another “For a long time now, translation has been more than moving words from one piece of paper to another,” declares the director of our Bratislava branch. Read more in his interview.

“For a long time now, translation has been more than moving words from one piece of paper to another. Current trends include CAT tools, machine translation and post-editing, and also the use of server solutions,” declares the director of our branch in Bratislava. Read more in his interview.

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another “For a long time now, translation has been more than moving words from one piece of paper to another,” declares the director of our Bratislava branch. Read more in his interview.
  • Jan, you've been working as the director of Aspena’s Bratislava office for two years now. Can you still remember your first day on the job? What were your expectations?
  • Of course I remember it. I love working at Aspena, so this was a special day in my life. I had high expectations. I wanted to have a major influence on the operation and strategy of the Slovak division of Aspena and, of course, to move it forward.
  • What was it about Aspena that appealed to you?
  • It started at my first meeting with the company. I knew immediately that I wanted to work here. Aspena allows me to fulfil my vision and strategic plans in the field of translation, interpreting and localisation. I was also impressed by the comprehensive range of languages, with translations into English and German being just the tip of the iceberg. More than 200 language combinations is, in my opinion, a great calling card for the company.
  • You work in a service industry that requires precision, planning and accuracy. How do you see yourself? Do you like everything to go according to plan or do you prefer improvising?
  • Personally, I lean towards improvisation, although some form of planning is necessary for me. I always plan the whole week ahead. My days are divided into smaller periods of time, and each period is dedicated to certain duties. I can't imagine my job without this planning. Every day brings new challenges and unexpected situations, so improvisation and creativity make up most of my work.
  • Your job involves managing people, communicating with customers and suppliers. What do you enjoy the most?
  • I have a great team of people, for which I owe them a big thank you. Without them, we wouldn't be doing as well as we are. I am lucky enough to go to work with a smile. I really enjoy following trends in our industry and I have to admit that I love meeting our customers in person. I prefer a personal relationship with the customer. I like to recall a face during remote communication and I want it to be the same on the other side.
  • On the table in front of you is an extensive manual for a complex navigation system for spaceflight and a thousand-page storybook for children. You, as the director, get to decide which of these texts Aspena will translate. What will it be and why? How do you approach each order?
  • I have too many questions on my mind. But I don't see the connection between the two translations - we are no small cottage enterprise, so I don't see why we couldn't do both a children's book and a manual for a navigation system. The expertise of translations requires different translators. Likewise, the orders must be approached quite differently. The beauty of translation is that each type of project requires a different approach and preparation. But the customer need not worry, we have enough experience to go through the whole project with them and suggest the most suitable solution.
  • What do you think the ideal translator should look like?
  • First and foremost, they have to be a professional. Excellent knowledge of a foreign language is not enough. The ideal translator must have an excellent knowledge of the industry in which they translate. But even that's not enough. It's very important that they meet deadlines, keep communicating and adhere to the project schedule we agreed upon at the beginning.
  • Can you think of an unusual order or customer request that really surprised you?
  • I've seen a lot of non-standard orders. For example, one customer requested an express translation of two million words within 14 days. Despite the complexity of this project, we managed to deliver it on time thanks to the setup of a specialised translation process and the client was very satisfied.

  • What are the trends in translation and interpreting? Has anything caught your attention lately?
  • Translations have long ceased to mean merely transcribing from paper to paper. Current trends include CAT tools, machine translation and post-editing as well as server-based solutions, for example. I am very happy that Aspena keeps up with modern trends and can offer customers these technically demanding solutions. But I can't fail to mention the most important trend, which I hope will last as long as possible. This is personal contact with the customer. I do not want to supply “merely” translated texts. I want customers to understand our clients perfectly. Be Understood. This is the direction we will continue to take.
  • Fill in the blanks, please. If I weren't an Aspena branch manager, I would want to be...
  • If I weren't a director at Aspena, I would be striving to become a director at Aspena!