99 % of our clients are satisfied with our services!

As part of M21 Global’ continuous improvement process, we started sending an automatic satisfaction survey to all our clients. Our e-mail, sent after the requested work had been delivered, had four questions:

1. What is your level of satisfaction with our services in general?

2. How likely are you to recommend our services to a colleague or friend?

3. What is your level of satisfaction regarding the service received?

4. What is your level of satisfaction regarding the translation service rendered?

Between 1 March and 2 May 2019, we sent approximately 300 surveys and, of those, received 58 replies. This number amounts to a sample close to 20 % of all the clients we worked with during this 3-month period, which leads us to believe that the result obtained may be extrapolated to the total number of clients in our portfolio.

If we also bear in mind that less satisfied clients are more likely to give their opinion than satisfied ones, then these numbers take on a fantastic dimension, which leaves us very satisfied.

The clients that answered our survey fall into the following categories:

• Foreign and/or Multinational Companies 45 %
• Portuguese PLC 22 %
• Portuguese LLC 14 %
• Public Entities 7 %
• Private Clients 7 %
• Law Firms 5 %

The answers received to the 4 questions were the following:

Management and Translation: Do not put off difficult conversations

Constantly putting off dealing with a situation that must be solved, by avoiding or delaying a difficult conversation, can undermine your workplace environment. Unwanted behaviours may perpetuate over time, solidifying attitudes, infecting other co-workers and turning a conversation that could be easy at first into an increasingly more difficult one.

Go straight to the point.
After greeting and establishing a rapport with the other person, approach the matter outright at the beginning of the conversation, in order for the conversation to proceed with a good atmosphere.

Do not beat around the bush and do not be hasty. Lay out the facts or the situation you want to clarify. Do not be judgemental.
This communication style is more open and less threatening.

Treat the other person like they wish to be treated.
There is an old adage that says we should treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves. But people are not all the same, and not all communication styles suit all people. What is important to you may not be important to the other person, and similarly, details you do not consider important may be crucial to the other person. Keep in mind who is in front of you, and try to figure out what communication style is most effective with them. Treat them like they would wish to be treated.

Emotion prevails during a difficult conversation.
The other party may be, or think that they are, right and should, therefore, be able to state their point of view. Do not assume you are 100% right in your beliefs or that the other person is 100% wrong. Even if you disagree with what is being said, instead of immediately denying it, ask questions so to force the other party to reflect and give you time to formulate suitable answers.

When in disagreement, you should be prepared to listen, ask clarifying questions and, only after, should you worry about speaking.
You do not need to talk too much, it is even more important to listen so you are able to understand and deconstruct the other party’s point of view. Show you are paying attention to what is being said and encourage the other party to develop their thoughts. Ask open-ended questions that cannot be answered with “yes” or “no”. Check if both of you are understanding each other by rephrasing what was said so each party can validate it.

Above all, do not avoid difficult conversations just because you anticipate they may be unpleasant. Expect the best possible scenario, but prepare for the worst.

(See also https://hbr.org/2017/05/how-to-have-difficult-conversations-when-you-dont-like-conflict)

Translation: What is a legally certified translation?

Translators in some countries do not hold the position of “certified translator”. Legally certified translations are signed by a translator, and their signature is certified by a lawyer or notary public.

A legally certified translation consists of the following three parts:

1) The document or text in the original language.

2) The text translated in the target language.

3) A statement signed by the translator and certified by a lawyer or notary public, in which the translator declares on oath that the translation was prepared by them, and that it is true to the original version of the document.

A translation legally certified to be used in a foreign country can also need an Apostille. The Apostille is a formality in which the Attorney General’s Office certifies the authenticity of public acts (in this case, the certification of a translation issued by a lawyer or notary public). The countries that accept the Apostille are only those that have ratified or acceded to the Hague Convention. The Hague Convention website contains the updated list of all signatory and acceding countries: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=29.

It is important to bear in mind that the legally certified translation includes all the documents listed above, and that none of these documents may be removed or unattached, as the legally certified translation will lose its validity. This means that if you wish to request the translation of an original document that you might need to use in the future for other purposes, you should not submit it for translation, but rather obtain a certified copy of it. A Birth Certificate, a Course Diploma, medical statements and others are examples of these documents. In short, all those documents that are difficult or impossible to obtain again, or when the cost for obtaining them is unfeasible.

Please contact us if you have any further questions regarding legally certified translations: info@m21global.com.

