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Romanian to English: Civil judgment General field: Law/Patents Detailed field: Law (general)
Source text - Romanian În cererea sa de chemare în judecată, reclamantul arată că în anul 2015 a încheiat o serie de contracte de antrepriză cu pârâtul având ca obiect efectuarea unor lucrări la un obiectiv de investiţii format din mai multe clădiri cu destinaţia de spaţii comerciale şi birouri.
Contractele au un conţinut similar, fiind diferite numai în privinţa obiectului. Toate aceste contracte sunt formate din aceleaşi documente, printre care şi Condiţiile Generale, unde sunt consemnate drepturile şi obligaţiile părţilor.
Potrivit Condiţiilor Generale, pârâtul, în calitate de asigurat, a încheiat cu [name omitted], în calitate de asigurător, o poliţă de asigurare prin care a asigurat lucrările contractate cu reclamantul şi pe care a cesionat-o acestuia din urmă. Plata primei de asigurare a rămas şi ulterior cesiunii în sarcina pârâtului.
La data de 12 august 2016, arată reclamantul, la corpul A al unei clădiri ce face parte din obiectivul de investiţii, s-a produs un accident la momentul turnării betonului, în urma căruia clădirea a suferit avarii importante.
În urma accidentului, reclamantul susţine că a solicitat asigurătorului acoperirea daunelor suferite, întrucât accidentul se încadra între riscurile asigurate prin poliţa mai sus menționată.
Faţă de refuzul asigurătorului de a plăti indemnizaţia de asigurare, reclamantul a formulat o acțiune împotriva acestuia, solicitând instanţei obligarea lui la plata indemnizaţiei.
Reclamantul mai arată că asigurătorul, prin întâmpinare la cererea mai sus menţionată, şi-a fundamentat refuzul de plata a indemnizaţiei pe considerentele că, pe de o parte, la momentul producerii riscului asigurat, poliţa de asigurare era suspendată pe motiv de neplată de către pârât a ratelor primei de asigurare, iar pe de altă parte, chiar dacă poliţa ar fi fost în vigoare, pagubele suferite de reclamant au rezultat din erori de proiectare, risc asigurat numai până la concurenţa sumei de 500.000 RON, asigurătorul neputând fi obligat la acoperirea integrală a prejudiciului.
Conform clauzei 9.3 din Condiţiile Generale, arată reclamantul, pârâtul, în calitate de antreprenor, avea obligaţia asigurării lucrărilor, utilajelor, materialelor şi documentelor sale pentru nu mai puţin decât costul total de reintegrare, inclusiv toate costurile demolării, îndepărtării deşeurilor, taxele profesionale şi profitul.
Translation - English In its particulars of claim, the claimant states that in 2015, it entered into a number of contracts with the respondent for the execution of works on a development consisting of several buildings to be used as business premises and offices.
The contracts have similar content, differing only in their scope. All of them consist of the same set of documents, including the General Conditions in which the parties' rights and obligations are set out.
Pursuant to the General Conditions, the respondent, as insured, took out an insurance policy from [name omitted], as insurer, under which it insured the works contracted with the claimant, and it assigned the policy to the latter. The respondent was still responsible for paying the insurance premium following this assignment.
On 12 August 2016, the claimant states, while concrete was being cast on wing A of a building forming part of the development, an accident resulted in substantial damage to the building.
The claimant submits that following the accident, it asked the insurer to compensate it for the damage as the accident was among the risks covered by the aforementioned policy.
When the insurer refused to pay the indemnity, the claimant issued proceedings against it and asked the court to order it to do so.
The claimant further submits that in the insurer's defence to the aforementioned claim, the latter justified its refusal to pay the indemnity by stating that, firstly, the insurance policy was suspended at the time when the insured risk occurred because the respondent had failed to pay the premium, and secondly, even if the policy was in force, the losses suffered by the claimant resulted from design errors - a risk that was only insured for a maximum sum of RON 500,000 - so the insurer could not be compelled to cover the loss in full.
The claimant states that under clause 9.3 of the General Conditions, the respondent had a duty, as contractor, to insure its works, plant, materials and documents for not less than the full reinstatement cost, including all costs of demolition, removal of waste, professional fees and profit.
