Sally Walker Language Services

Traduction • Composition et éditique • Interpretariat professionels

Histoire de la société

When I first opened my doors to offer translation services, it was 1969 and my equipment consisted of a small desk, a telephone and a manual typewriter.

Why a Language Service? This question was often posed by people in industry and commerce, the implication being that it would be better for them to engage translators and interpreters themselves. But I also knew the problems which companies had encountered when they had done just that for a specific project. My job was to match the job with the most appropriately qualified translator - and one that had kept up over time with the changes in style in their mother tongue.

In the heart of Bristol’s business area, where I had my office, document translation was synonymous with Sally Walker Language Services. It became more than just a reliable service - it was part of the local vocabulary! The service became known for its energy, enthusiasm and professionalism. I saw the importance of businesses communicating directly with their clients in their own language. And knew that the quality of that language should be of the highest standard.

What does this mean in practical terms? The language used should be clear and natural to the Czech, the Arab or the Peruvian. The words they are reading should be not only idiomatically and grammatically perfect but also communicate at precisely the right level - a translation of instructions on how to operate a piece of industrial machinery would not be written in the same personality as the translation on the back of a cereal packet. With in-house translators and daily contact with principal freelance translators and technical experts, we know with which translator each job should be placed.

Following this ethos, it was not long before Sally Walker Language Services expanded in staff numbers and into the upper floors of the building, and later to a Cardiff branch as well.

More than thirty years on, the original qualities which set my business apart have endured, but the manual typewriter has long gone and I have consistently invested in the latest technology to facilitate the smooth-flowing of the business.

A great number of clients have come to depend on the company’s skills for a host of different projects. The network of freelance translators has been carefully developed over the years. Great care is taken to ensure that translators are steeped in the modern usage of their language and fully understand the environments in which their translations will be used. More than thirty years on from those modest beginnings, the same guiding principle applies: better translation means better business.

Sally Walker