Halifax and its translators – Partners in a common cause

“Say what we may of the inadequacy of translation, yet the work is and will always be one of the weightiest and worthiest undertakings in the general concerns of the world.” said Johan Wolfgang von Goethe. People at Halifax have always worked on creating special relationships with our translators.

- Our associates are well-educated people of many generations that above all like their job. Our task is to provide the best possible conditions for them to carry out professional, high quality and successful work. We make every effort to put a face to each name in our translators database, and by continuous communication we minimize the barriers that are inevitable when working with freelancers. We are proud of our regular gatherings that are always rewarding both from a professional and personal aspect. We value this kind of relationship with our translators and plan to develop it further in the future - Halifax said in a release.

Slobodanka Tica is one of Halifax's long-standing associates. As she has been with the company from the beginning, she is the right person to tell us about freelance work today in Serbia.

A freelance translator's experience – advantages and disadvantages (especially in working with agencies)?

- I have been in the translation business for almost 15 years, out of which 10 as a freelancer. From the beginning, my work has been a combination of my own clients and work through agencies. The advantages of working with agencies include the larger opportunities to find work and a more varied portfolio of assignments. When you work only for your own clients, most of the tasks are directly in the area of work of that particular client. Agencies like Halifax have a broader network of clients, so a translator has a chance to step out of standardised work. It is a great way to learn something new and avoid monotony.

Apart from this, larger contracts are usually won through tenders. Even if a tender application is successful, a freelancer would have difficulty in coping with such a workload. Large projects need a wide network of associates and good logistics, which well organised companies like Halifax definitely have.

Experience in working with Halifax?

- I have been working with Halifax since 2009 when the first EU directives were translated. I realised immediately that Halifax differs from other translation agencies in the care it takes of its clients, and of its translators. Our cooperation has been excellent from the beginning. They have a very professional, yet very close relationship with each translator. Communication is always fast and efficient - everything you need to know about the task is given systematically in the first e-mail. They always complete their own obligations on time. I have never needed to remind them to pay my fees, even in cases when this was not directly their responsibility.

What's more, translators are never left to themselves. It is understood that we should be able to do our job, but if we have any dilemmas or are unable to sort out a problem ourselves, Halifax' people are always ready to help. I especially like the fact that they carefully follow up on quality. They point out our mistakes so we can learn from them, but they also praise us for good work.

(at a Halifax seminar)

Halifax organises seminars to help improve the performance of its translators. What is learnt at the seminars is easily transferable in practice, and translators use that knowledge regardless of whether it is for Halifax or not. Since I have been working with Halifax, I have attended a workshop on how to use CAT tools, Trados and Wordfast, seminars on translation of the EU acquis, and so on. But we have also taken part in the relaxed gatherings that Halifax organises each year. It is a great opportunity to see known faces and to meet new ones.

Demands and conditions of the translation market – what has changed, what do you expect to happen in the future, and what would you like to see happenning?

- The first important change happened in April 2013 when translation services for state and other public bodies had to become public. It wasn't enough any more to have a good recommendation, and you have to work very hard to complete all the phases of a tender. Tenders unfortunately also introduced what is now the only criteria for a successful bid – the lowest price with no quality considerations at all. While everything around us was becoming more expensive, agencies and translators had to put their prices down, though they had been perfectly realistic to start with.

But quite apart from tenders, I have the impression that clients in general used to be prepared to engage professionals and pay a realistic price more then they do now. In the last few years translation has been given to people that are not professional translators, and whose poor translations undermine the reputation of professionals. I would like to see this change: everybody should do their own job and quality should be appreciated.