Russian to English: Criminal court ruling General field: Law/Patents Detailed field: Law (general)
Source text - Russian В соответствии с ч.1 ст.108 УПК РФ, заключение под стражу в качестве меры пресечения применяется по судебному решению в отношении подозреваемого или обвиняемого в совершении преступления, за которое уголовным законом предусмотрено наказание в виде лишения свободы на срок свыше трех лет при невозможности применения иной, более мягкой, меры пресечения.
В исключительных случаях, мера пресечения в виде заключения под стражу может быть избрана в отношении подозреваемого или обвиняемого в совершении преступления, за которое предусмотрено наказание в виде лишения свободы на срок до трех лет, при наличии одного из следующих обстоятельств: 1) подозреваемый или обвиняемый не имеет постоянного места жительства на территории России; 2) им нарушена ранее избранная мера пресечения; 3) он скрылся от органов предварительного расследования или от суда.
Согласно ч.5 ст.108 УПК РФ, принятие судебного решения об избрании меры пресечения в виде заключения под стражу в отсутствие обвиняемого допускается только в случае объявления обвиняемого в международный розыск.
Принимая во внимание, что [name omitted] обвиняется в совершении преступления, предусмотренного ч.2 ст.208 УК РФ, за которое уголовным законом предусмотрено наказание в виде лишения свободы сроком от восьми до пятнадцати лет, и учитывая, что обвиняемый находится в международном розыске, при обнаружении может скрыться от следствия и суда, продолжить заниматься преступной деятельностью, либо иным путем воспрепятствовать установлению истины по делу, суд приходит к выводу о необходимости избрания [name omitted], в его отсутствие, меры пресечения в виде заключения под стражу и находит ходатайство следователя подлежащим удовлетворению. При этом возможность применения [name omitted] иной, более мягкой меры пресечения, суд не усматривает.
Translation - English Article 108(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation provides that remand in custody shall be imposed as a preventive measure by decision of a court on a suspect or a person charged with an offence carrying a penalty under criminal law in excess of three years' imprisonment where no other, more lenient preventive measure can be taken.
In exceptional cases, the preventive measure of remand in custody can be imposed on a suspect or a person charged with an offence carrying a penalty of up to three years' imprisonment where one of the following circumstances applies: 1) the suspect or the person charged has no fixed abode in the Russian Federation; 2) he has failed to comply with a previous preventive measure; 3) he has evaded the pre-trial investigation authorities or the court.
According to Article 108(5) of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation, a court decision to impose the preventive measure of remand in custody can only be taken in the accused’s absence if the accused has been placed on the international wanted list.
In view of the fact that [name omitted] has been charged with an offence under Article 208(2) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation carrying a penalty of between eight and fifteen years' imprisonment, and the fact that the accused is on the international wanted list and may, if located, evade the investigators and the court and continue to engage in criminal activity, or otherwise frustrate efforts to establish the truth of the matter, the court finds that, in his absence, the preventive measure of remand in custody must be imposed on [name omitted] and that the investigator’s application can be granted. Furthermore, the court is not satisfied that any other, more lenient preventive measure can be imposed on [name omitted].
French to English: Deed of sale Detailed field: Law (general)
Source text - French GARANTIE DE JOUISSANCE
Le CEDANT déclare qu’il n’a pas délivré de congé à un ancien locataire lui permettant d’exercer un droit de préemption.
INFORMATION SUR L'ACTION EN COMPLEMENT DE PART
Aux termes de l’article 889 du Code civil, lorsque l'un des coïndivisaires établit avoir subi une lésion de plus du quart, la licitation déjà réalisée est maintenue à charge pour son ou ses coïndivisaires de lui verser le complément de sa part, soit en numéraire soit en nature à son choix. Pour apprécier s'il y a eu lésion, il y a lieu d'effectuer l'estimation au jour de la licitation.
L’action en complément de part se prescrit par deux ans à compter de la licitation.
GARANTIE HYPOTHECAIRE
Le CEDANT s’oblige, s’il existe un ou plusieurs créanciers hypothécaires inscrits sur le BIEN cédé, à régler l’intégralité des sommes pouvant leur être encore dues de son seul chef, à rapporter à ses frais les certificats de radiation des inscriptions, et à en justifier auprès du CESSIONNAIRE.
