certain degree of hipness also take precedence. And all the things that we can't see and that we don't notice – the previ-ously mentioned algorithms do not only look at the code, but also at the text and the way in which it is written. The strategic alignment of homepage code and text to these algorithms is summed up by the meaningless term "search engine optimisation". Many people know this term, but mainly by the more efficient abbreviation SEO, which crops up in many marketing presentations and forms an important mainstay for many companies.

Nowadays, homepages are works of art

by code virtuosos

The term is not particularly well cho-sen, as it is not the search engine that is optimised either in English or in Ger-man, but rather the homepage that is adapted to the respective applicable algorithm. So-called text optimisation

is also partly responsible for the suc-cess of a homepage and the SEO. Text optimisation refers to direct work on the text, inserting and adapting key-words at sensitive points in order to achieve the greatest possible effect in the search engine rankings with as little effort as possible. With effective keyword research and textual imple-mentation on the homepage, websites can, in principle, achieve better results, i.e. a higher search engine ranking. But nobody can say exactly how much of a difference this will make.

Only the best for the user

In principle, all that the search engines are trying to do is compile the best response to the search request for the user – together with a gener-ous helping of economic self-inter-est for the company. Nobody wants to see a searching customer float past just because they had no desire to click onto page 2. The comfort and convenience of modern search engine customers is astounding: Depending on the source, it is assumed that only 50% of Google users get beyond the third hit before making their decision. It is only a very few who get as far as the second, let alone the third page of search results. This may be something that can be controlled

WHEN THE SEARCH ENGINE DETERMINES WHICH HOMEPAGES ARE INTERESTINGSEO TRANSLATIONSThe Internet has changed a lot since the first homepages came online.

Nowadays, the homepage rankings of search engines influence homepage

design and the underlying programming more than ever. What do you have to

take into consideration if you want to create a foreign-language homepage?

crossTerm Now

Terminologie to goMake your corporate knowledge available around the clock on mobile devices– online and offline!

www.across.net

mt-g magazine 25

in the company's native country, but if a better ranking were allocated to the French or Chinese homepage, then we would have to take a hard look at people and their search behaviour.

So why do we need SEO translations?

The text optimisation described above does not only work for texts in the source language of the homepage – it can also be adopted for translations, provided that the target market has been monitored extensively and search inter-ests and habits within the market have been documented in detail. Only in this way can conclusions be drawn from the user's search behaviour regarding which words people associate with certain products – so-called keywords.

These terms may differ from culture to culture, depending on which words and ideas are valued by a particular cul-ture. In simple terms, this then allows texts to be populated with those words and concepts that are interesting to the target group and the target market. The exact same process can also be applied to a translation. Translators who have specialised in the SEO sector create or modify texts on the basis of certain specifications and optimise these texts so that the keywords appear in the texts a certain number of times.

One of many components

But text optimisation in the foreign language is just one small aspect of the substantial marketing operation

required for a company's website, and the text optimisation therefore has to be incorporated into the homepage design. It is not only important where and how certain elements appear, but also how well the homepage is struc-tured – search engine operators like nothing less than poorly written, unop-timised homepages, which are none-theless packed with keywords. You should therefore ensure a balanced optimisation of your homepage in the foreign language. The code must be structured just as well as the text that is designed to promote your company. No matter how well a homepage is written, it is not as interesting for search engines without a sound code to back it up – SEO translations can achieve a lot, but not everything.

WHEN THE SEARCH ENGINE DETERMINES WHICH HOMEPAGES ARE INTERESTINGSEO TRANSLATIONS

crossTerm Now

Terminologie to goMake your corporate knowledge available around the clock on mobile devices– online and offline!

www.across.net

www.mt-g.com

Pulled pork is closely associated with American barbecue culture and anyone who knows a thing or two about this American way of cooking will

appreciate how much effort goes into this preparation method. But anyone who cooks this recipe will soon be a fan. You will need to set aside a lot of

time, however, as it takes quite a while for the pork shoulder cook through and soften up. This recipe relies on slow and gentle cooking at a low temperature. The

name "pulled pork" comes from the tender meat, which either comes apart by itself or can be "pulled" apart with a fork.

Preparation

Chop the onion as finely as possible, dice the carrots and sauté them both in a little oil. Use the water to deglaze the pot and add the bay leaf and soup mix. Season with salt and leave to cook until the carrots are soft. Finally, add the Maultaschen and leave everything to simmer away over a low heat for another 10 minutes or so.