Don’t waste your time when requesting a translation

1 – You’re wasting time if you don’t identify yourself – An unidentified request raises questions and implies one more phone call or e-mail to which you must respond, which slows down the whole process. It’s best to identify yourself right from the start, so that we can offer you a budget that fits your needs. Send us your name or the name of the entity for whom you work, address, direct telephone number and Taxpayer No., so that we can register your quote. Don’t waste time, IDENTIFY YOURSELF.

2 – You’re wasting time if you don’t refer the target language – It may be just a simple mistake, forgetfulness, or because you always want to translate into the same language, but those who receive your request don’t know it. Remember that we work with dozens of language combinations simultaneously. Don’t waste your time, TELL US THE TARGET LANGUAGE.

3 – You’re wasting time if you don’t tell us your real deadline – You need your translation for yesterday and, for this reason, you state that the same is very urgent? Please tell us the delivery date for when you really need the work. Asking for unnecessary short deadlines does not help, it only complicates and increases the translation cost. Indicating the time limit available allows us to deliver you the most effective service. Don’t waste time, TELL US YOUR REAL DELIVERY DEADLINE.

4 – You’re wasting time if you don’t send the contents for translation – A quote request that refers only to the number of pages, lines or words for translation is not quotable. We need to analyse the text to be translated. On a quote request, there are several factors which influence the final price, such as the size of the text, the complexity of the theme, the level of technical specificity, or even the format in which it is delivered. If you have the document in its original format, for example, in Word or InDesign, don’t send us a PDF. Save time and money, SEND US THE FILE IN THE ORIGINAL EDITABLE FORMAT.

5 – You’re wasting time if you don’t clarify our doubts – When submitting your request, try to be informed about the translation process. The work goes through various stages, it’s not simply changing the text into another language. Don’t consider the translation company’s requests eccentric, such as the need of the award of service to be done in writing, the delivery of a glossary of terms used by your company or the contact of the person who can clear up any doubts. They help make our work easier and faster, and contribute to a translation with the best possible quality. Don’t waste time, ANSWER OUR REQUESTS.

9 habits to eliminate from your life so 2017 can still be a successful year

How about letting go of old habits and ending the year on a high note?

At the beginning of each new year, most people make a list of things they wish to accomplish. However, few will have been accomplished by the time December comes around. One by one, most resolutions are abandoned throughout the year – or, in many cases, even before the end of January.

Entrepreneurs, translators and other professionals will be happier if they let go of some bad habits that harm them, lower their productivity and prevent them from achieving success and personal satisfaction.

1. Spending too much time on social networks, especially during working hours
Social networks are the main cause of procrastination in the workplace. Losing oneself in Facebook posts may even be fun, but it is incapacitating and distracting. Only use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social networks during leisure time. Also turn off notifications on your phone. If someone has an urgent need to contact you they will phone you and not send you a message.

2. Do not multitask
A study conducted at the University of Utah, in the United States, shows a rather surprising result: only 2% of people can in fact perform more than one task at the same time. According to this research, the brain of so-called “supertaskers” is different from that of the remaining 98% of the population. Thus, the odds of being part of the group of people who can truly multitask is small, and it is therefore not worth trying to multitask. When you want to focus on a particular task, close all application and browser windows on your computer, except for those that are actually needed to accomplish the task at hand.

3. Stop comparing yourself to others
You cannot win at the game of comparison. There will always be someone more intelligent, beautiful, rich, and [apparently] happy than you. A professional must be able to focus on themselves, on their goals, health and state of mind.

4. Stop complaining
In fact, it’s not worth constantly complaining about everything, for no good reason whatsoever or over all the evils of the world. Pay attention to what you say. This not only affects you but also the people around you. The more positive things are said, the more positive things happen. A professional must be an optimist.

Some scepticism is always good but the pessimist does not change the world, does not motivate others and does not have innovative ideas. Pessimism only brings those around the pessimist down.

5. Don’t waste time with negative people
If certain people do not love or support you there should be no room for them in your life. However, the idea is not to seek confrontation, but to stop making yourself available. These people will not notice your reduced availability, because they are very focused on themselves.

6. Get rid of long and unnecessary meetings
Less meetings means more productivity. Schedule the meeting, share your ideas, deal with the points on the agenda and go off to do what you need to. Meetings need to be productive. Create an agenda for each meeting with the topics that need to be addressed. While checking the subjects, ask your colleagues to share what task they are working on and what work they have already completed. It works better and will reduce the time spent in meetings in half.