Un état hypothécaire délivré le [date omitted] et certifié à la date du [date omitted] ne révèle aucune inscription ni prénotation dans le livre foncier.
SERVITUDES
Le CESSIONNAIRE profite ou supporte les servitudes ou les droits de jouissance spéciale, s’il en existe.
À la connaissance du CEDANT, outre les servitudes pouvant résulter de la situation naturelle et environnementale du BIEN, de la loi et de l’urbanisme, il n’en existe pas d’autres que celles rapportées dans l'annexe.
Translation - English COVENANT OF QUIET ENJOYMENT
The TRANSFEROR declares that he has not served notice on any former tenant enabling the latter to exercise a right of pre-emption.
ACTIONS TO MAKE UP A SHARE
Article 889 of the Civil Code provides that where a co-owner establishes that he has suffered a loss of more than one quarter, a sale which has already taken place shall remain effective subject to the requirement that the other co-owner(s) must give him the remainder of his share in cash or in kind, at his option. In order to ascertain whether a loss has occurred, the value as at the date of the sale must be determined.
The limitation period for actions to make up a share is two years reckoned from the time of the sale.
GUARANTEE WITH REGARD TO MORTGAGES
If one or more mortgagees has/have a registered interest in the transferred PROPERTY, the TRANSFEROR undertakes to pay off any amounts that may still be owed to them solely by him, to obtain, at his own expense, certificates confirming that the relevant register entries have been removed, and to provide proof of the same to the TRANSFEREE.
A mortgage information document issued on [date omitted] which was certified on [date omitted] does not reveal any entries or cautions in the Land Register.
EASEMENTS
The TRANSFEREE shall benefit from or bear the burden of any existing easements or rights of special use.
So far as the TRANSFEROR is aware, other than easements that may be apparent from the natural and environmental situation of the PROPERTY, the law and planning regulations, there are no others except those reported in the appendix.
Russian to English: Legal opinion on a tax matter General field: Bus/Financial Detailed field: Law: Taxation & Customs
Source text - Russian Уважаемые господа,
Наш клиент обратился к нам с запросом представить заключение по вопросам российского права в отношении следующей ситуации:
1. Факты, изложенные Клиентом
Швейцарская компания осуществляет финансирование строительства завода по производству кондитерской продукции в Российской Федерации путем предоставления процентного займа.
Согласно законодательству Швейцарии, швейцарская компания имеет право привлекать средства сторонних инвесторов путем размещения облигаций в форме закрытой подписки. Привлеченные средства могут направляться на целевое финансирование различных проектов. Размер процентной ставки, выплачиваемой по облигациям, определяется компанией, выпускающей облигации. Подписчиками на облигации могут быть как физические, так и юридические лица. Одним из подписчиков на облигации, выпущенные швейцарской компанией для финансирования анализируемого проекта, является компания, учрежденная по законодательству Британских Виргинских Островов, далее – «Компания BVI». Единственным бенефициаром Компании BVI (далее – «Бенефициар») является гражданин России-налоговый резидент Великобритании, постоянно проживающий в Великобритании и проводящий в Российской Федерации менее 183 дней в календарном году.
Перед нами был поставлен вопрос о том, будет ли Компания BVI рассматриваться в России как контролируемая Бенефициаром иностранная компания (далее – «КИК») и возникнет ли у Бенефициара обязанность декларировать данную компанию как КИК и уплачивать налог на доходы физического лица в Российской Федерации.
Translation - English Dear Sirs,
Our client has asked us to provide an opinion on aspects of Russian law in relation to the following matter:
1. Facts outlined by the Client
A Swiss company is financing the construction of a confectionery factory in the Russian Federation by providing an interest-bearing loan.
Under Swiss law, the Swiss company has the right to raise funds from third-party investors by placing bonds by private subscription. The funds raised can be used for the targeted financing of various projects. The interest rate paid on the bonds is set by the issuing company. Bonds can be subscribed for by both individuals and corporations. One of the subscribers for the bonds that the Swiss company issues in order to finance the project in question is a company incorporated under the law of the British Virgin Islands, hereinafter “BVI Company”. The sole beneficial owner of the BVI Company (hereinafter “Beneficial Owner”) is a Russian national who is resident for tax purposes in Great Britain, permanently resides in Great Britain, and spends fewer than 183 days in the calendar year in the Russian Federation.
