Multilingual Communication
with an unconventional approach

Our approach

Untranslate will translate your content,
but in an unconventional way.

At “Untranslate” we don’t believe that things should be done a certain way just because it’s always been like that.

The name “Untranslate” is inspired by similar business concepts like “unconference” that feature open discussions rather than having a single speaker at the front of the room giving a talk. We adapt this approach to translation. Instead of offering one-size-fits-all services, we look at the purpose of your communication, the intended audience and project parameters like timeframe and budget.

Service levels can be differentiated: we mutually agree the most appropriate production process and quality approach. From fully automated to various combinations of people and technology to translation solely informed by a translator’s deep knowledge of a subject and flair for a specific language. So whether it be reaching out, selling, instructing, explaining or whatever message you want to cultivate, we ensure your communication achieves its goal.

Successful translation requires a clear understanding of goals and unhindered, fit for purpose production flows to unlock the power of communication:

UNDERSTAND GOALS

Unlike most other agencies we don’t believe that one approach fits all. That makes us unconventional. We can promise translation in one hour, fast online quotes and even a standard approach to 75 languages.
But first we are interested in understanding the context and purpose of your communication. This way we share our expertise from the outset and help define the right quality, time, process and budget with you. And then set about delivering what is agreed.

UNHINDER PRODUCTION

Sometimes translation is an art. At other times translation tasks are repetitive and can at least partially be completed with technology. In some cases full automation is the only viable option.

Whether its web-based workflow, automatic translation, term management, translation memories, filters or connectors to content management, we at Untranslate know these tools through-and-through. We ensure the right choices are made so that the right production process is used for each communication.

UNLOCK COMMUNICATION

Translation has a simple and important goal of helping people of different languages communicate with each other. On the other hand people want the translation to seem native and not like a translation at all.
Companies often see translation as a cost of doing business. Yet actually translation can unlock your message and open up new markets. Top brands across industry sectors testify to the link between a good multilingual presence and financial performance.

Our services

Untranslate provides translation services, which simply comes down to conveying a message in another language. Yet different types of translated content have different goals, volumes and timeframes associated with them. We agree with you upfront which Untranslate services are best suited to your business goals:

POST-EDITING

Post-editing is what a translator does to correct output generated by automated translation systems. It contrasts with pre-editing, which is the editing of source text in preparation for translation.
When post-editing is undertaken the challenge for translation companies is to ensure that the combination of technology and translator is faster and produces at least as consistent a quality as any other production process. We have a long track record of ensuring this challenge is met.

TRANSCREATION

Transcreation is the translation of content so that the emotional intent in one language still resonates in other languages and cultures. This requires copywriters who are able to maintain intent, style, tone and context. We usually recommend transcreation for advertising and marketing copy. The whole production process may take longer than a straight forward, industry standard translate, edit, proof approach, but the results will unlock the power of communication and can give back many-fold.

TERM MANAGEMENT

At a minimum we want the right terms used for the context and sector in question. So that we understand what is being said. Sometimes terms are used with the hope of differentiating from competitors.
Once you get terms right in your first language of business, the translation challenge is to get them just as right in every subsequent language with consistent use across communications. That way your brand and messaging are clear and helpful to the reader. Excellent term management is the foundation for excellent translations, whether by humans or using technology. Our expertise in excellent term management goes back two decades.

Our technology

WEB PORTAL

With the Untranslate Translation Platform, you can order new translations, download completed translations and provide feedback. You can get a quote in real time for you to approve before the project kicks off and source files are sent to the most suitable production flow and translator.
From within your personal account you have access to a project dashboard, which is available 24/7. Online reports give you an overview of all projects, providing data on translation volumes and status per language.

ONLINE COLLABORATION

Translation 2.0 offers the ability for people to collaborate and share information in real time. Translators don’t have to install software but can instead produce their translations online, in context and within the layout of the actual publication or website. Workflows can be custom created involving global teams whereby tasks are allocated automatically and notifications sent out to all stakeholders. Dynamic reporting allows project managers as well as customers to be in full control of the projects at all times, and reduces administrative overhead.

AUTOMATIC TRANSLATION

Automatic Translation, known as Machine Translation, automatically translates text from one natural language to another. The technology has been around for quite a while now and has matured over the last ten years. Although the quality depends on language pair, source text and the engine being deployed, it is usually more than good enough for getting the gist out of a message or increasing a translator’s productivity. Machine Translation is not perfect and as such not 100% reliable for publication purposes, but if the end result – after review and correction – reaches an acceptable quality level without spending more time on the post-editing step, there is ROI.

CMS INTEGRATION

An integration automates the sending content and receiving of translations between your Content Management System and the translation platform. Whenever you add or modify a page, article or node in your CMS, the plugin will send the text to be translated to the translation platform and a new project will be created. When the translation is ready, the corresponding page will be created in the target language where the translation is then published. This saves a lot of work in copy-pasting translations but also makes sure that copy in every language are synchronised at all times.

TRANSLATION MEMORIES

A translation memory is a database that stores your translations for future reuse. If you request a translation that is partly identical or similar to a previous job, the translated sentences will be retrieved and proposed to the translator automatically. This results in a faster and cheaper translation cycle, which also reduces cost and ensures more stylistically consistent translations.

TERMINOLOGY

Terminology is ideally managed in a web-based and userfriendly environment which contains concepts, definitions, context, images and equivalents in multiple languages. Stakeholders from departments in the organisation such as Marketing, Corporate Communication and Legal can be invited to help validate the terms through specially designed workflows. The termbank is connected to the translation editor so that translators are notified of the presence of validated terms in the source language.

Partnerships

Contact Us

UNTRANSLATE

Untranslate specialises in multilingual communication services.
The name “Untranslate” is inspired by similar business concepts like “unconference” that feature open discussions rather than having a single speaker at the front of the room giving a talk.
We adapt this approach to translation. Instead of offering one-size-fits-all services, we look at the purpose of your communication, the intended audience and project parameters like timeframe and budget. We then mutually agree the most appropriate process and quality. If technology can contribute to a more (cost-)efficient production process, we will definitely adopt it.

NATHALIE DE SUTTER

Untranslate is managed by Nathalie De Sutter. Her interest in linguistics was sparked early in life when she studied Latin, Oriental Languages and Multilingual Business Communication. She has been involved in all aspects of the language business in the last fifteen years. From being a computational linguist for a Text-to-Speech Hindu and Urdu system, to a technical writer, to a translation project manager serving mainly Japanese clients, to most recently, a language technology consultant serving some of the largest and most innovative global corporations.
She is a recognised and highly regarded translation industry and language technology expert and has spoken at many conferences and seminars over the years. She combines her management position at Untranslate with guest lectureships on Translation Automation technologies at KU Leuven and Zuyd Hogeschool (Maastricht).

CRONOS

Untranslate is part of the Cronos Group. We can therefore tap into various skills of the other competence centers (e-commerce, content management, integration technologies, networking, etc.). This results in robust, scalable solutions for your multilingual communication needs.

Multilingual Communication with an unconventional approach