The adventure of space
December 2011. English <> Spanish interpretation of the press conference held on account of the exhibit “NASA: The adventure of space” which takes place in Pavilion XII of the Casa de Campo, in Madrid. Present at this press conference we find the exhibit’s commissioner and spokesperson, as well as Don Bies, creator of the mythical RD-D2 and actor in Star Wars. Our interpreters will also be in charge of accompanying astronaut Charles Duke during the inaugural session. www.laaventuradelespacio.com
Evaluation of Public Policies
December 2011. On account of the conclusion of the course “University Expert in the Evaluation of Public Administration Services and Policies 2010-2011”, the UNED and the Evaluation and Quality Agency celebrate an Analysis Congress focusing on the evaluation of policies in the current international scenario. The participation of international experts has allowed NAKOM to partake in this event, thanks to the work of its interpreters in the language combinations French <> Spanish and English <> Spanish.
Scholarships for Haiti
October 2011. The Spanish University Rectors’ Conference (CRUE) has initiated a scholarship programme in conjunction with the State University of Haiti to assist in the country’s development following last year’s earthquakes. The programme’s aim is to award scholarships to the country’s university students to allow them to attend Master’s courses at one of a number of collaborating Spanish universities. The courses offered are linked to activities fundamental to the country’s regeneration, such as education, urban development, planning, risk prevention, risk management, building techniques, healthcare and the environment. NAKOM provided the French translation of the documents for the francophone agents who are participating in the project.
Round Table India
Round Table India was founded in England in 1927 by Louis Marchesi, a young man with a desire to exchange ideas and opinions with other young businesspeople in his area. What began as small gatherings under the auspices of the Norwich Rotary Club grew in size. Periodic meetings would be held which, in turn, would eventually turn into an entire movement.
The organization arrived in India in 1957, and firmly established itself in 1962 with the creation of Round Table India. The foundation currently has over 2,500 volunteers at 175 Tables scattered around the country.
The organisation’s primary goal is to eradicate illiteracy, to improve health and sanitation, and to promote service through fellowship. One of its main projects, “Freedom through Education”, aims to give disadvantaged children from towns in rural India the chance to receive basic education.
There are over 60 million children in India between the ages of three and ten. We hope that contributing to their education will help the country’s development well into the future.
www.roundtableindia.org
1,900 Kilometres, 12 Days, 11 Stages and a tuk-tuk
This August, NAKOM will be embarking on a new adventure: the Indian instalment of the Rickshaw Challenge.
Following months of preparation, our team is ready to begin their expedition; their tuk-tuk at the ready to take them on a journey of almost two thousand kilometres—all of it in torrential monsoon rains.
The race, which is split into 11 stages over 12 days, sees participants cross 1,950 km of Indian country from Mumbai to Chennai.
On top of this already arduous task, the team will have to withstand the inclement weather conditions of the Indian monsoon season: high temperatures, strong winds and heavy rain.
And if that wasn’t enough, our band of intrepid travellers are also going to be their own mechanics. Should the rickshaw break down, they, and they alone, will be given the chance to prove their expert mechanic’s skills… or at least their ability to find someone able to get them out of a sticky situation!
Thankfully, the NAKOM team won’t be travelling alone. Organisations such as Bomberos Unidos sin Fronteras—United Firefighters without Borders—will be accompanying them every step of the way… And I think we all know why.
Let’s not forget, however, that the main reason for this trip is none other than to show our support for the Round Table India Foundation. Sponsorship and donations given by our intrepid explorers will go towards promoting education in some of the country’s most disadvantaged regions. Along the way, in Pune, Panaji, Mangalore, Mysore, Bangalore, Vellore and Chennai, they will be able to visit some of the schools that have benefited from the project, and see first-hand how their actions are helping the region’s children.
www.roundtableindia.org
Translation and the Legal Profession
Today, NAKOM is attending the UNIJES 2011 conference, organised by the Universidad de Deusto (Bilbao), the Universidad Ramón Llull (Barcelona) and the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas (Madrid).
The first day of a three-day event, the principal item on the conference’s agenda will be current and future trends in a legal profession that is facing up to a more and more globalised society. Aspects such as training, the profession’s involvement in society and future challenges that it faces will also be dealt with at this event held in central Madrid.
Stock Market Flotation
June 2011. The team at Ramón y Cajal entrusted NAKOM with the translation of documents of one of their customers to be presented before the Spanish national stock market commission ahead of its flotation. The project involved translating over 16,000 words in two days. To keep to such a tight deadline, NAKOM worked with translators from different countries and time zones; a job which in itself demanded meticulous document reviewing and quality control processes.
Songs of Immediacy – Photography and Flamenco
May 2011. In the context of the Flamenco Festival celebrated in the city of Doha comes the photographic exhibition “Songs of Immediacy – Photography and Flamenco”. The photographs are an invitation for us to join in and share this art from our emotions. NAKOM provided the arabic translations for, among other documents, the exhibition’s press releases, the biographies and the accompanying texts for the photographs themselves.
Translation in Today’s Market: The Rise of the Machines?
Next week, on 7th and 8th April, NAKOM will be attending “Inspiration Days”, a conference in Poland organised by one of its suppliers.
Amongst a number of topics to be raised at the convention are the evolution of the translation market, the latest trends in machine translation and how this technology will affect the translation sector.
We’d like to know what you think. ¿Do you believe that machine translation will spell the end of a part of the sector? Are we fully aware of how the sector is evolving? What does the future hold for translators?
L’Oréal Sales Academy
NAKOM provided its interpreting services at a training seminar given by the L’Oréal Sales Academy. The days were run by Steven Gresty, an expert in training and former L’Oréal Sales Director. The training gave regional directors within Spain the necessary tools with which to improve their representatives’ competitiveness.
Working languages at the event were English and Spanish, with a soupçon of French, given the origins of the company.
