Translator Testimonials December 2010 to December 2011:
1. I think that David’s interactive approach made the whole thing very interesting and enjoyable.
We covered many important areas.
I would be very interested in participating in another course led by David.
All in all a very enjoyable day, extremely well organised.
Thank you again for taking the initiative to organise the event. I think the fact that you made sure we were a small group was a very good idea, it facilitated the interaction between each other / us and David and created a friendly atmosphere.
Best wishes (Nice)
2. Bonjour
Regarding the training session, this was a very good idea and I have the feeling it will be very helpful in the near future. “No blabla, straight to the point with interaction, and plenty of good and interesting examples to “enlighten our knowledge”.
David Hutchins is a very good ‘teacher’ and for sure I will grab the opportunity to learn again and again, should there be any other training session.
Merci encore pour cette initiative. Tous mes meilleurs vœux pour 2011
Bien cordialement(Nice)
3. That was a great day. I must say I thought I was going to sleep all through it, but no way... despite the fact I had only slept 4 hours the night before, it was very interesting, varied, amusing, instructive, ... Great. Thank you for having organised it. I shall certainly be back for another one, if there is one even if it is in Nice.
With many thanks and congratulations - it was most enjoyable.
Kind regards(Aix-en-Provence)
4. "I just wanted to let you know David Hutchins' course was EXACTLY what I was looking for, vocabulary-rich, interactive, sufficiently anecdotal to be lively but not enough to lose track of the essential"
(Nice)
1. As a Swedish-English legal translator living in Sweden, I found David Hutchins' introduction course to contract law excellent. It helped make my knowledge of contract law more systematic, gave me a better grasp of contract terminology as used in England (and not filtered through Sweden) and provided me with a good basis (and enthusiasm) for further study.
Translators are facing an increasingly competitive market where prices are being driven down to such an extent as to threaten quality. One way that translators can continue to have a reasonable work situation and to maintain their status as qualified professionals is to become even more qualified professionals. This involves a continuous process of learning, to sharpen our skills to be able to offer something not available in the cheap bulk-production end of the market, added value which the customer is prepared to pay a higher price for.
We often work with legal translations, although few of us have formal legal training.A good legal translator has often picked up quite a bit of knowledge about the law; however, this knowledge will often be unsystematic with gaps. Many of us live outside our source language country and are subject to pressure both from another language and also from the accepted usage of colleagues in the translating community, who may over time have developed variant usages, at best not quite English, at worst Swenglish or Franglais etc etc.
David Hutchins offers law courses, which are tailor-made to address these concerns. Short pedagogic courses, giving an overview of a field of law, for example, contract law, a review of relevant terminology in English law, and providing a basis for further independent study. His pleasant, pedagogic and lively approach elicits a good response from students, making them feel confident about getting to grips with a complex body of material and enjoying the process of doing so.
2. I did indeed enjoy your seminar (just a little tired in the 'ead afterwards, if you know what I mean - one did have to be 100% awake). Thank goodness that I'd gone through all your material in advance, otherwise I'd have had problems... The day was really informative.
Stockholm
3. Dear David, thank you very much for a very interesting course. I will gladly send you any question on legal matters in case I get stuck.
Stockholm
1."I am extremely pleased to have attended your course. You managed to cover a lot of ground in just one day in a scholarly and witty way which I found very stimulating. You are brilliant! Thank you."
Cristina Boyce-Borromeo, AIIC, MITI, MIL
c.boyce@aiic.net
2."I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday's work shop and shall not hesitate to recommend them to fellow linguists."
Jeanie Eldon DPSI jeanieeldon@hotmail.com
3."I just wanted to say thank you again for another interesting and useful course. Your course notes and oral presentation were very informative, and the group discussions were particularly valuable and enlightening. Lunch was also very good too!" I hope to see you again before too long!
Sarah Clark BA (Hons) PG Dip. Trans MITI
Tel.: +44 (0)1673 878505
Fax: +44 (0)871 994 2875
Mob.: +44 (0)7786 221199
sarah@translateuk.com
4." I found your "English Legal System" course to be everything I could have hoped for. I studied law in France and in Germany, but never in the UK, and this opportunity to learn about the English legal system from an actual English solicitor was invaluable for my work as a legal translator. Moreover, not only did I learn a lot, I thoroughly enjoyed myself; I love my job, and it was great to be able to discuss legal translation issues with people who understand what it is about (and that is something I really appreciated about your approach). I wouldn't have thought the day would be over so fast!"