Maultaschen (filled pas-ta squares) are a culinary treasure from

Swabia, of which its people are very proud. Although there are many different variations of Maultaschen, the dish was granted protected designation of origin by the EU in 2009 and there are now even rules regarding the ingredients that constitute a "true" Maultasche. To this day, there are many legends surrounding the origins of this dish; the most well-known, however, is that of the Maulbronn monks, who unexpectedly came across a piece of meat during the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century. This was unfor-tunate for the monks, as it was Lent at that time and this plunged them into a significant moral dilemma, which would have moved Shakespeare himself – to eat or not to eat? But the monks came up with the idea that the all-seeing god would surely turn a blind eye to a hidden piece of meat. And so, they concealed the meat in pockets of dough. In accordance with the old Swabian motto "Nur nichts verkommen lassen" (Don't let anything go to waste), the meat was chopped up and placed between some spinach and herbs in small pockets of dough. This dish was then given the very eloquent title of "Herrgottsbscheißerle" (small god-cheaters) – unfortunately, we do not know how god reacted to the monks' endeavours, but the result is delicious. In order to honour this dish still further, you can even take part in "Maultasche" hikes in the town of Bad Urach.

There is now a wide range of recipes involving Maultaschen and one of them is to submerge the Maultaschen in broth. And this is the recipe that we would like to share with you:

Ingredients

1 small onion, finely chopped1 boneless pork shoulder (around 1.1 kg)1 bottle BBQ sauce (530 ml)120 ml water60 ml honey6 crushed garlic cloves1 tsp. seasoned salt1 tsp. ground ginger8 bread rolls

Ingredients | Serves 4 people

500 ml water2 heaped tsp. soup mix (vegetable broth)2 large carrots1 medium onion1 pack Maultaschen1 large bay leafA pinch of saltA little oil

HERGOTTSBSCHEISSERLE

Preparation

1Place the onion and meat in a 5-litre slow cooker. In a small bowl, mix to-gether the BBQ sauce, water, honey, garlic, seasoned salt and ginger. Pour the mixture over the meat, cover and cook at a high level for 5-6 hours until the meat is tender.

2 Take the meat out of the slow cooker and leave it to cool slightly. Pull the meat apart with two forks and put it back in the slow cooker. Heat through and serve on the bread buns.

PULLED PORK SANDWICHES

mt-g magazine 27

The Japanese cuisine is about much more than just su-shi. This dish is very straightforward and consists of just rice, a cutlet, sauce and an egg. It may sound unusual, but it is delicious. Try it for yourself – you will need a few special ingredients, but you will be more than re-warded with one of the most popular Japanese dishes. Incidentally, the Japanese word for "winning" is a homophone of katsu. For this reason, the dish is now eaten by Japanese pupils and students before certain exams in the hope that it will bring them luck. With this in mind, we wish you every success with this recipe!

カツ丼 - KATSUDON

Ingredients | for 1 person

For the meat:1 pork cutletSaltPepperFlourEggsPanko breadcrumbs - nowadays, these can usually be found in the specialty foods section of the supermarketOil for deep-frying

For the sauce and sides60 ml dashi - fish stock1 tablespoon soy sauce1/2 tablespoon sugar1/2 tablespoon sake - Japanese rice wine1/2 tablespoon mirin - sweet Japanese rice wine1 eggSpring onions (optional)Ready-cooked riceNori sheets cut into small strips - roast-ed seaweed

Preparation

1 Tenderise the meat, but do not make it too thin. It should be thicker than a German Schnitzel.

2 Season the meat with salt and pepper.

3 Dredge the meat in the flour, then the egg and then the Panko breadcrumbs.

4Deep-fry the cutlet in a suitable pan, flipping it once or twice. Deep-fry it for around 5-8 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat.

5 Remove the cutlet as soon as the coating is golden brown and the meat is done.

6 Place the cutlet to the side and cut it into bite-size strips.

7Allow the cutlet to cool a little while you put the dashi, soy sauce, sugar, sake and mirin into a small pan or pot and bring the mixture to a simmer over at medium heat. Then reduce the heat to low.

8 Place the cutlet strips into the sauce.

9Beat the remaining eggs in a bowl and then pour over the meat. Cover the pan or pot. If you like, you can also sprinkle the finely chopped spring onions over the top at this point.

10 In the meantime, transfer the cooked rice to a small bowl.

11 Remove the cutlet and egg from the pan and place on top of the rice. Pour the sauce over the dish.

12 To finish, place the nori strips over the dish.

SOME OF OUR EMPLOYEES' FAVOURITE RECIPES

RECIPES

Legal notice

mt-g magazineIssue 01 | 2017 | Circulation: 21,150 copies

Publisher and editormt-g medical translation GmbH & Co. KG Executive Partners: Andreas Bendig, Gerlinde Bendig

Stuttgarter Straße 155 | 89075 Ulm, GermanyTel.: +49 731 176397-0 | Fax: +49 731 176397-50info@mt-g.com | www.mt-g.com

Concept/DesignTrion Visual Concepts GmbH, Munich

PrintingBittera Druck GmbH, Munich