Events

MAart Offers the Highest Quality Services

MAart Agency has undergone an annual internal audit carried out by an independent certification organisation, Bureau Veritas Poland Ltd. The audit was carried out on February 9-10 and included Quality Management Systems in accordance with both the ISO 9001:2000 standards as well as with the specialised European industry standard PN-EN15038, which covers translation, localisation and project management services. MAart has possessed both certificates for many years and this year was no exception, the audit was passed with flying colours. The highest possible score (100% conformity) yet again confirmed that MAart offers premium quality services.

MAart partners with MFF WATCH DOCS

Once again, MAart has partnered with the WATCH DOCS Human Rights in Film – International Film Festival (8th edition). The aim of the festival is to promote human rights and freedom of speech. It was held on 5-14 December in Warsaw and attended by approximately 15,000 viewers, who had the opportunity to meet more than 40 international guests. Over 90 film productions were screened in two Warsaw cinemas – Muranów and Kino Lab at Ujazdowski Castle. Each of every festival award went to women. The Jacek Kuroń Award for Best Short Film was awarded to two productions: an Israeli film “To See if I’m Smiling” directed by Tamar Yarom, and a Dutch film “Fighting the Silence” directed by sisters Femke and Ilse van Velzen. The Romanian director Adina Pintilie received a special mention for the film “Don’t Get Me Wrong”. The festival’s main prize was awarded to the Brazilian film “Behave” by Maria Augusta Ramos. Two films received a special mention: a French-Lebanese documentary “I want to See” by Joanna Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, and an American production “The Sari Soldiers” by Julie Bridgham. The audience award went to Beata Dzianowicz for her film “Kites”.

Trainings

New CAT system in MAart

In the final quarter of 2008, MAart Agency Ltd. implemented MemoQ by Kilgray, an advanced CAT system that will further assist the translation process and project management. On 16-18 January, we organised a two-day training session for users. The training was conducted by one of the Development Managers at Kilgray, Gábor Ugray, who is also one of the creators of the system. Participants included not only Project Managers and staff from quality and control departments, but also freelancers that we cooperate with on a regular basis. The MemoQ system is not only simple, universal and very user friendly, it also offers, in addition to the usual file management functionality, on-line access to terminology and TM databases. This was the first in a series of training courses scheduled for 2009. More information about MemoQ can be found at: http://en.kilgray.com/

Exclusive Contracts

Another exclusive contract with CdT - chemical translation project

We are pleased to inform that MAart Agency has been awarded another exclusive contract by the Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union (CdT) for English to Polish translation - a chemical translation project (FL/CHEM08).

Social campaign „[Let’s] Translate Poland (before 2012)” – “Przetłumaczmy [razem] Polskę (przed 2012)”

MAart is pleased to invite you to participate in our social campaign “[Let’s] Translate Poland (before 20012)”. Our aim is to improve the quality and quantity of translated information made available to foreign visitors. It is high time that we took into our own hands the responsibility for the quality of translation in order to effectively promote our country and culture among foreigners. Our goal is to utilise our knowledge and experience in order to provide broad access to the most important aspects of our every day life in a fashion that is universal and uniform, as well as understandable.

We invite everyone to take an active part in our campaign. The aim is to create a catalogue of notions and terms that will form a basis of a uniform mode underlying the way information is communicated to the public. We also encourage you to assist us in designing a map of attractive and representative places that will be ‘comprehensible’ to visitors from abroad who want to know our country better. We invite you to send us pictures depicting absurd mistakes and slips of the pen, and we encourage you to provide us with translation proposals (involving most popular European languages) of information contained in texts of announcements and signs in the following fields:

• Transport and logistics: airports, train and bus stations, bus and tram stops, means of transport (trains, buses, trams, metro etc.), roads (signs, parking meters etc.) etc.

• Tourism: tourist attractions (museums, castles, etc.), tourist information points, tourist route signs, maps, guides, souvenirs, etc.

• Infrastructure: accommodation (hotels, motels, pensions, farm tourism, flats and apartments for rent), boarding (restaurants, menus), entertainment (clubs, cinemas, theatres).

To encourage participation in our campaign, we have the pleasure to announce a competition for:

• the largest number of translation proposals,

• the best translation of an announcement or information for tourists who do not know Polish, and

• the funniest pictures or scans presenting slips of the pen appearing in the above mentioned, and pictures showing inappropriate, or inadequate use of announcements..

The winner will be announced in December 2009. Remaining participants will take part in a prize draw.