We have been asked whether the BVI Company will be regarded in Russia as a controlled foreign corporation (hereinafter "CFC") controlled by the Beneficial Owner and whether the Beneficial Owner will be obliged to declare this company as a CFC and pay personal income tax in the Russian Federation.
French to English: Wines of Provence Detailed field: Wine / Oenology / Viticulture
Source text - French [Name omitted] 2006
Cru Classé de Provence
L'emblème du domaine, un rosé soyeux et élégant issu de cépages nobles, qui ravira tous les amoureux du soleil et des repas entre amis.
Cépages: Grenache, Cinsault et Tibouren
Dégustation: Une robe pâle s'offre à vous, un rosé fin et expressif aux arômes d'abricots et de fruits secs au nez. La matière est équilibrée et savoureuse en bouche. Un rosé à choisir les yeux fermés. Une belle réussite!
Conseillé avec: Du saumon à l'oseille, des chanterelles sautées à l'ail, de la cuisine chinoise.
La perfection et l'élégance raviront les amateurs de grands vins blancs. Sec et fruité, ce vin blanc embellira votre bouche.
Cépages: Sémillon et Rolle
Dégustation: Riche et équilibré, ce vin blanc a tout pour plaire; élevé en fût de chêne (rare pour des vins blancs), cette cuvée apportera des notes de fruits secs grâce au sémillon et des saveurs de miel offertes par le rolle.
Conseillé avec: une lotte au safran, du fromage de chèvre cendré ou en apéritif.
Température: 9-12° C
Garde: à boire immédiatement ou à garder au plus 2 années.
Du Rolle et du Sauvignon viennent apporter de l'excellence pour cette cuvée de la maison [name omitted].
Cépages: Rolle et Sauvignon
Dégustation: De l'élégance et de la délicatesse pour ce blanc fruité et rond, à la fois puissant et gras, il séduit le palais avec des notes d'agrumes prononcées et de fleurs blanches. « Or » n'est qu'une mince reconnaissance...
Conseillé avec: des filets de saumon et des truites fumées, araignée de mer ou homard.
Température: 9-12° C
Garde: 3 ans
Translation - English [Name omitted] 2006
Cru Classé de Provence
The estate's standard-bearer. This silky, elegant rosé crafted from premium grape varieties is sure to please lovers of sunshine and meals with friends.
Grape varieties: Grenache, Cinsault and Tibouren
Tasting notes: Pale in colour, this refined and expressive rosé offers a nose of apricots and dried fruit. Round mouthfeel, flavoursome on the palate. It's a rosé you can’t go wrong with – a sure-fire winner!
Goes well with: salmon with sorrel sauce, sautéed chanterelles with garlic, Chinese cuisine.
Lovers of great white wines will adore the perfection and elegance of this dry and fruity white which will dance on your palate.
Grape varieties: Sémillon and Rolle
Tasting notes: This opulent and balanced white has it all. Aged in oak barrels – unusually for a white wine – this vintage reveals notes of dried fruit from the Sémillon and hints of honey from the Rolle.
Goes well with: monkfish with saffron, goat’s cheese with ash, or as an aperitif.
Store at: 9-12° C
Cellaring time: drink immediately or store for up to two years.
Rolle and Sauvignon grapes bring sheer class to this vintage from the Maison [name omitted].
Grape varieties: Rolle and Sauvignon
Tasting notes: This fruity, round white characterised by elegance and delicacy, powerful but mellow, seduces the palate with strong notes of citrus and white flowers. "Gold" is putting it mildly...
Goes well with: fillet of salmon and smoked trout, spider crab or lobster.
