Why Choose Ogoino Spanish<>English Language Services?

Translation plays a critical role in today's global market. Yet often the level of communication has been sacrificed for a momentary 'saving' that in the long run can cost businesses money and prestige. By investing in professional translations, businesses gain from:

Better company image and product presentation
Better client relationships
Better supplier relationships
Better understanding of international trends and competitors

Ogoino Spanish Language Services comprise translation, interpreting and linguistic consulting provided by Vivian J. Stevenson, professional NAATI accredited translator and interpreter based in Sydney, Australia.
As a qualified linguist, translator and interpreter of English and Spanish, I can help you make these gains with expert, cost-effective translation service backed by:

Experience - Over 15 years in commercial, financial and technical translations. Interpreter in conference, court, tribunal, medical and commercial fields.
Expertise - Degrees in Linguistics, Science and Engineering; full NAATI professional accreditation. Teacher of translation and linguistics to university students, and marker of professional translator examinations.
Convenience - major formats supported (Word, Excel, Acrobat), with return either as hard copy, and/or electronically via email, diskette or CD ROM.
Ethics - a committee member of the Translators and Interpreters professional body ('AUSIT'), I work actively for the promotion of the profession and its standards.

English and Spanish are spoken by over 600 million people worldwide: let the numbers work for you by choosing Ogoino Spanish Language Services.

back to top

Qualifications

Bachelor's degrees in Science and Electrical Engineering from the University of Sydney
Masters degree in Translation and Linguistics (with Distinction and letter of commendation) from the University of Western Sydney.
NAATI professional (formerly Level 3) translator English <> Spanish.
NAATI professional (formerly Level 3) interpreter English <> Spanish.
Certificate of Fluency, Official School of Languages (Bilbao, Spain).
Certificate in Advanced Spanish, University of Technology Sydney.
Certificate of Completion 'Interpreters and the Law' (Community Relations Commission and Attorney General's Department of NSW).

back to top

Activities

Commonwealth Government contractor (Centrelink, includes Federal Police security clearance).
State Government contractor (Community Relations Commission of New South Wales, formerly Ethnic Affairs Commission).
Panel member with major agencies servicing governments and private enterprise.
External lecturer in translation and linguistics, University of Western Sydney.
Setting, supervising and marking of NAATI professional examinations.

back to top

Expertise

Translating
Community (Health awareness) - Commerce/ Finance (correspondence, annual reports, balances, tenders, promotional material) - Legal (contracts, attorneys, statements) - Medical (patient reports, pharmaceutical) - Personal Documents (birth and marriage certificates, qualifications, passports, police clearances) - Technical/ Scientific (journal papers, patent information, manuals)
Interpreting
Business conferences - Community (welfare, counselling, aged care) - Legal conferences and hearings (Civil Criminal Family Refugee Workers  - Medical, medico-legal and psychiatric examinations - Social Security.
Consulting:
Using Interpreters -Translation localisation - Language usage - Examination preparation.

back to top

Clients

I have provided contracted or subcontracted services in Translation and Interpreting for:

Transperfect Translations (NY- London - HK) - Adobe Latin America (web promotion) - AENA (Spanish Airports and Aviation Authority) - Aristocrat (gaming) - Cochlear (implants) - Gador (pharmaceuticals) - Major insurance companies (Alliance, GIO) - Novolet (insulin delivery) - NSW Department of Fair Trading (community information) - ROC Oil - Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (tourism). Administrative Appeals Tribunal - Commonwealth Government (Centrelink) - Community Justice Centres - Department of Housing NSW - Family Court of NSW - Industrial Relations Commission - Juvenile Justice Department - Legal Aid Association of NSW - Local, District and Supreme Courts -- Migration Review Tribunal - Refugee Review Tribunal - Social Security Appeals Tribunal - Workers Compensation Court NSW.

back to top

Contact and Quote Information

For further information, including quotes, please:
email enquiries to [email protected] or telephone +61 2 6553 3746 / +61 2 9527 3559 mob +61 414 700 387.

back to top

What are translation and interpreting?

Some people use the terms translation and interpreting loosely, even interchangeably, but their definition is really quite precise-

Translation is where a translator takes a written message in one language and rewrites it in another.

Interpreting is where an interpreter takes a spoken message in one language and repeats it in another.

When an interpreter waits for a speaker to complete what s/he is saying before repeating it (i.e., interpreter and speaker alternate), we have what is termed consecutive interpreting. If the message is repeated without pause, as it is being created by the speaker, we have simultaneous interpreting.

