Developments in the translation business: a brief history The days when Saint Jerome translated the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin – a daunting task if ever there was one – have long gone. The first dictionaries appeared in the Middle Ages, to be followed by other important sources of information for translators, such […]
Dual market approach to satisfy businesses and private individuals
Although its main focus is on providing translation services to the corporate and public sectors, as a translation agency Metamorfose has also identified significant and growing translation needs among private individuals. In the course of the years we have developed a separate practice for this target group, which fully focuses on providing accurate certified translations […]
Official translations: is a certified translation sufficient?
In virtually all cases, official documents drawn up in a language other than Dutch will have to be translated by a certified translator before they can be used for formal purposes in the Netherlands – and vice versa. The idea behind a certified translation is well established: if, and only if, a translation was produced […]
Crisis in the translation sector
Like practically every other sector in the Netherlands, the translation industry suffered the negative consequences of the crisis. The volume of translations fell owing to cutbacks in government and corporate spending. Pricing pressures increased. For example, government ministries decided to combine translation orders in order to secure the lowest possible price in calls for tenders. […]
How to finance your own translation business
One of the considerations that may keep professional translators from setting up their own translation business is the need to attract funds to finance the venture. Not all translators are financial experts, and they are not usually millionaires either. For enterprising translators – and indeed for any start-up entrepreneur – the prospect of having to […]
Helping You Decide Whether To Set Up Your Own Business
Are you tired of working as a wage slave? Of being expected to carry out orders? Of being assessed by mindless superiors? Would you rather build a business of your own, instead of helping your boss expand his? Then perhaps the time has come for you to start thinking about becoming an entrepreneur yourself. Some […]
Is The Translation Business Something For You?
Below are five questions you might wish to consider if you are thinking of pursuing a career in the translation business. If you can answer all the questions in the affirmative, you will stand a chance of surviving in the translation business. If your answer to any of these questions is negative, you will probably […]
How Does the Economic Crisis Affect The Translation Business?
The world is currently experiencing a financial and economic crisis of proportions not seen since the Great Depression of the 1930s. While all sectors of the economy are affected, some suffer more serious blows than others, depending on their capital needs and their susceptibility to business and consumer behaviour. The translation sector is suffering a […]
Translation Business Will Survive Recession
How does the current recession affect the translation business? Which segments are particularly badly hit? What instruments do we have to retain our customers? Do translations belong to the category of luxury goods or are they essential to business? The purpose of this article is to address these questions and help translators find ways of […]
Spatial Requirements for an Effective Translation Agency
In principle, translation, like mathematics, is an abstract art that requires no more than a pencil and a piece of paper. However, rather more in the way of equipment and space is required for a modern commercial translation agency to function properly. In this article we will direct our focus towards the spatial facilities that […]
