We’ve been translating texts for all levels of public administration for many years. These often include information for the general public, on practically every subject from housing to waste taxes. Examples include correspondence concerning nuisance caused by public works.

In this kind of assignment it’s important that translators can put themselves in the position of members of the public. They’re translating on behalf of the municipality or province but must be aware of the recipient. Official communications of governments and local authorities are generally well written nowadays, but not every text comes across in the right way.

It’s not only a question of whether the source text has been correctly translated, but also of whether people understand it and whether the text addresses people in the right way or leads to the desired behaviour. That may depend greatly on the language and culture.

Other examples of texts we translate include opinion research, statistics, information issued by and for ministries, think-tanks, lobbyists and stakeholder organisations. This often includes very knowledge-intensive work, where the purpose of the text also has to be taken into account. Is it intended to inform or persuade, for example? That makes a difference, including in the translation.