Using Skype as a quick and cost-effective tool to arrange and troubleshoot projects has been a great experience so far. So much so, in fact, that the slick Skype sales videos nearly had us invest more in their PSTN/landline number service, SkypeIn. However further research showed that it could not be fully relied upon for business uses. Choppy call quality, and outages were not really how we’d like to present the company. So the best option turned out to be VoIP in its nearly-pure form of SIP phone connected to a hosted service with some extra bells and whistles thrown in at a very reasonable price. We can listen to answer machine messages sent via email outside configurable business hours, buy international numbers and a host of fax services via the online control panel. If we could rely on mobile broadband as a business (fingers crossed, 4G) then we could do away with the fixed line provided by our lovely national provider and have better, cheaper global telephony and internet speed than its old sprawl of copper wire could ever offer.

We can live in hope. In the meantime, while Skype is still operational and ad-free, you are welcome to contact myself by adding lukejspear, or you can call whichever of our phone numbers is most convenient for you:

Classic local landline – 01332 865998
VoIP local number – 01332 460 121
VoIP French number – +33 (0)1 70 70 85 47
SIP to SIP for free – 05603 681 648
VoIP fax number – 01332 460 070

Any one of those numbers will get through to us, and with email, this site’s contact form, live chat, Twitter and the comments below, you’ve got more options than Microsoft have with Skype. Who said translation agencies weren’t keeping up with the times?

• W2W is now part of Accentor Ltd., a UK limited company whose director is yours truly, Luke Spear
• W2W has had a great January, picking up some very interesting new clients who we’d like to thank for their custom
• W2W plans to keep growing their client base throughout the East Midlands, the UK and Europe through a neat online and offline marketing campaign

That will be all for now. Do call us if you have a project in mind, we’d be happy to assist.

EDIT: Our usual Derbyshire local number of 01332 865 998 is now back online as of December 9th 2010.

We are also working alongside an internet telephony (VoIP) provider to enable us to offer an improved telephone service and to offer our European and US customers more options with regards to local calls.

At World to Writers we use a second independent linguist to proofread our translations to ensure that this kind of error doesn’t happen for you.

Top marketing agencies, schools, patent firms, technology companies, legal offices – we are well placed to handle a variety of work, with a network of linguists stretching out around the world.

If you would like to find out more, and to add us as your language contact, get in touch:

Contact – 01332 865 998

With France’s recent bid to be the EU’s main language, this must come as a blow to the Académie. With interest in learning French flagging behind even German and Russian, France’s language-marketing team are going to have to put the va-va-voom* back into one of the world’s most renowned languages.

Yet at World to Writers, being in contact with various languages on a daily basis, it is brought home to us very often that people would speak and be spoken to in their own language in most cases.

It is, for the majority, a severe handicap to communicate in a second language. Especially in the case of someone who can read their native literary heroes and write reams of creative text in their mother tongue, yet struggle to describe their latest product in the supposed lingua-franca of English.

So hats off to the popularity of that most flexible of languages, l’anglais, but it goes without saying that a second language is often a last resort, with native communication nearly always coming in at number one when it comes to preferences.

*Faux-French developed for the English market in a famous ad campaign

Inspired by the event, World to Writers has decided to compile a report on the subject of exporting. It is aimed at giving practical advice to SMEs looking to sell further afield.

Local translation firm helping SMEs to think globally

It’s not only China that isn’t in recession; there are many emerging markets that are experiencing phenomenal growth all around the world. Brazil, Ukraine, Vietnam, Mexico and UAE, the list goes on. These markets are great opportunities, and with UK firms enjoying the language of business and a reliable reputation, there has never been a better time for our SMEs to develop an export strategy.

The Melbourne, Derbyshire, based translation contact World to Writers have released a report containing practical advice on how to start exporting. As a language services company that regularly outsources work around Europe and the world, World to Writers’ MD Luke Spear said that “it is within any company’s reach to start selling into new markets,” adding, “you just need to conduct thorough research and obtain an understanding of the local market and communications”. The new report details how to get access to just that.

Some trade missions can bring in several million pounds worth of new business for delegates, as UKTI have recently proven. They offer personal introductions, complete market reports and with these a solid backing for opening export finance credit lines with banks.

Once the viability of the mission is complete, translation services companies are on hand in the UK to handle the one-off or ongoing translation requirements of localising sales literature, product manuals, brochures and slogans.

Translation can be accurate and precise, as in the case of technical manuals; or culturally sensitive and creative, as in the case of company taglines and advertising campaigns. These distinctions are second nature to professional linguists, having many years of experience and training in the subtle nuances of communication.

Why not take the first step by contacting Luke Spear, who can connect you to the relevant contact at UKTI and start to build your export strategy with you.

To get your free copy of the export report, please visit www.worldtowriters.com/export. To add us as your translation and export contact, email lspear@worldtowriters.com or call 01332 865998.

A special thank you to Patrick Nelson of Underdesign (a webdesign firm in Nottingham) for his mention of World to Writers during his very informative presentation.

We look forward to continued contact with the local small businesses met at the event, and also to implementing the suggestions made during the presentations.

On the strength of projects from the likes of UK Trade and Investment and Barclays Wealth, we look forward to continuing improvements to the company and working with our network of expert translators.

Now with a linguist’s eye on the world and two languages under his belt, the determination to continue to work with languages drove him to create World to Writers.

Luke is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists and the local Chamber of Commerce.

See Luke’s freelance site