H J, Paris
5."I just wanted to drop you a line and to say a BIG THANK YOU for such an amazingly interesting course on Saturday. To be honest, it exceeded all my expectations and I would have felt very happy to stay even longer as at no point during the whole 6 hours did I feel bored!I look forward to the upcoming course on Saturday. Thank you. In fact, I think I was a lucky person to have such a great opportunity to learn and it was the best learning experience in such a short time. I will always recommend these courses to my friends and colleagues."
Renata BaubonyteLithuanian/Russian interpreter smilingrena@yahoo.com
6."The one day course on the English Legal System was very interesting, well structured, organised on a high level and professionally presented by David Hutchins, Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales. In my opinion, this is simply a must for professional interpreters/translators who work or intend to work in the English legal system. It helps to clarify not only the meaning of terminology used in the legal sphere but also the cultural concepts, which may denote different things in different cultures and can present a difficulty for the work of interpreters/translators. The course serves the primary function of developing the right comprehension of legal jargon, which is crucial for our work. As any high quality interpreting/translation work starts with a solid understanding by the interpreter/translator of the MEANING of what has been said/written. Dictionaries are not always very helpful in preparation for an assignment - they give many variants of legal terminology translation but for the interpreter/translator it is crucial to know exactly which term to use in a given situation, and its collocability with other legal terms and expressions; all of this can be learned during the course. David brilliantly explains the tiny nuances of the meaning and use of English and also American terminology in various legal procedures in simple language. The weighty complicated legal terms and expressions in an instant become "interpreter/translator friendly" and do not seem to be so very complicated any more. After this course my comprehension of the English legal system has greatly improved. The knowledge that I have received will be invaluable in my interpreting work."
Thank you very much, David.
Maria Fomenko English/Russian interpreter and translator shuttle78@hotmail.com
7."Once again many thanks for a most informative and enjoyable day yesterday. Getting that kind of information 'from the horse's mouth', as it were, was highly refreshing and satisfied a real need. "
Ian Gaukroger (Amsterdam)
1."If you work with English Criminal Law, then this course is really worth it. David backs up his explanations with examples from his own career and/or court cases made public via the media. I found it very useful. There was also plenty of time for Q&A. (The Turkish meal was also excellent)."
Katie Santos @ PORTfolio Language Services Portuguese interpreter: RPSI, PCI & MCIL. Mbl: 0044(0)7748.093.770.
2."I did indeed enjoy the course on Saturday, it was very useful and relevant to my area of interest."
Samira Hajmi DPSI Student, English Law.
3."Your courses have helped me to change my opinion of the Law in general, from it being complicated, convoluted and boring, to something that is fascinating and almost exciting!"
M K
4."Thank you for a most informative and enjoyable day.
Jolie Hughes, BA Hons, Dip. TST, MITI.
fruckie@aol.com
5."I really appreciated the course on Saturday. Thank you for explaining things in a simple manner about a subject, to my mind at least, that is rather convoluted in nature. It has given me motivation to dig deeper into the subject with the intention of hopefully becoming proficient enough to carry out legal interpreting assignments with competency and and confidence. Thank you so much AND I would recommend your course to colleagues!"
土曜日に受講させて頂きました。 題材が難解な内容にも関わらず、講師の説明が非常に分かり易く参考になりました。 これを機に更に勉強を重ね、いずれ自信を持って法律・法廷・法務通訳業務を遂行できる事を目標に頑張ります。 有難うございました。 忍久保 陽介
Yosuke Shinokubo. MITI Conference Interpreter koobou@googlemail.com
6. "I found last week’s course very interesting. As you may have realised from the questions which were put to you, as translators/interpreters we often have an idea of the legal concept in the source language, we just require confirmation of the term used by legal practitioners in English as even the best dictionaries are not always reliable. I therefore found the Q&A sessions in particular invaluable."
Crystelle Mills-Smith MITI, CL (Translator)
1."I wanted to be the first to thank you again for what was a very entertaining and informative day, I'm amazed that you managed to get in so much detailed information about a wide range of subjects and many of your comments will certainly help me (and my business partner Ian) to improve the quality of our translation work. Many thanks also for the lovely lunch and, again, I had expected to nod off after a few hours but in fact remained very alert until the very end, no doubt thanks to your presentation of what could easily have been drudgery in other hands."