Store at: 9-12° C
Cellaring time: 3 years
Romanian to English: Soviet Moldovan historiography Detailed field: History
Source text - Romanian Volumul se evidenţia printr-un limbaj extrem de agresiv şi arogant, conţinând o serie de falsuri şi enormităţi ce nu aveau nici o acoperire documentară. Bunăoară, emigraţia populaţiei Basarabiei între cele două războaie mondiale era descrisă în următorii termeni: „Apăsătoarea oprimare economico-socială şi înjosirea naţională, lipsa remuneraţiilor şi imposibilitatea de a-şi întreţine familiile îi forţau pe mulţi dintre locuitorii Basarabiei să fugă peste hotare - în România, în ţările Europei Occidentale, Argentina, Brazilia, S.U.A., Canada, pe insula Madagascar, în coloniile franceze de pe continentul Africii - în cele mai îndepărtate colţuri ale globului. Se împrăştia atât populaţia urbană, precum şi cea rurală a ţinutului. Vânzându-şi la preţuri derizorii bulendrele şi pământul, în unele cazuri lăsându-şi gospodăriile în voia soartei, biruind toate obstacolele, basarabenii se îndreptau fie şi la capătul lumii în căutarea unei bucăţi de pâine, în speranţa de a scăpa de cruzimea insuportabilă şi teroarea ocupanţilor. Părăsindu-şi ţinutul natal şi iubit, locuitorii Basarabiei fugeau în orice altă ţară, unde aveau speranţa de a obţine azil, consolându-se în credinţă că nicăieri nu poate fi mai rău decât sub călcâiul asupritorilor boieri români.”
Era tocmai ceea ce N. Enciu consideră a fi „practicarea influenţei şocului” asupra auditorilor şi cititorilor în vederea producerii anumitor reflexe condiţionate, care să funcţioneze prompt la simpla menţiune a perioadei în cauză.
Translation - English This work stood out for its extremely aggressive and arrogant language and contained a string of untruths and exaggerations bereft of any supporting documentary evidence. For instance, the emigration of Bessarabia's population between the two world wars was described in the following terms: "The overwhelming socio-economic oppression and national humiliation, together with the lack of paid work and the impossibility of supporting their families, forced many of Bessarabia's inhabitants to flee abroad to the four corners of the globe: Romania, western Europe, Argentina, Brazil, the USA, Canada, Madagascar and the French colonies in Africa. The region's urban and rural populations were both scattered. Flogging off their bric-a-brac and land for knockdown prices, in some cases abandoning their homes to the mercy of fate, overcoming all obstacles, Bessarabians headed to the ends of the earth if they had to in search of a crust of bread, hoping to escape the unbearable cruelty and terror of the occupiers. Leaving their beloved homeland behind, they fled to any other country where they could hope to find refuge, consoling themselves with the belief that nowhere could life be worse than it had been under the heel of their Romanian boyar oppressors."
This was precisely the kind of "shock effect" that N. Enciu believes was used to instil into listeners and readers certain conditioned reflexes that would be triggered immediately at the mere mention of the period.
Russian to English: History of Russian education policy Detailed field: History
Source text - Russian Политика правительства во второй четверти XIX в. не привела, в конечном итоге, к унификации образовательной системы в пределах всей Российской империи. Что касается вопроса о взглядах графа С.С. Уваров на развитие просвещения именно на национальных окраинах, мы вынуждены также признать, что при наличии общей программы, как у него лично, так и у правительства в целом, отсутствовал какой-либо единый план действий в этом направлении. Невозможность его оформления обусловлена религиозными, политическими и культурными особенностями различных регионов российского государства, определявших и условия практических шагов, осуществляемых центральной властью, в том числе и в данной области. В частности, политика в отношении народов, населяющих восточные и южные окраины империи, во многом отличалась от действий правительства, и конкретно министерства просвещения, возглавляемого Уваровым, в Западном крае и Прибалтике. При этом было бы неверно абсолютизировать существовавшие стремления Уварова к культурной ассимиляции населяющих империю народов, включению их в русское культурное пространство, также как невозможно дать единую оценку методам их реализации. Несомненно, что определенные действия согласно указанным установкам осуществлялись министром просвещения по отношению практически ко всему нерусскому населению. Главным образом это касалось более внимательного отношения центральной власти к изучению русского языка в учебных заведениях, расположенных на национальных окраинах. При этом особое внимание данному вопросу уделялось не только в западных и северо-западных губерниях. Так, представленный в 1835 г. на имя императора новый проект Положения о закавказских училищах имел одно из главных отличий от предшествующего ему нормативного документа, утвержденного в 1829 г., в заметном распространении русского языка, на котором должны были также преподаваться и все остальные предметы в Тифлисской гимназии (за исключением двух низших классов). Начальство гимназии, в свою очередь, обязывалось следить за тем, чтобы ученики в свободное от занятий время продолжали общаться именно на русском языке. Однако эти и другие мероприятия министерства в восточных регионах империи нельзя безоговорочно определить как часть политики, направленной на культурно-языковую русификацию коренного населения.