Now, written messages can involve very complex terminology and/or sophisticated expression, as writers seldom work in real time and so have the opportunity to craft their work. Equally, the reader can absorb it at his/her leisure. Spoken messages, however, tend to be less organised and use more everyday language, but are enriched by modulating tone and loudness of voice, matched with supporting (and sometimes contradictory) facial expressions and gestures, many with quite specific contextual meanings. A speaker can also vary delivery speed, and the listener must keep pace.

The differences in translating and interpreting reflect the basic differences between listening/speaking and reading/writing. They call for different abilities, although there are many people who are competent to do both.

back to top

Mediums and messages

There is common ground in interpreting and translation that becomes apparent when we explore the concept of message itself. Mostly, we think of messages as containing practical information or commands, something we can act on or learn. However, more often than not they are charged with emotion and attitude.

In some instances, it's not uncommon for the feeling to actually outweigh the facts - and sometimes the true meaning of a message may simply be the way it makes the recipient feel. This effect is frequently sought in advertising, for example.

Therefore, while working under different conditions and constraints, good translators and interpreters rely on understanding emotional and cultural contexts as well as factual information. There is a lot more to translating and interpreting than knowing another language: it takes practice going backwards and forwards between each medium to consistently get messages right.

back to top

What does NAATI accredited mean?

In Australia, most users of Translation and Interpreting services have heard of the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters. Formed in the 1970s, NAATI's brief was to unify translator and interpreter qualifications, in response to the demand created by a newly multicultural Australia.

Rather than sift through different qualifications from many countries, it was decided that applicants should demonstrate their capacity by an accreditation examination at the appropriate level. The NAATI 'professional' category for each mode (formerly Level 3) is the standard for translating official documents or interpreting in courts.

Australian translators and interpreters still qualify by sitting this single examination, which comprises a practical section and another on ethics. There is no theory component however: NAATI accreditation is a practical benchmark, not a degree in linguistics.

back to top

Confidentiality Impartiality and Accuracy (CIA)

The watchwords for Professional Translators and Interpreters are Confidentiality, Impartiality and Accuracy, or what I term the 'CIA'. This means they undertake to reproduce messages without addition, omission or distortion, without judging their value or communicating them to any third party.

These principles were defined in order to regulate the major professional areas in Australia: official translations (identity documents, medical reports, statements) and official interpreting (formal interviews, courts, psychiatric assessments). Purchasers of official translation and interpreting services have a right to expect the 'CIA', and in order to pass the ethics section of a NAATI examination a candidate must show competent understanding of these three principles and how they are applied.

There are some occasions however, when the CIA do not apply: in the case of criminal activity or life-threatening circumstances, confidentiality is overridden by legal/ humanitarian obligations.

back to top

What is a linguist?

In addition to studies of foregin language(s) per se, a linguist has completed a university degree in the make-up and underlying function of language, and how these attributes manifest themselves in different linguistic communication systems (i.e. individual languages). This field, known as lingusitics, involves familiar areas such as grammar and morphology, together with phonology/phonetics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, dialectology etc.

These studies are of particular interest to people planning a career in language teaching, and essential for research. Translators and interpreters who complete these studies find them extremely useful in their tasks of comparing and contrasting their language pair, and analysing messages in their fullest sense.

back to top

What does a linguistic consultant do?

Linguistic consultants provide language advice in a particular specialty - as forensic experts, for example. There a re linguists who specialise in ancient languages, deciphering texts, or helping emerging societies to alphabetise their speech and develop a writing system.

Translators and interpreters with training in linguistics are in a position to offer expert advice on getting the most from the very services they provide. Of course in general they have an ethical commitment to effectively render communication without taking a protagonist's role (the principles of CIA). These principles are so ingrained that the idea of providing particular advice can make some people uneasy about impartiality. In fact, the idea of the translator as "invisible" seems so prevalent that in many instances translations are expected to be undertaken without any client contact at all.

Accordingly, I prefer to avoid confusion and use the term linguistic consulting for advice outside the normal run of translating and interpreting work. Of course this activity is still bound by strict codes of professional behaviour, with accuracy and confidentiality remaining paramount.

examples
A consultative role would be indicated where a text in one language serves as a template for another, such as in localisation projects. Here the consultant can help make decisions about the organization of a text, thus going beyond the stylistic editing translators normally do.

Advice can also be given on how to use an interpreter effectively, backed with practical sessions. This is relevant to people who are unused to interpreted discourse and wish to maximise their preparation for important negotiations or legal matters. (This is not coaching: it simply means providing insight and practice in speaking through interpreters).

back to top

If you want to find out more about the role translators and interpreters play, and what it takes to become one, the following websites are recommended:
Australian Society of Interpreters and Translators AUSIT: www.ausit.org
National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters NAATI: www.naati.com.au