Nynke Hendriks Hendriks & James Legal Translations info@hendriks-james.nl www.hendriks-james.nl
2. "Thanks for a very enjoyable and informative course today."
Anne Hargreaves Priory Translations Ltd
3." Your course helped to consolidate my previous knowledge and resolve many doubts related to understanding of terminology and concepts of law. Your delivery was engaging and brilliant illustrations helped in processing and memorising the extensive material, which otherwise might have been too much to absorb in one day. Many thanks."
Anna Kerod
4."I just wanted to say how very helpful I found the course yesterday and am sorry that I had to leave before it finished. One of the things I really enjoyed was the fact that all the available time (and we could have gone on for much longer!) was used to maximum effect. From my perspective I wanted to hear you giving us the information and also answering our questions so thoroughly. No time was wasted in giving us exercises to do in small groups, etc. which is something I find deeply unhelpful and a sad waste of valuable time when we could be getting much needed information from someone who knows the subject. In this respect the input of members of the group to the general discussions was also very useful - even to the pronunciation of "patent"! "
5."Just a quick word to say, thank you very much for the excellent course on Saturday. I really enjoyed it, and it clarified some points I wasn't sure about. Your course has really fired me. Please keep me informed of what events you're planning in the future. One of the nice things about a course such as yours is that it 'brings the law alive' in the mind."
Andrew J. Fenner MITI
6."Thank you for the excellent course on English Law for Legal Translators, which provided a very useful overview of legal terminology in contract law, as well as of changes in legal terminology due to various reforms. All legal translators should do this course! I was also very impressed by the professional way in which the whole event was organised: the initial promotion was good, the course notes arrived well before the course date, the venue was centrally located and comfortable, the lunch (included) was excellent, even the certificates issued at the end of the course were of good quality. Some of the course participants already had considerable knowledge of legal terminology, but we all learned something new and useful. Finally, after a long day's teaching the course, David offered to review some standard clauses in a document that I had brought with me. The whole day was excellent value! Thank you."
MAREK LORYS MA(Oxon) PGCE MITI MCIL FRSA East European Business Services www.polish2englishtranslations.com east.euro@lineone.net
7."My great thank you to you for this wonderful chance to hear your knowledgeable and masterful explanation of the things legal! :-) I must admit, some of them still remain a mystery to me, but it is not at all your fault, but a mere perforation in my knowledge of the field. Yet, I thoroughly enjoyed the day and would recommend any friend and colleague to attend your workshops."
Marina
7."Many thanks for your highly instructive course on Monday. I both learned a lot of new information and had some of what I know already confirmed. Having picked up odds and ends relating to the law over the years, it was very useful to learn some basics and to have some concepts explained."
Peter Bowen BA MITI Bowen Mueller Translations Ltd pgbowen@btinternet.com
8."THANK YOU for a very inspirational presentation of the English law! I thoroughly enjoyed the day in London.And like someone else previously had said, I did not need to worry about falling asleep either, you kept the interest up all the time. Very inspiring!"
Mervi Moisander BA MITI SKTL SFÖ Finnish Freelance Translator Scotland UK Tel +44-1796-472252 mervi@ballyoukan.co.uk
9."This is to thank you very much for the fascinating, informative and entertaining session on Monday. I didn't know I'd ever use such adjectives in connection with Civil Law, but here we are - you did it!"
Barbara R. Howard MA MITI APCI DPSI basiahoward@btopenworld.com
10.“I just wanted to thank you for the excellent course you gave yesterday. It certainly helped to resolve many of the issues that crop up in legal translation, particularly in terms of linguistic register and understanding how English legal concepts relate to their foreign equivalents. I would recommend your course to anyone interested in consolidating their knowledge of contract law and civil liability."
Fiona White MA MITI MCIL
Translator (French/Italian into English)
(business, financial, legal)
info@dialoguetranslations.com
11."Just wanted to thank you for a very enjoyable and useful course last Monday. I have learnt so much in one day, and also consolidated knowledge I had acquired when I did my MA at the University of Westminster. It was a very relevant course for me, and I hope I get a chance to apply what I have learnt soon."