7. Let go of the habit of self-sabotage
Many professionals live life listening to that voice in their head that constantly says “I’m not good enough” or “I can’t do it”. You need to let go of this habit and stimulate some other, which keeps you productive. Working, exercising and contributing positively to society are some of the habits that can make you happier, whole and successful.

8. Do not boast about goals that have not yet been achieved
At a TEDGlobal Conference in 2010, entrepreneur Derek Sivers explained this idea: when we announce to the world what we want to achieve, the brain is lead to believe these goals have already been achieved. This implies that the effort and focus which are required to achieve them will be diminished.

9. Only concern yourself with what is under your control
If you’re an entrepreneur, remember that there are a number of variables that are outside of your control. There is no point spending nights awake in worry about what cannot be solved. It is a waste of time, energy and resources. We can only control what we eat, what we think and what we do.

Instead of focusing on the new habits we are going to build or the new goals that we are going to pursue, it may be more productive to focus on those habits that are holding us back and preventing us from being better, and to slowly try to change and eliminate them from our lives. There are still 5 months to go until the end of the year. If we can avoid carrying on with any of these negative habits, we will have a successful year, and one that is more in line our expectations.

[Please also check: https://www.inc.com/chris-dessi/17-bad-habits-you-need-to-kill-in-2017-to-be-more-successful.html]

A wandering mind is an unhappy mind

A study conducted by psychologists at Harvard University showed that people spend 47 % of their waking hours thinking about something other than what they are doing; this wandering of the mind makes them unhappy.

“The ability to think about what is not happening is a cognitive achievement that has a high emotional cost” say the authors Killingsworth and Gilbert, the psychologists at Harvard who conducted the study.

Unlike other animals, human beings spend a lot of time thinking about what is not going on around them: contemplating events that happened in the past, might happen in the future or will never happen at all.

People are happier when making love, exercising or talking. People are less happy when resting, working or when they use a computer at home.

According to the authors, “the level of mind wandering is an excellent predictor of people’s happiness” and the frequency with which our minds leave the present, and where they wander off to, is a better indicator of unhappiness than the activities that we are actually developing.

The study shows that the mind wandering is usually the cause, not the consequence, of unhappiness.

“Many philosophical and religious traditions teach that happiness is to be found by living in the present moment, and practitioners are trained to resist mind wandering and “to be here now.” These traditions suggest that a wandering mind is an unhappy mind”, according to the authors.

The growing practice of Eastern disciplines, such as Yoga and Meditation, certainly correspond to an inner need in people.

This new study suggests, according to the authors, that these practices are correct.

But how can we train our minds to be more present?

Make each day a watertight compartment. Dwelling on the past or worrying about the future is completely useless. Think of the future only when you need to make plans. Register the plan and follow it when deemed appropriate. If the plan, over time, becomes unfit, change it. Make plans, but don’t worry. Note that the word preoccupation means “pre-occupation” (from the Latin praeoccupatiōne-, «prior occupation»).

Live the present moment. If you are driving, observe the signs, your speed, the distance to the car ahead and drive carefully. Don’t drive thinking about the meeting you’re going to have, nor what happened before you left the house. Listen to music and not to the news. Play a relaxing CD.

When you want to be informed on what’s going on, listen to the news or read the paper – but do just that.

If you are in the company of other people, focus on them and on the conversation you’re having. Don’t be absent.

Before arriving to work, for example, while still in your parked car, or on the way to the train, try to spend 10 minutes paying attention to the present moment. Close your eyes, relax, sit in an upright position, concentrate on your breathing. Inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale. Where appropriate, count to 10 while making these movements. You will notice that a number of times your mind will be wandering, chasing some thought. When you notice that you’re wandering, concentrate once again on your breathing. Above all, don’t worry if your mind is always wandering, enjoy these moments of calm and concentration.

Protect yourself from the e-mail: treat the e-mail as the classic mail: it only comes once a day. Do not read your e-mail repeatedly (unless you have to, for work-related reasons). Don’t stand guard to it.

Throughout the day, try to keep your attention on the present moment, on the tasks you are actively carrying out and on what is actually happening in your day. Try to get a few moments to take a deep breath and concentrate on the present moment. After lunch, try setting an alarm on your mobile phone to beep once every hour. Each time the phone beeps, stop what you’re doing and concentrate on your breathing for one minute. Keep your mind concentrate on your breathing (“the present moment”).