Translation - English Government policy in the second quarter of the nineteenth century did not ultimately lead to harmonisation of the education system across the whole of the Russian Empire. As to Count S. S. Uvarov's views on the development of education in ethnic non-Russian regions, we must also recognise that while he and the government as a whole did share a common programme, there was in fact no single plan of action to put it into effect. The reason why one could not be formulated lay in the religious, political and cultural differences between the various regions of Russia, which shaped the environment in which practical measures were taken by the central authorities in the field of education and other sectors. In particular, local policy on the inhabitants of the eastern and southern provinces of the Empire was very much at odds with the activity of the government, and specifically the Ministry of Education headed by Uvarov, in the western and Baltic regions. However, it would be wrong to view Uvarov’s efforts to assimilate the peoples inhabiting the Empire culturally and integrate them into the Russian cultural realm in absolute terms, just as one cannot make a generalised assessment of the methods used to achieve these ends. It is beyond doubt that some measures affecting virtually the entire non-Russian population were indeed taken by the Minister of Education in accordance with these principles: in particular, these included more attentiveness on the part of the central authorities to the study of Russian at academic institutions in regions inhabited by ethnic non-Russians. It was not only in the western and north-western provinces that particular emphasis was laid on this aspect. One of the main differences between the new initiative known as the Law on Transcaucasian Schools proposed in 1835 in the name of the Emperor and the regulation that preceded it, which was passed in 1829, was that the former envisioned the active spreading of the Russian language, in which all other subjects were to be taught at the Tbilisi Gymnasium (except to the two lowest years). Those who were in charge of the Gymnasium were in turn obliged to ensure that pupils continued to speak Russian outside classes. Nevertheless, these and the other measures taken in the eastern regions of the Empire should not unconditionally be regarded as forming part of a policy of cultural and linguistic Russification of the indigenous populace.
Romanian to English (Institute of Translation and Interpreting, verified) French to English (Chartered Institute of Linguists, verified) Russian to English (Chartered Institute of Linguists, verified) French to English (University of Birmingham, verified) Russian to English (University of Birmingham, verified)
Romanian to English (University of Birmingham, verified)
Making sense:My translations read clearly and smoothly. I look at things from the reader's point of view and make sure my writing is easy to understand, meaningful and concise.
Style:My polished writing style suits a variety of contexts. Need a legal or business translation that will make sense to a lawyer or chief executive? Thanks to my professional background, studies and experience of translating for law firms and businesses, I can deliver translations that will stand up to scrutiny in a courtroom or boardroom. My experience of translating news articles enables me to emulate the punchy, uncluttered journalistic style typical of reports and documentaries. Need a website or tourism translation? I can produce elegant copy with stylish phrasing. I have translated text and press releases for the websites of a Romanian mobile phone company, a French sea life centre, a luxury hotel in Paris and several French tourism offices and museums.
Thoroughness and research:One of the most difficult aspects of translation is terminology. My extensive experience gives me a broad knowledge of terms in the fields I work in, and I enjoy (and am good at!) finding translations of specialised terms that crop up in a text. I also take the time to look up abbreviations and add footnotes to explain cultural or country-specific concepts and read through my work before delivery so I can see how it will look to the reader. Not all translators bother with this vital step! And you might be surprised at how many haven't heard of a spellchecker or think abbreviations can be left in the original language because we "can't be expected to know them". It's our job to figure them out!
What to look for in a professional translator
As the translation profession is unregulated in the UK, anyone can call themselves a translator and there's nothing to keep cowboys and dilettantes out. Sadly for them, translation is far more difficult than it looks! It's not simply a matter of replacing one word with another. If it were that easy, anyone with a dictionary could do the job well. And yet not anyone can, as we can see from the many poorly written translations that litter the websites of foreign institutions and companies, conveying an unprofessional image that puts readers off.