Philippe Galinier MA and MCIL
Office: +44 (0) 20 7385 4320
Mobile: +44 (0) 7986 660 819
www.stylustranslation.co.uk
info@stylustranslation.co.uk
12."I enjoyed the course very much. I thought it was organised very professionally, the course material sent out beforehand was just right, and just enough, and I would be happy to recommend such courses to other colleagues."
Sheilah Cardno, BA, MIL, AIIC, MITI
Translator & Conference Interpreter
A: EN, B:PT, C: FR, SP
Translation into EN only
cardno@mac.com
13. "Thanks a lot for a very interesting and inspiring course yesterday, which I really enjoyed."
Trinidad Clares Flores MITI, MCIL, DPSI, NRPSI
Translation & localisation EN>ES
Public Service Interpreter
ASETRAD, CIoL & ITI member
14."Thank you very much for the course on English Law for Legal Translators. It was excellent. I can highly recommend it to anybody involved in legal translation or interpreting "
Dr Anna Gyongy ITI APCI
NRPSI Interpreter
English-Hungarian
Specialising in translations involving Scottish Law
15."I just wanted to thank you for a very enjoyable and interesting course. I feel that my legal knowledge has been clarified, corrected and supplemented, as appropriate!"
Sarah Clark BA (Hons) PG Dip. Trans MITI
Tel.: +44 (0)1673 878505
Fax: +44 (0)871 994 2875
Mob.: +44 (0)7786 221199
sarah@translateuk.com
16."Many thanks again for the course yesterday. I found it very interesting and now have a more systematic overview of contract law and civil liability to add to the knowledge I have picked up by myself over the years."
David Turnbull BA (Hons.)
www.legally-speaking-translations.com
17."Thank you for organising a great course, it was most interesting and enjoyable and well worth the trip down to London (I came down from Edinburgh too)."
Sue Kennedy BA MCIL MITI
translation@suekennedy.eu
18."Thanks again for the most inspiring day we had yesterday. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Law is such a fascinating subject, and I would very much like to come for more! Please keep me on your mailing list for future events. Wishing you all the best for your work - you are providing a fantastic service for the translation world!"
Sabine Heidelbach MITI
19."I am writing to thank you for your seminar - I found it very informative and well structured."
Victor Prokofiev MA (Law), Certified UN interpreter, AIIC, MITI
20."I'd like to thank you for providing us with so much useful information on Monday and answering all the questions. I feel I've learned a lot".
Emmanuelle Darut Translator / Traductrice Direct: +44(0)1277 821 490 | Mobile: +44(0)7747 114 254 edarut@echoestranslation.eu | www.echoestranslation.eu Twitter: edarutechoes
21."This is just to thank you for a most informative and pleasant study day last Monday. I learnt a great deal and am especially grateful for the documentation you provided. In fact, the whole day was very well organised."
Eve Miers BA Hons Translator English-German mierse@yahoo.co.uk
22."I think your course was well structured and informative; it was worth my time and expenditure and will be helpful."
Elizabeth Hill Barsanti
ATA Certified Translator Italian to English
(business, financial, legal)
www.proz.com/translator/61626/
http://it.linkedin.com/pub/elizabeth-hill-barsanti/10/b37/bb4/
23."Thank you for the excellent course you delivered last Saturday - it was most informative and enlightening. It was reassuring to have much of my knowledge confirmed, but I have already been able to put into practice some of the nuggets of knowledge I gained. I hope I will have the opportunity to attend another course sometime in the future."
Karen Green, BA Hons, MCIL, MITI, ASfEP
German-English/French-English translator
Tel. & fax: +44 (0)1727 790030
kg_translations@btinternet.com
24."Thank you again for an excellent course which was every bit worth the early start from the provinces."
Catherine Rushton Freelance Translator
25."Thank you very much for your expert instruction yesterday. I liked the way you illustrated many of the terms with real-life cases and anecdotes, which made the potentially quite dry subject matter much more accessible and interesting. It was a long day and my head was spinning at the end of it, but I feel I learned a lot. The course is great value of money – and lunch was excellent, too!"
Susanne Whiting
BSc, MSc, DipTransIoLET, MCIL
susannewhiting@gmail.com
www.translate2deutsch.com