Finally, at the end of the day, after work and on your way home, stop, once again, for 10 minutes. Turn off the radio, switch off your mobile phone and, during this period, simply be present. Let all the thoughts that appear to pass and flow away. Just concentrate on your breathing. This way, you will release your work stress, you can prepare yourself to return home and actually be present with your family.

Companies and Business

We have the technical and human resources required to create excellent translations with unmatched quality. Under the technical area of Companies and Business, to name a recurring technical area, we have already translated more than 50 million words with emphasis on the economic, tax, legal, financial and administrative areas, in more than 25 languages.

In addition to the traditional languages – Portuguese, English, French, Spanish and German – we also translate into all the languages of the European Union, such as Italian, Flemish or Danish. We also translate into Russian, Arab and Chinese.

Clients who engage in the internationalisation of their businesses and dozens of start-up companies have sought M21 Global to assist them, receiving a top quality service for less money. We offer all written translation services, copydesk, final proofs for graphic arts, for both national and international markets, market research and new foreign contacts, also providing import/export support, in all its aspects.

Internet

Your company’s website is now a window into your company and, more than ever, your privileged point of sale. It’s important that the website conveys the appropriate message in the important business languages and that it’s functional, intuitive and easy to use. The website should be prepared, early on from its creation, to be found on the first search results page (SEO). A website that isn’t found is an invisible website. An invisible website is a website that doesn’t sell, accumulating losses.

An invisible website is also one that is only in English. More and more, residents in the United Kingdom have another mother tongue that is not English. Translating your website into the main languages doesn’t substantially increase its cost and it brings you immeasurable visibility returns in new markets.

With M21 Global, internationalisation will be more effective and economic! Above all, it will be of better quality!

What translation service best fits your goals?

In order to achieve a specific goal, a company or a private individual may need a translation. We are living in a global village, where our client, supplier, partner, or any contact really, may speak a foreign language.

There are numerous and different purposes for a translation. Without listing all of them, here as some examples of the needs that we are faced with every day:

• catalogue for end clients (B2C, individual targets – low risk decisions);
• catalogues for business clients (B2B, collective targets – increased risk decisions);
• technical specifications;
• technical manuals (for professionals) or user manuals (end consumer);
• applications for the introduction of new pharmaceutical products on the market;
• contracts (final drafts or working copy);
• legal claims;
• advertising;
• public relations;
• newsletters, publications in general circulation newspapers or specialized or scientific journals;
• book publications;
• publication on a company’s website or social media;
• website content optimisation on search engines (SEO);
• invitations to tender;
• employee CVs;
• personal or business documents;
• certificates;
• financial reports;
• etc., etc.

The purpose and quality of the expected result determine the level of service, style that will be used, whether there is a need for a re-write, whether final graphic editing is required, among other considerations.

Before contacting a translation company, you should ensure that it meets the requirements in order for it to provide the required service. There are a large number of translation service providers in the market, and many profess to render a service, which they are unqualified to supply. Acquiring experience, technical knowledge, technological resources and terminology databases and training human resources requires major investments and time.

m21global.com offers the most suitable service, at the best price for each purpose. We have been in the market for over 10 years, having translated more than 60 million words in the most diverse fields, with the most varied objectives.

Our company complies with the ISO 17100 Quality Standard, specific to the translation industry.

When requesting a translation please state its ultimate purpose, the most realistic deadline time that you want (unnecessary tight deadlines lead to higher costs and prevent us from providing the most appropriate service), and any other unique specifications of your company and your needs.

By hiring us you can rest assured. Neither your company nor your position will be at risk.

Should you have doubts concerning the translation or if you believe that it does not meet your specification, we will answer your questions or redo the work until you are satisfied, at no additional cost. Our after-sales service only ends when the client so determines.

We are here for you. Contact us today so that we can provide you with the most suitable quote.

Join us!

What Is The New Iso 17100 Translation Standard

This standard, which replaces the European standard EN15038, was published on 1 May 2015 and specifies the new requirements for translation services: ISO 17100: 2015. The fact that the European standard is the basis of the new international standard is an indicator of the validity of the EN 15038, also being a sign that it was positively received by all stakeholders, suppliers and customers.

The standard presents the necessary requirements for the provision of a high-quality translation service. What were, then, the main changes that have been introduced?

