Experience

Wisdom before experience is only words; wisdom after experience is of no avail.
Mark van Doren, 1894 – 1972.

The translation experience of Nico van de Water Linguistic Services stretches back to 1979 when Nico took on his first assignments. Over the years, he has covered a whole array of domains, disciplines and fields, amongst others dealing with advanced PA / sound systems, thermal plastics moulding, truck / trailer suspension systems, T-lymphocytes, oil and gas exploration and drilling, printer definition instructions, olive oil, and medical imaging systems.

The main translation languages are English and Dutch, occasionally venturing into translation from German into English and Dutch. The majority of source texts are written in American English (US English), but in addition to British (UK) English I have also dealt with Irish, Canadian and Australian English.

But experience is more than the sum of topics, language varieties and different source documents (manuals, instructions, guides, leaflets, forms, etc.). Experience is also the great diversity in file formats (including intermediate formats), registers, audiences, tools, resources, glossaries, and so on.

Furthermore, experience is reflected in knowledge of linguistic, cultural, legal, social, medical and other systems, as well as familiarity with customs, calendars, holidays, social and other conventions, geography, history, politics, economics, civics and parliamentary systems, postal services, insurance, banking, policing and all the other aspects of daily life that are touched upon in the material to be translated. All this makes translating a fascinating as well as demanding profession.