“[Let’s] Translate Poland (before 2012)” campaign has been divided into the following stages:

• Collecting of pictures and materials involving the lack of translations, mistranslations and absurdities (May-September 2009);

• Translating information and announcements, creating a catalogue-dictionary of socially relevant notions and terms (October 2009);

• Passing on the catalogue to media representatives and institutions, as well as administrative bodies responsible for the effective and proper promotion of our country, culture and national heritage (POT, PAIZ, city offices, museums, etc.) (November 2009);

• Finalising of the competition (December 2009);

• Creating a map of “comprehensible” and attractive places in Poland (2010).

Everyone interested in taking part in “[Let’s] Translate Poland (before 2012)” campaign is welcome to send in comments, pictures and translation samples by September 30, 2009 to: m.zawierzeniec@maart.pl.

Let’s use our knowledge and experience for a good cause! Let’s translate Poland together so that foreigners feel at home here!

Did you know that...

OASIS is an international non-profit organisation that associates five thousand members (both individuals and companies) from around the world. The organisation develops and implements e-business standards, including online standards. MAart Agency, due to its membership in the Polish Association of Translation Companies, is also a member of OASIS.

For more information see: http://www.oasis-open.org/home/index.php.

Katarzyna Oleś, a graduate of the Department of Psychology of Cross Cultural Relations at the Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities, is MAart’s Human Resources Specialist. Everyone interested in cooperation with MAart Agency as well as anyone starting their career with us is welcome to contact her.

For more information about MAart People visit www.MAart.pl, the About MAart section.

MAART’S SECRET WEAPON
A database of professional and experienced translators is an unquestionable advantage of MAart Agency in the translation services market

Monika Baczyńska talks to Katarzyna Oleś, Human Resources Specialist, responsible for recruitment processes at MAart Agency

The PN 15038 standards apply to both the basic translation processes and to other aspects of providing translation services, including ensuring quality and project management. It is based also on a complex procedure of translators’ recruitment… How is the recruitment process conducted?

Katarzyna Oleś: In accordance with the requirements of the EN 15038 standards, potential translators should: be university graduates in the field of linguistics, philology, translation or a similar specialisation, have an equivalent education in another field, and have, at least, two years of documented experience in translation, or they should have at least five years of documented experience in translation.

Translators interested in cooperation with us are asked to submit a questionnaire for translators (available on our website), a CV, as well as references and other documents (e.g. copies of certification in court translation, certificates, diplomas etc.). After registering, the candidate is asked to perform a sample translation from a field of their selection, which is subsequently verified by our Quality Control Department. The evaluation of the sample translation determines our final decision concerning cooperation.

Who has the best chances for translating for MAart?

Katarzyna Oleś: MAart Agency cooperates with translators and revisers who, in addition to having an appropriate educational background and professional experience, also possess specialised knowledge in the agency’s areas of interest, and who are ready to raise their qualifications and to use computer assisted translation tools (CAT). As far as interpreters are concerned - relevant experience is indispensable.

MAart Agency has been a leader on the translation market since 1991. We specialise in translation of technical, legal, medical and financial texts. What interesting projects can MAart’s co-workers take part in?

Katarzyna Oleś: We are the only Polish translation agency that translates for the European Parliament and therefore we need experienced partners to carry out translations of EU documents. Moreover, we also welcome cooperation with translators who specialise in translations for pharmaceutical concerns, as well as specialists from various areas of industry. We are looking for experts in specific languages and fields simply because professional translators are MAart’s secret weapon, and a database of experienced translators is an unquestionable advantage our agency has on the market.

Jan Brzechwa – Oh Spring!

Naplotkowała sosna,
że już się zbliża wiosna.
Kret skrzywił się ponuro:
– Przyjedzie pewno furą...
Jeż się najeżył srodze:
– Raczej na hulajnodze.
Wąż syknął: Ja nie wierzę,
przyjedzie na rowerze.
Kos gwizdnął: – Wiem coś o tym,
przyleci samolotem.
– Skąd znowu – rzekła sroka –
ja z niej nie spuszczam oka
i w zeszłym roku w maju
widziałam ją w tramwaju.
– Nieprawda! Wiosna zwykle
przyjeżdża motocyklem!
– A ja wam tu dowiodę,
że właśnie samochodem.
– Nieprawda, bo w karecie!
– W karecie? – Cóż pan plecie?
Oświadczyć mogę krótko,
że płynie własną łódką!
A wiosna przyszła pieszo.
Już kwiaty za nią spieszą,
już trawy przed nią rosną
i szumią: – Witaj, wiosno!