• The new standard provides an extended list of forty-two terms and definitions regarding different concepts pertaining to translation services, the translation workflow and technology and the control of the translation process, among others.
• It also takes into consideration the tools and IT systems as a support to the translation process. According to the standard, translators and reviewers as well as translation service providers should have the necessary knowledge and resources to be able to carry out the technical tasks required by the translation project.
• It distinguishes between various types of review: check, revision, review, proofreading and final verification. The check is an overall self-revision of the translation by the translator prior to delivery. The revision is mandatory and must include a bilingual comparison of the source and target languages. The review is a monolingual revision of the target language by an expert who is not necessarily a translator. The proofreading is the final revision prior to printing. The project manager must then carry out the final verification to confirm that all specifications have been met.
• The translation project manager profile is defined by the ISO Standard 17100: 2015 as responsible for all aspects of the production process. The steps that should be carried out when managing a translation project are also specified.
• It also establishes the processes and phases of a translation project. It distinguishes between pre-production, production and post-production processes, as well as providing a breakdown of each one of the activities involved in each phase.

The new standard includes six informative annexes with suggestions, such as contractual specifications, translation technologies or management forms and reports. As of the date of its publication, organisations must be certified according to the ISO 17100: 2015.

Yes, Let’s Do It! (*)

There is nothing permanent except change (Heraclitus, 2,500 years ago)

M21GLOBAL helps you to harness change, be it in the technique in the production, in marketing or in sales… M21GLOBAL helps you to produce, to create, to sell, to innovate, to reach your audience, whether it is in France, or on the other side of the World.

In 1990, digital technology took its first steps in replacing the analogue phone. Motorola, pioneer in mobile telephony and holder of this technology its main market, hesitated.

In the internal debate, it was argued: should Motorola keep its focus on the analogue, or switch to digital? Should it continue with their skills or start a new game from a weak position? Can both technologies coexist side by side? Or only one will survive?

All of the company’s engineers stood by the analogue. Digital was simply inferior as a means of storing and transmitting audio:

• 60 % of the information contained in the original analogue message was lost in the scanning process.

What these engineers didn’t want to see was that, for most users, the advantages of digital technology (small size and low price) exceeded by far the losses many times undetectable during scanning.

The engineers had devoted much of their lives to the analogue technology and a change to the digital would force them to lower their standards and learn a lot from scratch. So, it was easier to see the negative than the positive aspects.

The end result was that Motorola’s changeover to digital took much longer than it needed to. The company lost the industry leadership that it had invented in 1973 for a rookie, Nokia, and, today, it is only a brand purchased by China’s Lenovo. Sony, another giant of the analogue, lost market share due to its preference for the analogue.

In recorded music, the replacement of Vinyl (analogue and with better sound quality) with CD (digital), and, finally, the option of online streaming was a natural one, because the digital era was already among us.

The very invention of the phone found resistance. No one thought it was useful.

At a conference on new 3D printing technology in the industry, everyone found reasons not to use it:

• A young woman took the podium and said: “I’m glad I didn’t meet you before. Otherwise, my company wouldn’t have billed 40 million dollars last year. You are so busy looking for what 3D printing can’t do and prefer to ignore what it can do!”

This reaction to what is new is a recurrent one. The prospect of abandoning investments already made and not yet amortised is terrifying, not assuming that simply staying in the course leads to disaster.

The secret to avoid stagnation and resistance to change is a process in which one says “Yes, let’s do it”.

This YES, LET’S DO IT process can be summed up into 4 steps:

1. Gather updated knowledge from the outside.

Do not rely solely on internal experts – some of them can be guardians of the status quo. Find out who’s doing what. Contact with universities and bring their experts into mixed learning teams, but make sure that these don’t dominate the discussion.

2. Take one small step at a time.

Build knowledge and reduce internal resistance through incremental experiences, explore and adapt to new technological developments or others.

3. Focus and set priorities.

No company can explore many possibilities all at once. You should start with the most promising and feasible options, and build on each small victory.

4. Look for the long term.

How does the present prepare for the future? What are the possible scenarios? How to prepare for the most likely scenarios in the future? What are the social and political changes possible?

M21GLOBAL is a translation company with over 10 years of experience in the national and international markets, having already translated more than 200 million words. Contact us, we can help your company in the most diverse fields.

M21GLOBAL

(with contributions from the Harvard Business Review)