STAR TS Translation Services Blog

The National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI) provide useful guidelines on making services more accessible for people with sight problems.

There are many specialised supports available to help service providers and businesses meet the needs of those who are blind or may be visually impaired. For example:

Awareness training Awareness Training can bring a much greater understanding of issues around vision loss and how to make services more accessible.

Accessible technologies People who are blind or visually impaired may not be able to access information or services due to inaccessible websites, or poor quality displays and touch screens. The Centre for Inclusive Technology (CFIT) provides information, education and assistance in designing accessible websites. Find out more at www.cfit.ie

Accessibility audit An access audit of your premises may highlight certain aspects that make it difficult for a person with sight loss to find their way around independently. Low cost, simple adaptions can make premises more accessible and safer. For further infomation contact: www.ncbi.ie

These guidelines and advice are reprinted from ISME the Irish Small And Medium Business Enterprise Association.  ISME provides business training, advice and mentoring services to companies throughout Ireland.

ISME Membership is a cost-effective way for SME owner/managers to be continually updated on issues that impact on their business and network with like-minded business people.

If you are interested in joining contact:

Sue Ellis
Business Development Officer
ISME, the Independent Business Organisation,
17 Kildare Street
Dublin 2
Tel: 00353 1 6622755

or visit ISME.IE

The CLP Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on the classification,  labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP) entered into force on the 20th of January 2009.

This covers substances subject to registration under the REACH regulation and hazardous substances on the market.  You may have duties and deadlines to meet under the CLP Regulation. There are two key deadlines which are fast approaching.

DEADLINES:

1st December 2010 :

You must reclassify and relabel your substances, in accordance with the new ‘CLP’ classification. If the product is already on the shelf then the deadline is 1 December 2012.

3rd January 2011:

You must notify your substances to the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) of the classification and labelling of the substances

For further information contact the Health & Safety Authority web-site at www.hsa.ie/clp or their helpdesk which can be contacted at 1890 289 389 or clp@hsa.ie

On Friday 15th October Lord Young, the British Prime Minister’s Adviser on Health & Safety Law and Practice, published his highly anticipated report “Common Sense, Common Safety”, which examines the impact of Health & Safety regulations on businesses and personal freedom.

The report puts forward a series of policies for improving the perception of Health & Safety, to ensure it is taken seriously by employers and the general public. All of the recommendations made have been accepted by David Cameron, and Lord Young will work across departments to ensure his recommendations are carried out.

One recommendation was to simplify the risk assessment procedure for Low Hazard Workplaces such as offices, classrooms and shops. EssentialSkillz commends Lord Young for his recommendations for reform in this area. In particular, as a provider of low cost solutions for Low Hazard Workplaces for the past 10 years, they were pleased to hear him advocate the use of simple interactive online solutions for Health & Safety compliance for the future.

The HSE immediately published an interactive risk assessment tool on their website for Low Hazard workplaces. Click on the link that follows to view the HSE online assessment.

The tool will take you through the key areas of concern for Low Hazard Workplaces which are:

• Slips and trips
• Manual handling
• Working at height
• Well-being of workers
• Computers, laptops and similar equipment
• Fire
• Work equipment

Republished from EssentialSkillz

A new book mapping the languages of London’s schoolchildren and highlighting the richness and diversity of the 233 languages used in the capital is unveiled for the first time at this year’s Language Show at Earls Court.

All the major languages of the world are represented in London, and “Language Capital” highlights the value of this important resource for London’s future as a key global player. It also reveals how this enormous potential can be harnessed and developed.

Teresa Tinsley, Director of Communications of CILT,  the National Centre for Languages, said: “London enjoys an incredible advantage in having English in combination with such a wide range of other languages used by millions of people around the world. We need to do more to capture the potential of this linguistic talent to create a generation of highly competent, globally connected bilinguals capable of mediating between different cultures and competing in global markets”.

The book of  contains a wealth of data alongside 29 pages of  full colour maps illustrating  the way London’s languages have changed and how communities in the capital have evolved  over  the last decade.  Building on the groundbreaking research of “Multilingual Capital” published in 2000, it is a vital reference book for specialists and non-specialists alike. Pre-launch copies will be available at the Show.

CILT, the nationally recognised centre of expertise on languages will be at the Language Show on stand 411 throughout the three days offering a wide range of support and information on services for teachers, learners, and businesses. Visitors to the stand will have the opportunity to sign up for a free trial to CILT Plus, a new service which provides primary schools with unique access to a host of language learning resources and online training. They will also be invited to sign the Languages Work Pledge – a campaign for businesses and individuals to sign up and show their support for improving the nation’s language skills for employment and the economy.  The stand will also be showcasing the latest online tool for schools – MYLO a free interactive way for youngsters from 11 to 16 to learn and practise their languages.

CILT staff will also be hosting seminars on raising students’ motivation to continue learning languages they speak at home, and on how schools can compete for the ever popular European Language Label.

Languages rarely have a one-to-one relationship when it comes to translation. Some words and concepts can’t be translated succintly. We recently found a great article that listed some good examples of this. Here are some of our favourites:

• Esprit d’Escalier (from French, literally “the spirit of the staircase”) describes thinking of a witty comeback when it is too late to be useful and feeling regret at not having thought of it during the encounter.

• Kyoiku Mama (from Japanese, literally “education mother”) is used to describe Japanese mothers who push their children too hard to study, to the detriment of the child’s emotional, social and physical well-being.

• Tingo (Pascuense language of Easter Island) means to borrow items from a friend’s house, one at a time, until there is nothing left. Luckily this isn’t a common enough behaviour to require its own word in English-speaking countries!

To read more check out the article here:

http://listverse.com/2010/09/23/10-words-that-cant-be-translated-to-english/

The use of “would of”, “should of” and “could of” (and even “will of”) in written English seems to be on the increase. These errors appear to stem from the fact that the contractions “would’ve”, “should’ve” etc can sound like “would of”, “should of” etc. The use of the word “of” in these cases is incorrect according to current English usage.

A quick Google search will show that the use of these incorrect phrases is quite common. Some linguists speculate that these uses will in time become so common that they will be officially accepted as Standard English. However, the vast majority of people currently consider these phrases to be grave errors.

When writing we recommend taking care to use the correct form.