What many people don't realise is that the same word or phrase can translate in many different ways in different contexts, and there are thousands of specialised terms that can't be found in dictionaries. That's why experience in the subject of a text is so important - it's all too easy to make wrong guesses if you don't have it.
So how can you be sure your translation will be handled by someone who knows what they're doing? There are four things you should look for. The first two are evidence that a translator has learned their working languages in depth and gained knowledge of the subject of your text. The other two are excellent writing skills and research skills. It's no good being a specialist in a subject if you can't write coherent, well-organised sentences that a reader can make sense of, and sadly, some people who turn their hand to translation after working in other fields struggle with this.
You can see samples of my writing by looking at my Portfolio or watching these Romanian documentaries I've subtitled in English:
all made by Recorder (click on the Settings wheel, then Subtitles/CC, then English). My name is credited at the very end of the subtitles. To see examples of my research skills, click here to see answers I've posted to KudoZ terminology questions. I'll leave you to judge how helpful other translators find my suggestions! And I entered the profession after not only studying my working languages at well-regarded universities, but also gainingseveral years' work experience in the immigration sector and the business world, which I've built on through further specialised study.
For my Master of Studies degree, I studied linguistic theory, theory of translation and Romanian linguistics (a subject in which I achieved a mark of 90, the mark required for a Distinction being 70) under the exacting tutelage of Professor Martin Maiden, a pre-eminent British scholar of Romanian and Fellow of the British Academy. My BA degree included a module on Romanian language and short stories, but my studies of this fascinating language began much earlier, in my mid-teens, when I was intrigued by a copy of Dennis Deletant's "Teach Yourself Romanian" on a shelf at my local bookshop and bought it on a whim. Little did I know that the language would eventually become a big part of my career and my life's greatest passion! And I keep immersing myself in it by reading Romanian news and watching films and documentaries like România, te iubesc! every week.
My professional background
For three years, I worked in the immigration sector for the British Refugee Council, where I interpreted for a year before becoming a "Dispersal Clerk" (relocation coordinator) and then a Project Worker. As a Project Worker, I advised refugees and asylum seekers on their entitlements to housing and financial support and helped them to apply to the National Asylum Support Service (NASS), besides giving advice on access to healthcare, education and legal services and liaising on clients' behalf with social services departments, solicitors, immigration officials, community organisations and accommodation providers. Through this work, I gained an understanding of immigration law and the legal processes that clients went through in their applications to the Home Office and appeals to the Immigration Appellate Authority and Immigration Appeal Tribunal. To advise them, I had to find out what their legal status was by investigating their case, going through their legal paperwork and contacting solicitors, courts and the Home Office.
My first-hand business experience was gained when I trained and worked as a corporate finance researcher at Zephus, an M&A research company in Manchester. In this role, I maintained a database of corporate finance transactions (mergers, acquisitions, IPOs, etc.) involving companies in eastern Europe and former Soviet republics using information found on stock exchange websites and in business news publications. I also worked as a customer assistant in the retail sector for five years, mostly in a petrol station where I was responsible for processing payments, administration, maintaining forecourt safety, handling tanker deliveries, taking tank readings, replenishing stock in the shop and reporting incidents.
What I translate
Legal - legislation, court judgments, immigration & asylum applications, divorce/child custody cases, ECHR cases, civil litigation, criminal law, ICC arbitration, property sale contracts, witness statements, terms and conditions, privacy notices, legal correspondence. I hold Level 3 Certificates in Law and Practice in both Civil Litigationand Criminal Litigation awarded by the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) and the CILEx Level 3 Diploma in Law and Practice consisting of 10 units including Contract Law, Family Law, Land Law, Criminal Law and Law of Tort.
