YFTranslations - Yves Ferrer

1973 and oil-rigs are under construction in Graythorpe, near Hartlepool; this is when a fresh-faced interpreter/technical translator arrives in the region, virtually straight from University. After a couple of years, it is time to move on to the next project offshore Mexico but fate takes charge: a baby is on the way!

A change of direction ensues and the translator becomes a teacher...32 years pass and a successful career comes to an end. Back to first love: translation and interpretation!

The business was started from the ground up but with a lot of support from professional organisations in the NE, BLIS Professionals in particular! The demand was patchy at first and it took a while to establish a solid client base and a network of resources; but a combination of word of mouth recommendations and advertising through various media, not least the RLN NE, has ensured that YFTranslations is now on the local map.

The vast majority of the work is handled by me personally, and some more general texts are passed on to other people where it is convenient and safe to do so. This has the added bonus of networking further afield and extending the knowledge base.

The main strength of YFTranslations is in the in-depth knowledge of technical fields -aeronautics, automotive, industrial, etc...-; this, allied to a willingness to ask questions (one person never knows enough!) and to engage in dialogue with the client, means that the end product is of high quality. Indeed, most of the clients are repeat clients! Interpretation on-site is the other string to YFTranslations bow. This aspect of the work can be anything ad hoc for a morning or afternoon at the client's premises, or it can indeed be for bookings spreading over several weeks for specialist purposes.

The work can be extremely demanding and exhausting but the satisfaction of seeing two engineers nodding in unison "Got the message!" is immense...Work is largely done via the Internet as befits our times, and naturally, also in the old-fashioned paper way. Flexibility is a key-word in YFTranslations approach to helping clients in the North-East. My only regret is that I did not come back to translation twenty years ago!