About project
Period: Jan 2015 – Aug 2022
Client: Marshall Land Systems
Subject: Tendering a transportable CT scanner to the French Army + documentation translation and training
This is a long term project. Marshall Land Systems is at the forefront of transportable, military-grade medical CT scanners. I was their French go-to person for translations and interpreting into French.
My Task Was
Initially, I was called in to translate a few elements of their tender on Excel. It soon became clear that the client actual need was for a language point of contact with sufficient technical understanding of this highly complex product.
- Act as an interpreter during all phases of the initial tender
- Act as a cultural facilitator, helping both parties to better understand each other
- Translate hundred of pages of tender documents into French
- Translate the complete user manual
- Act as a fixer and interpreter for the training and deployment operations in France.
Result
Manufacturing this complex containerized solution was a technological leap. Marshalls was also breaking in the French market.
- Marshall sold 6 units to the French army between 2015-22. Initial expectations were only one or two units.
- Leveraging existing translations generated thousands of pounds of savings
- Ensuring that the highly technical vocabulary was captured, stored and used correctly
- Communication processes between the two parties was fluid and quick
Conclusion
One of the most challenging and varied project ever. It involved translating (in writing) and interpreting (orally) using specialist terminology – both medical and military. Being the linguistic interface between the supplier and the client often meant going beyond simply translating the words: often, what was needed was a clarification of the professional and cultural context in the two countries – hence acting as an honest broker. See the list of services I offer.