Business - terms and conditions, articles of association, contracts, tender documentation, annual reports, audit reports, AGM minutes, press releases, corporate finance, M&A
Certificates and personal documents - birth, marriage, death, name change and adoption certificates, criminal record disclosure certificates, certificates of study and training, CVs, driving licences, passports, ID cards
Social services - social services assessments for councils in child repatriation cases
News, Journalism, Film - current affairs and news, especially business, politics and legal news, and documentaries. Together with a colleague, I wrote the English subtitles for the widely publicised Romanian documentaries mentioned above made by Recorder. I was a member of the subtitle syncing team at the 2023 Transylvania International Film Festival (TIFF) in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and am trained in the use of Subtivals for film screenings.
International development - UNESCO, GAVI, GFATM, HIV/AIDS/TB/malaria prevention, immunisation, literacy, famine early warning systems, decentralised cooperation
EU - agricultural nitrate pollution, agricultural payment systems, milk quotas, carbon emission allowance trading, pensions, rural development, film preservation, electricity markets, tender procedures, pressure equipment, vehicle pollution taxes, audit strategies, import licences, French Presidency, construction and demolition waste, fire safety, railway accidents, State aid, national accounts, European Parliament petitions/questions, draft technical regulations
Pharmaceutical - patient questionnaires (including linguistic validation) and clinical trial documentation
History, Archaeology, Tourism - my previous work has included publicity materials for a French WW1 museum and several French tourism offices, including one for a ski resort in the French Alps. I am a keen fan of Time Team (Channel 4) and have an AS Level in Archaeology. My course focused on religion and ritual in prehistoric Europe (Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age) and archaeological skills/methods.
Sport - figure skating (British Primary Champion in 1992, British Novice Champion in 1991 and a former judge at club level), football, tennis, athletics. I have translated by-laws and correspondence for international governing bodies such as FIM (motorcycling), FIBV (volleyball) and ITF (taekwondo).
More about my work
I believe translations should be readable, clear and meaningful. To produce work like this, you have to be able to see things from a reader's perspective and care about making everything make sense to an audience. When a translation contains incoherence and "translationese", this is a telltale sign that the translator hasn't understood the original or hasn't taken care in articulating an idea.
These days, much of my work involves documents for law firms preparing cases for trial. Lawyers keep coming back for my services because they appreciate my ability to produce translations they can rely on in a field where clarity and attention to detail are vital. My longest-standing client is a human rights NGO staffed by lawyers for whom I have translated Russian court judgments, prosecutors' decisions and other case documents for over 15 years.
But I'm highly experienced in other fields too, such as government, international development and international institutions. To date, I've translated over half a million words for EU institutions, mainly the European Commission. Other work has included applications for funding from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria for French-speaking and Russian-speaking countries, social services assessments for council departments in child repatriation cases, draft legislation and regulations of EU member states and government correspondence. I've also worked as an in-house translator on short-term contracts at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, so I'm extremely well versed in writing formal English.
In the field of academia, one of my most prestigious projects to date was the translation of several papers written by Russian historians for an international cultural conference held in 2006 at Kymenlaakso Summer University in Finland entitled "Research and Identity: Non-Russian Peoples in the Russian Empire".
For nine years, I regularly translated articles on a wide range of subjects for an international news website covering the Maghreb (north-west Africa) region. I also translated articles for a news website covering former Soviet states in central Asia for a year.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD): I update and improve my skills by watching CIOL and ITI webinars, reading news websites and watching films and documentaries to keep abreast of current affairs in France, Russia and Romania. I also work hard on improving my ability to speak and write my source languages. Vous pouvez communiquer avec moi en français ! / Puteți comunica cu mine în limba română!
CAT software: I work with MemoQ, which is interoperable with Trados and many other CAT tools.
PLEASE NOTE:
***If you need a sworn translation, please note that the UK does not have a system of "sworn translations". For more information, see the ITI's explanation of "official translations" here.
***I don't provide references from my clients as I respect their privacy and am an independent contractor, not a job applicant.
Translation of documents and subtitling are the only services I offer, I don't offer editing/post-editing/revision/transcription/audio translation services and don't work with machine-generated text. Please also note that I don't participate in EU or other translation tender procedures for agencies I don't have an established working relationship with.
Keywords: EU, business, legal, human rights, international development, UNESCO, ECHR, journalism, news, history. See more.EU, business, legal, human rights, international development, UNESCO, ECHR, journalism, news, history, archaeology, sport, linguistics, ice skating. See less.
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