In February this year I thought it was high time I stepped into my clients’ shoes – by attending a technical exhibition. Although having translated many a press release for trade fairs across Europe covering industries as varied as electronics, machine tools, automotive and pet care, I had never set foot in one myself. Thanks to its convenient location and relevant remit, the Southern Manufacturing & Electronics Exhibition 2009 was the place to start.
I was interested to see how the companies presented themselves on their stands so I could better visualise how my future translations would be displayed as part of a marketing campaign. Since my work often involves the translation of machine tool manuals, I was also eager to see the machining centres being demonstrated and several company representatives were kind enough to give a brief explanation of their model’s particular features. No matter how good the diagrams in a user guide, certainly nothing beats seeing a machine operating in 3D.
Although I am sure I would have benefited more from the exhibition in terms of acquiring technical insight had my fiancé (an engineer) been able to accompany me, it nevertheless impressed upon me why it’s so important to make sure trade fair literature hits its mark.
Ramblings of a translator through languages and translation
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About Me
- Nicola Bottrell Hayward
- Brought up in the UK, I became passionate about languages when I was at school. Little did I know when I embarked on the language trail that it would take me through France, Germany, Belgium and even Russia. I had my first taste of the translation industry in 2001 and never looked back, setting up my own business as a freelance translator in 2007.
